21 New Zealand Flashcards
Why has New Zealand a great potential for making notable sparkling wines
due to its cool climate and plentiful supply of Chardonnay and Pinot Nor
Why is sparkling wine still just a small part of the total wine production?
due to the success of still wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc
Describe the style of a New Zealand traditional sparkling wine
- medium intensity
- aromas of apple and lemon
- light toasty autolytic notes
- high acidity
- typically Brut style
- good to very good quality (some are outstanding)
- mid- to premium-priced
Where dose the grapes for sparkling wine come from?
sourced from around the two islands
Is the north or the south island more suitable for elegant sparkling wines
the cooler south island is better suited to elegant sparkling wine styles with crisp acidity
Which sub-region has the biggest planting area size for sparkling grapes?
- Marlborough (south island)
- more than two-thirds of the total planting area and the highest production of sparkling grapes
Which sub-region has long been home for large volume sparkling wine brands?
- Gisborne (north island)
- producing fuller bodied styles with lower acidity and less finess
Which sub-region has long been home for large volume sparkling wine brands?
- Gisborne (north island)
- producing fuller bodied styles with lower acidity and less finess
Which grape varieties are typically used for traditional method sparkling wines?
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
Which production methods are used?
- traditional method (high quality)
- transfer method (mid-quality and higher volume)
- carbonation (inexpensive)
How dose the producers get their grapes?
- small producers use their own fruit
- a handful of large producers own vineyards but also have contracts with grape growers
How dose many wineries produce their sparkling wine?
- many wineries do not have special equipment and expertise for high quality traditional method sparkling wines
- they send their blended still wines to a contract winemaking facility to add the triage
- the bottled wine is retired to the producer for second fermentation and aging
- sent back again for disgorgement and to add dosage
What is a typically used lees ageing time for traditional and transfer method sparkling wines?
18 months
What is a typically used dosage level for Brut?
6-12g/l
What happens in the record year 2008 in the New Zealand sparkling production?
- there was an oversupply of Sauvignon Blanc
- companies created sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, made by carbonation
