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The Big Tahuna – (Newsletter of Tahuna Wines)
Tahuna, the New Zealand Maori word that translates to riverbank, was chosen for the name of our winery because our vineyards are all sited on the banks (or sometimes the ancient course) of some of New Zealand’s major rivers. The Ngaruroro river in Hawkes Bay and the Wairau and Awatere rivers in Marlborough . It also has connotations from Bordeaux , where some of the greatest red wines in France are produced from Merlot grapes grown on the famous Right Bank of the Gironde estuary.
But these wines are distinctly New Zealand in character. They are generally made with much more than a passing nod to the traditional methods of Europe , and they tend to have similar structure to those wines, but it is the intensity of fresh fruit flavours that set them apart. Old World structure with New World fruit is what defines us.
We are currently exporting into several South East Asian markets, along with Germany and Denmark in Europe , and we anticipate having the wines available in the UK , Holland , Switzerland and the USA before the end of the year. It has been a period of rapid growth for us since the brand was established less than 2 years ago, and we have been helped immensely by the increasing profile of New Zealand with international consumers generated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and to a lesser extent the America ’s Cup.
The wine styles that we will be concentrating on are Sauvignon Blanc (of course), Pinot Noir (ditto), and the up and coming varieties from Hawkes Bay of Merlot (including a Rose), Semillon and Chardonnay. The first two wines are pretty well established internationally for New Zealand , but the latter three are the ones that will expand awareness of our ability to produce a wide range of high quality wines from a number of different climatic regions within the country. A generally temperate climate with a long growing season and moderate temperatures gives us a unique position in the viticultural world to produce intense fruit flavours while retaining acidity for freshness.
For us, wine is all about drinkability. Enjoy it over food with friends or family on a regular basis, because it’s good for you . A glass or two of dry wine (particularly red) on a daily basis has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease dramatically – amongst other things. So don’t hang back – do your coronary artery a favour. We will keep you updated on the medical benefits of wine on an on-going basis as we continue to add to our library of information.
All in all, wine is a very civilised beverage.
Grant Edmonds
Chief Winemaker
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