Less than an hour’s drive north from Auckland is another rather picturesque wine region – Matakana. The area has developed enormously since it’s early day as a farming backwater. With the creation of Matakana Farmer’s Market and the Village complex in 2004, tourism has really taken off. Many of the vineyards pre-date that, with Ransom Wines setting up, and Darryl Soljan creating Ascension Vineyard in early 1990s, and names such as The Antipodean arriving on the market, asking colossal prices…and then collapsing into feuds and oblivion.
Many of the vineyards have changed hands since those heydays of the 2000s, but many are still there in one form or another. Ascension is still an amazing place – a folly, no doubt, but works well as a destination venue; and although Ransom disappeared recently – Brick Bay and the Sculptureum have risen to the top of the visitors radar with their sculpture trails and high quality restaurants.
On a bright spring day, it was our intention to have a lunch date at Brick Bay, and an evening nestled in a cabin at Pakiri Beach, but the rest of day was ours to fritter away.
Matakana Estate has been popping up on my Facebook a fair amount, so I decided we’d head up the hill and see what was going on there as a first stop. Years ago I’d had a splendid Pinot Gris from their Reserve range that was a terrific wine – spicy, and had a little oak influence, which made it stand out from the crowd in a tasting. The road takes you through a hillside of grapes – Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, and they also have a little Syrah growing on the slopes too. The tasting room at the top is temporary and not really what I’d expected, but there was a warm welcome and tidy room with a huge counter lined with bottles.
Mark Griffiths is manning the operations, and is a natural host – knowledgable, entertaining and gregarious. He took us through a selection of wines. Pinot Gris has been grown here for years, and this was a delicately varietal style of the wine – not as flamboyant as I prefer – more in the italian style perhaps, and yet sweet-fruited and mouth-filling with a hint of ginger and peaches.
Next up was a new rosé, just a month old, and made from Pinot Noir grapes. Again, a dry style, with just a light sweetness. A palate of currants rather than berries; and a fine, acidic and juicy body. This could be a great aperitif, food wine; or mixed into a spritzer any time of the day. The reds were very well received – the syrah – from Matakana, a merlot, and a Pinot Noir with fruit from the regions – all well made and tightly structured with fine tannins and layers of complexity. The wines aren’t easy to find outside of the cellar door, but I’ll keep an eye out for something to review in detail if I come across this label again.
Matakana has plenty to occupy the visitor – we turned down the road to Snells Beach, heading for Brick Bay, with a free hour to wander through their sculptures before a wine tasting and a lazy lunch. The artworks here are on an ever changing roster, ranging in scale from small and intimate, to the immense, and vary from floating in lakes, to strung through the bush, to a more traditional plinth mount.
Wine tasting today was al fresco at the entrance to ‘The Row’ a spectacular vine covered tunnel-shaped pergola. The Pinot Gris is a delightful, fleshy wine; full of cashew, lychee and candied pear. Spicy and waxy in the palate, with a generous concentration and a racily crisp finish. Their Chardonnay is also very crisp and mineral, with smokey overtones and a vibrant textural palate of citrus and crème brulee. I liked this one enough to choose it over the others for lunch.
They also had a new rosé wine on hand; and this was an elegant wine of striking pink colour and riding a balance of sweet berries and a frisson of mineral savouriness – quite a bold type of wine. I wondered if it had a touch of malbec, but forgot to ask – it was a busy crowd up in ‘the Row’. A Petit Verdot was also on show – a ruby wine of dark flavours – chocolate, violets and a sweet leathery note. Not really what I appreciated on an afternoon turning humid and hot, but one to look out for – an unusual variety and well worth following – I think it is also a component of their ‘big red’ – the Pharos (one for another time).
Lunch was a delight – grilled lamb for me, and cheese topped fries! To spend a couple of hours over here is a treat, I would certainly recommend this to any visitor to the region. I confess I mostly steer clear of the crush in the Village, but I dropped in mid-afternoon safe in the knowledge that most of the grockles would be gone, and then on to Hyperion Wines in the later afternoon sun.
