beer&winefeature24 Mahurangimatters April 6, 2016

FEATURE

Bridal & Bliss Wedding Fair 2016

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The annual grape harvest is in full swing, but it’s proving to be a particularly challenging one for local winemakers.Long spells of humidity and intermittent heavy rainfall throughout the summer have caused some grapes to rot, with many crops reduced and a few vineyards not being picked at all.After the last storm the Thursday before Easter, producers were unanimous in hoping for a long, drying spell and no more wind and rain.However, it’s far from all bad news and there are still plenty of good grapes out there. David Hoskins and Mary Evans at Heron’s Flight in Sharp Road held their annual ‘public picking’ on Good Friday, and they were very happy with the red Dolcetto grapes that came in for their rosé.“The grapes were perfect. There was no disease in the fruit so we were able to pick it quickly,” David says. “The rain didn’t really affect us. We’re organic, we don’t use herbicides, so it gets absorbed by the grass and the weeds in the rows.”This is the couple’s 25th vintage at Heron’s Flight and the industry has changed incredibly since then. “We had the first cellar door up here and the only cellar door for six years,”

Sun shines after winemakers weather storms

David says. “The first wine trail map which came out in 1998 had just six producers – Ransom, Ascension, Matakana Estate, Hyperion, Heron’s Flight and Mahurangi Estate [now Mahurangi River]. That started everything off.” By 2008, there were around 20 vineyards, wineries and cellar doors

on the map, the markets took off and Matakana has become a real “destination”.Another of the region’s pioneer wine producers is celebrating a milestone vintage this year – 2016 will be Ransom Wines’ 20th harvest. Robin Ransom says they were among the first to experiment with white

varieties locally, leading the way with chardonnay, pinot gris and, more recently, Spanish variety albarino.“When we set up, we knew that the cellar door was going to be a major part of our selling arrangement, so we thought if you’re going to do that, you have got to have a range of wines to attract people,” he says. They were also the first to make a rosé wine in the region, with their drier style vin gris. This experimentation with new styles hasn’t stopped either, since Ransom has recently launched the Matakana region’s first commercial “orange” wine. This is not, as the name might suggest, anything to do with oranges, but a style of white wine made in a very basic way, without chilling or filtering and using only natural yeasts for fermentation. “It’s a pinot gris, but we put it into barrels and just left it, allowed the temperature to rise, and bottled it without filtration,” Robin says. “We’ve called it ‘Compleat PiG’, with ‘compleat’ meant as a condition of accomplishment, not just an assembly of things. It’s got good body, nicely balanced, and still got pretty good acid. Some people say it’s a bit like chardonnay, but it definitely tastes of pinot gris.”

what’sbrewing

These Auckland visitors were happy to help at Heron's Flight.

beer&winefeature 25MahurangimattersApril 6, 2016

FEATURE

Breakfast & Lunch - Monday to Saturday 10 Elizabeth Street, Warkworth

quincecafe.co.nz • 422 2555

• Everything freshly baked on site • Specialty cakes• A la carte menu & cabinet food

• Gluten Free options available • Fully Licensed

Having to taste hundreds of different beers and ciders from 8.30 in the morning until 4.30 in the afternoon might test the resolve, and stomach, of even the keenest of drinkers, but that’s what three local experts were faced with at the recent New World Beer & Cider Awards in Wellington.Sam Williamson, brewery manager at Sawmill Brewing, and winemaker Justin Oliver of Free Range Wines were both judges in the competition’s two cider classes, while Warkworth New World’s Jeremy Ross was an associate judge in four different beer categories.They each spent two days at Westpac Stadium, sniffing, tasting and scoring more than 100 of the 464 beers and ciders entered, and helping to decide on medal and trophy-winning brews that will be announced on April 11.Both Sam and Justin have had cider industry and judging experience in the past, and they say this year’s New World competition showed how the category is developing and maturing.“There are a lot more winemakers getting into the game, and a lot more entries this time were not just cold fizzy cider, but really well made and

complex ciders,” Sam says. “They were a huge step up from previous years.”Justin agrees, saying there are more interesting ciders being made all the time.“I found that the overall standard of apple and pear cider has jumped a bit. We’re seeing more of the traditional style ciders that are drier, less loaded with sugar and people making more effort to get different apple varieties.”It was the first time Jeremy has judged at a national competition, but he loved the experience. As a long-time craft beer enthusiast who prides himself on tasting every new beer or cider that’s listed at New World, he relished the opportunity to study so many different brews in one place.“I did about 140 beers and the first one was at 8.30am,” he says. “You quickly get used to it, though. It was a great experience.”He first got into craft beers eight years ago, when he was running a New World store in Wellington, and since moving to Warkworth has greatly increased the range of unusual and boutique beers available in the store.

All the beers and ciders are tasted ‘blind’ – served in identical glasses, with all bottles and packaging hidden and no clue as to their origin. Pictured, Justin Oliver.

Local palates on national stage at brewing awards The Vintry is a beautiful boutique wine lounge in

the heart of Matakana. Serving beautiful tapas to accompany your glass of local wine or craft beer while

you soak up the sunshine on their beautiful deck, snuggle up inside with the wood burning fire or enjoy

your drink with a Movie.

Off sales/Cellar door pricesOver 40 local wines

Craft beers on tap and by the bottleGreat Whiskey and spirits selection.

Monthly events (wine tastings, gin/whiskey nights, cocktail evenings, movie nights)

Tapas style dining (Yum Cha, Seafood Platter, Large Plates)Available for functions and large groups.

Hyperion Vineyard wine tasting Sun 17th April.To celebrate World Malbec Day we have a free wine tasting

presented by John Crone of Hyperion wines

Mothers Day, May 8thHigh tea and a 6 sparkling wine tasting.

Tickets are $45, on sale now at The Vintry.

Cider FestivalApril 16th at The Cider Shed, 182 SH1, Warkworth

Midday onwards. Free entry.Showcasing local and NZ wide craft ciders.

Featuring David Ferrington and the Mississippi Delta Blues band.

beer&winefeature26 Mahurangimatters April 6, 2016

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2016 Celebrating Our

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Enjoy relaxed all day dining in The Glass House Kitchen

Sawmill Brewing’s spacious new home in Leigh Road is up and running with a range of beers now being brewed and bottled there, and is not too far from opening to the public.Owners Mike Sutherland and Kirsty McKay are hoping their new bar, courtyard and food area will be open by early June for drinks, tastings, meals and snacks“It’s all starting to come together,” Kirsty says. “The builders and plumbers will be finished next week, but there’s still a lot to do. We’ll have 15 taps at least, with the full range of our own beer, a guest beer, wine on tap and we’ll have a very short, but very good menu of great food.” Mike says the move from the original

brewery at the Sawmill Café in Leigh has given them a huge amount of space and made the whole brewing process a lot simpler.“It’s just easier having everything under one roof, instead of having to store things in Auckland or in sheds,” he says.Brewery manager Sam Williamson agrees. “This place is a blessing and a curse,” he says. “A blessing because it’s a fantastic place and a huge step up from where we were, but it’s a curse because it’s all brand new kit and it’s our fault if anything goes wrong.”One of the first brews at the new premises is a brand new beer, Imperial Red Ale, a dry-hopped, deep red ale of 6 per cent alcohol retailing in 500ml bottles.

The brew crew: Mike Sutherland, Mason Isbey, Sam Williamson and Julian Widera.

Something’s brewing at Sawmill’s new home

Chance to sample proper ciders at local festivalInterest in authentic craft ciders is growing and local producers like Zeffer, which started in Matakana, Warkworth’s Forbidden Brewing and Jones Road Cider at Omaha are leading the charge with sales growth and national awards.Forbidden is celebrating the trend with a Cider Festival at its Cider Shed café on Saturday April 16. From midday, their own and others’ craft ciders will on show, with food from their smokehouse, and music from the Mississippi Delta Blues Band.Info: 09 422 2274 Read about the festival online at localmatters.co.nz