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PhD Précis: Lucie Jiraska

Winegrower Staff Reporters | 13 April 2023

Lucie Jiraska. Photo Credit: Sarah Knight
Lucie Jiraska. Photo Credit: Sarah Knight

Lucie Jiraska clearly recalls her first taste of wine, unimpressed by her grandpa’s Cabernet Moravia.

Now she’s working with Auckland University’s Biological Sciences department studying the effect of management on soil biodiversity in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough vineyards.

What drew you to studying soil in New Zealand vineyards?

I was five when my grandpa, a hobby winemaker from the south of the Czech Republic, thought it was about time for me to have my first sip of wine. I vividly remember him being so proud of that batch. The cold of the cellar was seeping through my summer clothes, as he ceremonially withdraw the wine from one of the barrels and I was presented with a tiny glass containing less than a sip of dark ruby liquid. My grandma was strongly arguing against it, but my grandpa was adamant. I took a sip, my face twisted into a forced smile, and I thought, what is this adult madness and why is everyone pretending they like it? I did not want to hurt my grandpa’s feelings, so I pretended I liked the wine as well, but for a long time after, I kept wondering what the wine industry was all about.

It took me another 15 years, and moving to Prague for my bachelor’s and master’s degree in molecular biology and microbiology, to actually start understanding the science behind fermentation, microbes and soils. From there, it was just a small step, supported by a portion of luck, to join the Vineyard Ecosystems (VE) Programme. I was looking for a PhD project right when my current PhD supervisors Professor Matthew Goddard and Dr Sarah Knight were advertising a position. I did not really have to think twice, and I am very happy that I made this decision to join it.

What has your research involved?

My research mostly focuses on the impact of agricultural management on soil microbial communities in vineyards from the Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough regions. I specifically researched how soil microbial communities differ between vineyards using synthetic herbicides and those with alternative undervine management, like cultivation or mowing. I also focused on direct impacts of synthetic and organic fungicides on soil microbes and changes to their functions in response to the application of fungicides.

As a microbial ecologist, I get to go out in the field to collect samples. Samples for the VE Programme were mostly collected by our colleagues at Plant & Food Research in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, but for other aligned projects I was collecting samples of soil, bark, fruit and/or leaves. While I enjoy being outdoors and sampling, a large part of my work is in the laboratory doing either DNA or RNA extractions from samples or using molecular techniques to understand what microbial communities live in our samples. Or I’m in front of a computer bioinformatically processing and statistically analysing the data. This is what I think the most exciting part is, as this is the step where the data begins to make sense and we can start answering our research questions

Who has helped you in your work?

Besides my amazing supervisors, Mat Goddard and Sarah Knight, I would like to acknowledge Beatrix Jones, Victoria Raw, Innocenter Amima, Jed Lennox, Paulina Giraldo-Perez and Soon Lee. And obviously all the winegrowers that allowed us to collect soils and access their sites for so many years!

What are some of the findings in your thesis?

The soil communities between vineyards are highly variable, more than between management regimes. While we found a small but significant effect of management regime on soil microbial composition, we are still in the process of understanding if these small differences do affect their function in the vineyard. Each vineyard seems to be a microbiome soil island where the history of the site is reflected in the soil community.

And while some of the synthetic fungicides we tested directly in the lab had no impact on the soil microbial community composition, we were able to find an impact on microbial function in these soils. Especially those that had a history of repeated exposure to pesticides. These findings suggest that soils do in fact have an “ecological memory”, so what you put in your soils matters, as it may influence how your vineyard responds in the future. However, at this stage we still have a very limited understanding on how it mechanistically works, as soils are extremely complex systems to study. Maybe one day we will be able to design management plans suited for each vineyard, not just generalised guidelines to follow.

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‘It was a bonfire’: More than 50 firefighters needed to combat winery blaze

Olivia Ireland smh | 24 March 2023

Tamburlaine Organic Wines before the fire.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines before the fire.

The main function venue at a Hunter region winery was engulfed by flames on Thursday night, taking more than 50 firefighters about 4½ hours to put it out.

NSW Rural Fire Service received calls regarding a possible fire at Tamburlaine Organic Wines on McDonald’s Road in Pokolbin at about 9.30 pm.

Inspector Ben Shepherd said that when crews drove towards the winery, they could see a large glow from the area and called in more firefighters.

“When crews arrived, one of the main structures was already alight,” he said.

Tamburlaine Organic Wines during the fire.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines during the fire.

“It was a very large building and, when you’re getting fires in more rural areas, water can be an issue.”

While there was a dam onsite, the structure was already well alight as crews were trying to relay water quickly and went into defensive firefighting.

“It took crews until after 2am and required more than 50 firefighters to put out the flames,” Shepherd said.

There were no reported injuries, but he said the main function area was “basically destroyed”.

The winery’s managing director Mark Davidson said a major storm came through about 6pm and the venue most likely attracted lightning as it had a tin roof.

The function venue at Tamburlaine Organic Wines in Pokolbin in the Hunter region was engulfed by flames on Thursday night. Image: NSW RFS
The function venue at Tamburlaine Organic Wines in Pokolbin in the Hunter region was engulfed by flames on Thursday night. Image: NSW RFS

“When we first came out, it was really not a building it was a bonfire,” he said.

“The investigators are looking into what they can see as evidence for what caused it, but it was too much of a coincidence that a domestic electrical storm preceded it by a short period of time.”

Davidson was in his home about 100 metres away from the building on fire and said he didn’t hear the flame because of the wind direction.

A Hunter region winery was engulfed by flames on Thursday night, taking more than 50 firefighters about four-and-a-half hours to put it out.

“Fortunately, some passer-by was able to alert the fire brigade and they were here before we could ring them; they were fantastic,” he said.

The immediate damage control for Davidson has been to rearrange weddings that had been booked for the weekend and coming weeks.

“This is wedding season, so we were more concerned about that and making sure that we contain the damage to just one building,” he said.

The building on the winery was mainly used for weddings and major functions. Davidson said they plan to rebuild it as soon as possible.

“We’ll move as quickly as we can to replace it, that’s my current thoughts,” he said.

Tamburlaine Organic Wines’ Hunter winery was purchased in 1985 and centres on creating organic, vegan-friendly wines.

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Challenging harvest off to good start

Julie Asher, odt | 28 February 2023

Quartz Reef winery operations manager Montse Mondaca helps with the first harvest of the season at the Bendigo vineyard yesterday. Image: Julie Asher
Quartz Reef winery operations manager Montse Mondaca helps with the first harvest of the season at the Bendigo vineyard yesterday. Image: Julie Asher

A classic Central Otago harvest season began yesterday with the first fruit plucked from the vines at Bendigo.
Quartz Reef winemaker Rudi Bauer said the harvest looked set to be a good one but would have its challenges as unsettled weather during flowering in early December resulted in uneven fruit set.

Daily decisions would be made about which fruit to pick, but overall the average yield looked very good, Mr Bauer said.

Harvest had started three to four days earlier than last year, so it was a normal season. The spring had been very good, with good rainfall until January, when it became very dry.

There was around 50mm of very welcome rain last week.

A forecast of cool nights and warm days was exactly what the winemaker wanted for the cool climate wines such as the Pino’s, Chardonnay, sparkling and Gewurtztraminer wines that did so well in Central Otago.

He had plenty of labour available and there was no sign of infection in the grapes so it promised a good solid season.

Last year’s white wines had been very well received and the Pino’s would be bottled after harvest.

More winemakers in Central Otago were expanding into organic production.

While Central Otago wine made up about 3.5% of the country’s total production, their reputation and quality meant they were highly regarded.

“We punch way above our weight,” Mr Bauer said.

All the winegrowers in the region were mindful of the losses suffered by their North Island counterparts following Cyclone Gabrielle.

All were donating what they could to the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne winegrowers associations.

It would be some time before the scale of damage could be assessed but it would be massive and include machinery destroyed by having silt through it as well as vines which could take years to replace.

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Committee Musings

The Club is an Incorporated Society, and the Act that governs such bodies is currently being reviewed there are several amendments proposed. It is not expected that these changes will impact the Club’s Constitution or operation much, but the outcome will be known only once the details have been finalised. If there is a need for Resolutions to effect changes to the Constitution, they will be put to members in the usual way. Rest assured, the Committee is keeping a close watch on developments and will keep Members informed.

Richard Taylor

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Can’t decide on a wine for the night? Now you can choose with emojis

Amberleigh Jack, Stuff | 31 May 2022

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine emojis to help you choose a bottle.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
Wine emojis to help you choose a bottle.

If you feel lost as to what wine to serve at your Moroccan-inspired dinner party this weekend, one website is on a mission to help – using a database of unique, and very cute, specialised emojis.

When lockdown forced Wellington’s Noble Rot Wine Bar to close in March 2020, three wine experts used the downtime to create a database of wine profiles. The ultimate goal was to simplify the wine-buying process for the average consumer.

Two years later, Wine-oji, is a website featuring 221 emoji-like images designed to help anyone pick the perfect bottle of wine, whether they know what wine they enjoy or not.

Noble Rot owners Josh Pointon and Maciej Zimny, with head sommelier Jessica Wood, launched Wine-oji last December. Wood says the response has been “amazing” from consumers and producers.

But what exactly is Wine-oji, and how does a collection of wine-related emojis help someone pick a bottle of wine?

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine-Oji was an idea born out of lockdown.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
Wine-Oji was an idea born out of lockdown.

The website is a colourful, busy and interactive library of images used to describe flavour profiles, production methods and ideal food pairings for wines.

The list is pretty extensive. Images are allocated to primary aromas, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as floral notes such as jasmine and honeysuckle or earthy tones of oak and wet stone.

Secondary aromas, which come from the winemaking process, oak ageing, oxidation and bottle ageing include popcorn, butterscotch, oak, berries and fruit and tar and rubber, among others.

Wood says while the library of wine emojis is fun, the interactive “find your perfect match” section is where customers can hone in on exactly what they are after in a wine.

“You can search any winery or flavour,” she says. Users can also simply search for the food they plan to eat and find the perfect pairing.

“If you’re cooking snapper tonight, you can type snapper, and it will bring up all the wines that have any of those Wine-ojis allocated to the profile.”

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF The initial idea began when Wood realised she was fielding questions from customers at Noble Rot about what certain wines taste like.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
The initial idea began when Wood realised she was fielding questions from customers at Noble Rot about what certain wines taste like.

She says the site also allows people to open their minds a bit to try new wines.

“[You can find] things you’ll actually like, rather than based on wine that’s discounted heavily at the store, or because you tried it before, or like the label. It’s actually all about your experience of the wine.”

The initial idea began when Wood realised she was fielding questions from customers at Noble Rot about what certain wines taste like, and what wines pair best with certain foods.

And so the idea of creating a database of flavours, profiles and distributor information began to form.

“We … started composing a list of the key aromas and flavours, and structural components of the wine, that we could then build into a bit of a library. That became the new language – the language of Wine-oji,” she says.

The creation of the images was hugely important, Wood says. They brought in a local graphic designer to help create the library. They needed to be well-designed, but they also had to appeal to people who are not wine experts.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF People need no previous knowledge of wine to use the emoji wine website.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
People need no previous knowledge of wine to use the emoji wine website.

“They had to be easily recognisable, quite quickly, by the average consumer.”

“There is a huge problem in that people don’t know what wine they like, or what wine they should buy. There’s never really been an understanding of their flavour profile or their taste preferences.”

“We were thinking, how can we translate to people quickly and instantly what’s in their bottle of wine using images rather than words?” she says.

The resulting database is something Wood insists people need no previous knowledge of wine to use.

“You just need to know if you like something or not,” she says.

Using the interactive section of the site, a search for “lemon” results in 33 bottles of wine. Of those, two are Pinot Gris and 12 are Chardonnay. The selections can be further filtered by wine type or vintage.

For each bottle, the full Wine-oji profile can be viewed. There are eight sections: aroma, flavour, sweetness, acidity, body, oak, finish and food. Each is illustrated with the relevant Wine-ojis.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine-Oji will give you the nous to have a good nose for wine - no experience required.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF
Wine-Oji will give you the nous to have a good nose for wine – no experience required.

My 2019 Main Divide Riesling, for instance, had an acidity rating of 4½ lemons out of 5. Its sweetness is only worthy of one lollipop, however, and in terms of the body, my chosen riesling shows 2½ bodybuilders out of a possible 5.

My chosen wine also pairs well with prawn skewers, pad thai, Moroccan couscous and snapper ceviche.

And after two years of creating an extensive database of wine-related imagery, what are Wood’s favourite Wine-ojis?

She has a few, including lily, jasmine and ginger. She is also a fan of the food pairings.

“The rabbit is very cute.”

Purchase your Wine-ojis, now!

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The Cellar Club 40th Anniversary special – Trip to Martinborough

This is the 2020 timetable and is indicative only. Some minor changes are expected for 2021

Timetable

  • 45 am, Saturday, 21 March, Wellington Railway Station – meet the rest of the group on the platform that the train leaves from (see the departures board at the station). Train departs Wellington Station at 9.55 am so please be on the platform by 9.45 am so that we can form into a group and hopefully commandeer our own carriage! Tickets (one way or return) can be purchased at the station ticket office or on the train. The cost is $25 same-day return or $19 one way. Tickets bought on the train require payment in cash only. Gold Cardholders can use those.
  • Train arrives at Featherston at 10.55 am. This is where we meet the bus.
  • On arrival in Martinborough, there will be wine tastings at Palliser Estate and Grava/Alana winery from 11.15 am. Palliser Estate will provide a flight of five wines at a cost of $10, refundable with a purchase. Grava/Alana will provide five wines and a sticky also for $10, refundable with a purchase. Group A will go to Palliser first and Group B to Grava and we’ll swap over halfway through.
  • 55 pm – the bus will commence pick-ups at Palliser with Alana/Grava pick-up shortly after that time. Please be ready!
  • It’ll then take us to Coneys for a leisurely lunch from 1.15 pm. We will start with a wine tasting (charge included with lunch cost) which will be accompanied by small taste plates. This will be followed by a lunch that includes two mains plus sides together with petit fours for dessert. A limited amount of wine will be provided with the meal. Please note that if you order any wine over and above that supplied, or tea or coffee this will be at your own expense.
  • The bus will leave Coneys in time to connect with the train at Featherston where it is due to depart at 5.25 pm.
  • 25 pm– scheduled arrival time at Wellington Station.

Some additional points to note:

  • To ensure we keep on schedule and as a courtesy to others please make sure you are ready for the bus on time. It does take a few minutes to get everyone on board and settled before it can move on.
  • Please also see the “Important things to know” sheet for further details.

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How the wine industry went from ‘preparing for the worst’ to recording record-high earnings

James Fyfe | 28/11/2020

Related video: Many winemakers say 2020 was the best vintage in decades. Credits: Video – Newshub; Image – Getty

When the nationwide lockdown was announced at very the same time as the wine harvest earlier this year, panic rippled across the viticulture sector.

And though it was later deemed an essential service and allowed to continue operating during alert level 4, the industry faced a number of challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strict conditions meant wineries and vineyards had to change their way of working, adapting to tough new health and safety regulations all the while maintaining productivity.

But not only did the industry survive those trying times, it’s also now been revealed that it actually flourished, with the latest figures showing exports for the 12 months to October hit a record high of $2 billion.

Clive Jones, chair of New Zealand Winegrowers, says reaching the milestone this year came as a surprise for the industry.

“We made a bold prediction 10 years ago that we thought we could double sales from $1 billion to $2 billion by the year 2020,” Jones told Newshub.

“I guess we always thought we’d get there but at the beginning of the year we really didn’t think it would be this year.”

He said although sales had been gradually improving over the past year, there was a “big surge” in the last four or five months.

Rabobank’s latest Wine Quarterly report, published last month, noted an increase in export sales was related to more people drinking at home during lockdowns around the world, leading to an uptick in retail trade.

Jones said that was good news for New Zealand wine producers, although he acknowledged wine businesses that sell predominantly through on-premise and tourism have been harder hit.

According to the Rabobank report, sauvignon blanc makes up the lion’s share of Kiwi wine exports, with year-on-year sales to August up 131 per cent. But Jones says there is an increasing appetite for pinot noir, the second most popular export, as well as rosé and pinot gris.

The US, the UK and Australia continue to be our largest markets, and  Jones says he believes New Zealand’s reputation as being largely virus-free has helped push our brand.

“I’m also sure that New Zealand has internationally been seen in a pretty good light in recent times, so there’s a positive feeling about New Zealand.

Photo: Getty“Perhaps when people pick a bottle of New Zealand wine off the shelf and they take it home to drink they’re thinking ‘I wish I was there’.”

Jones said the industry was “preparing for the worse” when the level 4 lockdown was announced but said the sector had really rallied together to face the challenges thrown at it.

“Everyone responded positively and took the issue seriously and the safety of our people and communities was paramount,” he said.

“We were determined as an industry not to be the source of a community outbreak so thankfully we got through that ok.”

The sector is not out of the woods yet, however, with the country’s closed borders meaning there remains a labour shortage for the upcoming harvest.

Border exemptions announced on Friday allowing 2000 recognised seasonal employers (RSE) workers from Pacific countries to come to New Zealand early next year will go some way to relieving that pressure, says Jones, but it won’t be a magic fix.

He said although workers were needed for the harvest – which, depending on where in the country a vineyard is, usually takes place around March and April and lasts for six weeks – a more critical time was winter when vines need to be pruned.

The other concern is the weather.

“There’s a bit of risk of ex-tropical cyclones, which is something we want to avoid, so hopefully that doesn’t happen – we don’t want rain during harvest.”

“It was a very kind harvest in terms of weather,” Jones said.

“It was one of the best seasons we’ve had so that was the one thing we didn’t have to worry about.”

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Wairarapa trip – Saturday, 13 February

Tim Coney of Coney Wines in Martinborough. Photo: Loren Dougan/Fairfax media.
Tim Coney of Coney Wines in Martinborough. Photo: Loren Dougan/Fairfax media.

As mentioned in September, the trip we had to postpone earlier this year is back on for Saturday, 13 February next year and it promises to be a great day.

To enable us to finalise the arrangements and ensure we have a big enough bus, we now need all members to read the following and then email Wayne to confirm your status for the new date.

The club is holding the payments of most of those members who’d committed to going this year (ie, those who didn’t request a refund) and of course, we welcome other members who are now in a position to join the trip.

So please email Wayne by Friday, 11 December, and advise him of one of the following options, along with all applicable names.

  1. I/we booked and paid for the March trip and will also be coming in February 2021.
  2. I/we booked and paid for the March trip but are unable to come in February 2021 so would ask you to arrange a refund.
  3. I/we were not on the list for the March trip but would now like to be added.
  4. I/we were not on the list for the March trip and will not be attending in February 2021.

Please note that if you are C, you will also need to deposit $75 into the club’s bank account 06 0541 0056031 00 before 24 December.

We plan to follow the same timetable as we’d planned for last March to save you searching your inboxes. This document is just to refresh your memory – we’ll update it closer to the date when the train times for that period are confirmed. It’s also likely that we’ll be visiting a different winery to Palliser, as they are now focusing on their new restaurant, rather than tastings. Details to follow.

Palliser Estate

Grave Wines

alana wines

Come along for a fun day and help wrap up the club’s 40th birthday celebrations in style!

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40th Anniversary dinner at Bellamy’s by Logan Brown

Turnout For the 40th Anniversary dinner at Bellamy’s by Logan Brown was excellent.

The one thing the Committee was unable to organise was the weather on the day. It was wet and windy which cast doubt on the suggested dress code of “summer wedding”, but by 6 pm the rain had substantially abated and by the time it arrived to go home, it was dry.

The venue proved to be a good choice. Negotiating the security on arrival proved not to be an issue and when guests got to the third floor of the Beehive, Bellamy’s reception and dining areas were spacious, allowing for good pre-dinner mixing over a complimentary glass of bubbles. The tables were well spaced and set very nicely.

The food was of a very high standard as would be expected from a restaurant in the Logan Brown stable. The restaurant staff was very efficient and attentive – it was nigh on impossible to fault the service. The manager, Jasper Povey, had been very accommodating in catering to the Club’s requirements and was also appreciative of what the Club was able to provide (such as the pre-ordering), which proved a winning combination.

Club President, Murray Jaspers, gave a brief address, looking over the Club’s development through the years. He noted how active it is, how its size has been maintained over an extended period and the high regard it enjoys with winemakers and suppliers. He noted too, the contribution of past presidents and committees. Anne Megget proposed a toast to absent friends – those members who are no longer with us and those who were unable to be present on the night.

Through diligent work by Robin Semmens, Gayle Gaukrodger, Anne Megget and Wayne Kennedy a memento gift bag containing a souvenir pen, some souvenir chocolate and a booklet updating the history of the Club was presented to every person present.

Feedback the Committee has received subsequently indicates the evening was much appreciated by all who were there. Good venue, good food, good wine and good company always combine to produce a winner!

Richard Taylor

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‘It hurts’: 50,000 litres of wine flood Spanish winery

NZ Herald | 28 Sep 2020


50,000 litres of wine spilt from a tank at a Spanish winery. Video / RadioAlbacete

A viral video has shown the moment a massive tank of red wine exploded, flooding a Spanish winery with 50,000 litres of booze.

Footage showed the wine spraying out of a tall metal vat at the Bodegas Vitivinos winery in Villamalea in Albacete in central Spain, flooding the nearby area.

As torrents of vino pour from the tank, the surrounding pebbled area was soaked in what could have been a delicious Spanish drop. The wine flowed out around tractors and cars, and into a nearby field.
According to local reports, the spill was caused by a break in one of the tanks.

The spill was reportedly caused by a break in one of the tanks. Photo / Supplied
The spill was reportedly caused by a break in one of the tanks. Photo / Supplied

Bodegas Vitivinos was founded in 1969 and produces up to six million kilos of grapes a year. The winery uses grape varieties including bobal and tempranillo to create a an “intense dark cherry colour”, according to their website.

A video of the spill went viral on Twitter and has been viewed more than 8.2 million times.

Numerous commenters compared the video to the haunting scene in Stanley Kubrick’s thriller The Shining, where blood flows from the elevator doors.

Others simply thought it was a tragic scene.

“I see it and it hurts,” one person commented on the post.

“What else do you want from us 2020,” another asked. “And how does anyone go with a bucket, glass, whatever.”

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Go NZ: A wine tour through and West Auckland’s best wineries

Maggie Wicks, NZ Herald | 18 June 2020

West Auckland’s wines are produced close to the city but their origins are a world away, writes Maggie Wicks

A view of the vineyards, Westbrook Winery, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
A view of the vineyards, Westbrook Winery, Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Dalmatian history is everywhere in West Auckland. You can see it as you drive. As central Auckland falls away, it gives way to suburbs, then motorways, then the low-lying industry of car yards and forklift hires. Finally, the paddocks and tractors and fruit trees of the countryside, only 25 minutes from town.

As the landscape changes, so does the language. Viksich. Vitasovich. Yukich and Fistonich. The history is written directly on to the street signs and the businesses.

And then there is wine. Award-winning, experimental, modern and traditional. It’s all here.

The late Josip Babich, who planted his first wines in 1912 when he was a teenager. Photo / Supplied
The late Josip Babich, who planted his first wines in 1912 when he was a teenager. Photo / Supplied

Kumeu is one of New Zealand’s most historic wine regions. Babich, one of the region’s best-known wineries, has been producing wine for 100 years. Josip Babich was just 14 years old when he left his home in Dalmatia, and set sail for New Zealand. He was alone – he never saw his parents again. He was here to dig kauri gum with his four brothers – he ended up establishing one of New Zealand’s most historic vineyards.

Down the road at Kumeu River, history is in the making. The Brajkovich family left Croatia for New Zealand in the 1930s, and have gone on to be internationally recognised as setting a benchmark for non-Burgundy chardonnays.

A world-leading chardonnay

In 2014, a very special blind tasting took place. London wine distributors Farr Vintners brought together a room of world-leading wine experts, critics and writers. Each of Kumeu River’s four chardonnays were tasted against white burgundies (chardonnay grown and produced in the French region of Burgundy) from the finest French producers. And the result? Kumeu triumphed over the top white burgundies in every category except one – where it came first-equal.

The Brajkovich family, the owners of Kumeu River. Photo / Supplied
The Brajkovich family, the owners of Kumeu River. Photo / Supplied

Kumeu River was started by Mate and Melba Brajkovich, and the company is now run by their four children. Between them there is a Master of Wine, a hospitality expert, a chemical engineer and a marketing professional – they really couldn’t have planned it better.
Rather than pitch into the juice with commercially cultivated yeast, they use a natural fermentation, leaving it to the ravages of the wild yeasts in the atmosphere. The result is nothing short of gorgeous. This August they’ll release the 2019 Hunting Hill chardonnay, which they say it’s their best ever – do not miss out.
This is beautiful country to drive through, but you may not recognise any of it past Swanson, which is the last passenger stop on the line. These days the lines further out carry only stock, no passengers, which is a crying shame. A train would be a handy and safe way to get home after a day of wine tasting.
In the Ararimu Valley, Westbrook is named after an old station, between Waikomiti and Glen Eden, which closed in the 80s. The winery was owned by the Ivisovich family for 85 years, until they sold to another local family just a few years ago. Here they offer not just a wine tasting, but an education in wine and food matching.

An education in wine pairing

Food and drink at Westbrook, Riverhead. Photo / Supplied
Food and drink at Westbrook, Riverhead. Photo / Supplied

Order the cheese and wine platter, and you’ll find a surprise on there – an outstanding bad match, which the server will delight in watching you discover for yourself. It’s a great lesson, and they’ll make sure you end on something delicious.

As you drive through Kumeu, you’ll realise that they’re experimental out here. Whereas Marlborough specialises in sauvignon blanc, in Kumeu they’re always testing and adjusting, trying new grapes, old grapes, fashionable styles and unheard of ones. Albarino is popular at the moment – it’s the chardonnay drinker’s sauv, and you’ll find it at many of the Kumeu cellar doors.
At the Hunting Lodge you’ll find an orange wine, a love-it or loathe-it drip that is fermented with the skins on. They’ve most recently released the Chardy Jack – bourbon-barrel-fermented chardonnay that could have happily come home with me.

An historic Auckland homestead

The Conservatory dining room at The Hunting Lodge, Waimauku. Photo / Supplied
The Conservatory dining room at The Hunting Lodge, Waimauku. Photo / Supplied

Once a private country estate, the historic 19th-century lodge has been hosting Aucklanders’ boozy lunches for five decades. This is also the site of New Zealand’s first sauvignon blanc. Now, more than 70 per cent of wine produced in New Zealand is sauv, and the Hunting Lodge still bottles its Homeblock sauvignon from 40-year-old vines.

At the lodge, guests can choose a pizza to nibble at the lawn bar, play petanque in the family area, visit the cellar door for a tasting (free if you buy a bottle), or take a table in the airy all-white conservatory, where the windows run from floor to ceiling.
The restaurant has taken chef Des Harris from Clooney and put him in charge of this beautiful dining area, where he works with a permaculturalist to create a sustainable farm-to-table experience.

Food and wine at The Hunting Lodge, Waimauku. Photo / Supplied
Food and wine at The Hunting Lodge, Waimauku. Photo / Supplied

We entered starving, we left stuffed. There was homegrown roasted beetroot served with ricotta and huge wedges of focaccia, a painterly pumpkin soup splattered with oils and petals and seeds, followed by lamb shoulder with fricelli pasta. After that, passionfruit and rosemary jellies with salted caramel fudge, and finally a glass of amaretto on ice appeared. Monsieur, it is only wafer thin…

Sated, satisfied, and a bit fuzzy around the edges, we walked out into the cold night, where a taxi was waiting. It was a dreamy 35 minutes back to Auckland along the dark and empty roads. An easy end to an easy, and excellent, day out.

Where to visit on a wine tour of Kumeu

Babich Wines
For a history lesson and great hospitality, plus the terrace is the perfect place on a sunny day.

babichwines.com
Soljans
Soljan’s was established in 1937 by Bartul Soljan, and is one of the oldest wineries in the country. It remains a proud family-owned and operated vineyard, and visitors can take a tour with a member of the family. Visit the cellar door for a wine flight, from the sparkling moscato to the tawny port, then stay for lunch.

soljans.co.nz
Kumeu River
A cellar door only. Stop by for a tasting of those famous chardonnays, and to learn about the history of this family-run business.

Kumeuriver.co.nz
Coopers Creek
A friendly cosy atmosphere by the fireside in winter, and gigs and picnics on the lawn in summer.

cooperscreek.co.nz
Westbrook
Beautiful dining area overlooking manicured lawns. Explore the grounds and experience the wine and cheese pairing.

Westbrook.co.nz
The Hunting Lodge
The perfect place to finish, from pizza to fine dining, and some unique bottlings.

Thehuntinglodge.com

How to do it

A barrell at Soljan's, Kumeu. Photo / Supplied
A barrell at Soljan’s, Kumeu. Photo / Supplied

It’s a only short drive, but if everyone wants to wine taste, arrange a driver.
Both NZ Wine Pro (nzwinepro.co.nz) and Fine Wine Tours (finewinetours.co.nz) offer door-to-door service with an expert on hand to introduce you to the history, the winemakers and the wines you taste, plus lunch included.

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