The wine history of New Zealand is relatively short, only two hundred years or so, but from that early vine planted at Kerikeri in the 1819 this magnificent land made a lot of road, so much so that today it produces two of the most appreciated and appreciated white wines in the world: the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay.
This did not happen with little difficulty. Before the prohibition, then the problems faced due to some diseases of the vines slowed down a lot the spread of wine-growing in New Zealand, up to the years '70 that allowed a cultivation aware and very fruitful, first through the use of type Muller Thurgau screws (the German and New Zealand climate are very similar) and Pinor Nero, which still remained important products of the area, then understanding that it was wiser to focus on Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
The morphology of New Zealand is precisely what creates the ideal environmental conditions for the cultivation of the two main wine varieties of the area. The elongated shape of the nation subjects this land to oceanic influence, while the generically fresh climate represents an ideal base for the most widespread and for the ripening of their fruits, despite the damage often caused by the frequent rains.
As far as the ground is concerned, it is very fertile for the production of wine, of volcanic origin and predominantly clayey < / b>.
After the first cultivation attempts carried out through German and French vineyards, New Zealand has specialized in the production of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, white wines now known and particularly appreciated all over the world for their b> fruity aroma, slightly acidic and citrus nuances.
The goodness of these products, which have helped make New Zealand a leading country for the production of white, lies above all in their processing method, ie in the vinification carried out exclusively in steel tanks to enhance their fresh and flavored flavor.
Information about New Zealand
Region |
New Zealand |
Country |
New Zealand |
Climate and soil |
New Zealand has a series of wine districts of great difference regarding climate, location and terrain. The northern island is the largest of the two islands and here are most of the wine districts. The climate in the Northland is quite difficult, with a lot of rain, high temperatures and humidity, so the sweet and fortified wines have dominated the production for a long time. Even in Auckland, the climate is very rainy, while at Bay of Plenty and Waikato the climate is very humid and, making limited use of anticryptogamics, the producer Rongopai manages to make beautiful wines from botrytized grapes. The qualitatively most important center has moved from the northern to the southern island and Marlborough winemakers are the driving force behind the planting of new vineyards. The fresh climate of the Marlborough means that the grapes ripen slowly and for this reason they acquire a lot of aroma, extract and acidity, but the scarce precipitate make it necessary to irrigate the vineyards. |
History |
The natives of the New Selanda, the Maoris, had never dedicated themselves to the production of alcoholic beverages and no species of the vitis spontaneously grew on the islands before the European immigrants settled in this area. The missionary Samuel Marsden was, in 1819, the first to plant vines in New Zealand but the Scotsman Hames Busby became the first wine producer. In 1836, Busby had a vineyard planted in Waitangi and according to New Zealand's first wine writer, Dumont d'Urville, these white wines were light, sparkling. In 1902 Assid Abraham Corban of Lebanon settled on the slopes of Mount Lebanon, on the southern island where, for 320 pounds, he purchased 4 acres of land, a small house and some vineyard which was the beginning of the Corbans Mount Lebanon Vineyards. |
Typical products |
During the last decades, the wine industry has evolved a lot and the New Zealand wines have been completely transformed, both in terms of quality and types. New Zealand has entered the world with its typical Sauvignon Blanc and consumers have discovered the beautiful Chardonnay wines that come from this part of the world. |
Typical dishes |
The New Zealanders love meat very much: lamb is of good quality and is found everywhere, while venison is only found in the best restaurants. New Zealand is also famous for its dairy products: milk, cheese and ice cream are in fact tasty. The fish is excellent in this country. Green mussels are found everywhere and are the best and cheapest in the world; oysters and the best seafood come from Bluff, on the South Island. The toheroa, a rare and very expensive crustacean, as well as the tuatua, which is cheaper, is particularly exotic. Eels abound in rivers and streams, another delight of New Zealand cuisine, especially smoked. As for the food that is consumed in fast food, New Zealanders love the meat pie very much. other popular snacks are nachos, peeled potatoes and burgers of the great 'Kiwi burger', served with fried egg, beetroot and salad. You can then taste afghan, a popular homemade chocolate cookie; the hockey pokey, a delicious ice cream with bits of caramelized sugar; the kumara, which is the Polynesian sweet potato, basic food of the Maori diet and finally the paua or sea urchin, hard crustacean that is crushed, minced and then kneaded in pancakes. A typical national dish is represented by the hangi, a mixture of fish, meat and vegetables cooked in the oven. |