Alan Limmer

There is a common misconception that all Syrah grown in the New World is known as Shiraz but in reality this is far from true. New Zealand wine-makers universally refer to this noble grape as ‘Syrah’, a policy for which one individual can claim the credit. Alan Limmer of Stonecroft vineyard in Hawke’s Bay was the first Kiwi wine-maker to plant Syrah in the post-war era when, in 1988, he propagated some cuttings from the national archive at the Te Kauwhata research station on the South Island. Alan was keen to differentiate his temperate climate offering from more blockbuster Australian wines, hence his decision to bottle his inaugural vintage as Syrah. Friends, neighbours and countless New Zealand wine-makers have since followed suit. Thus, in this part of the New World, at least you will find plenty of Syrah but very little Shiraz.

Former chemist Alan is still bottling some fine Syrahs over 2 decades since. The Stonecroft Syrahs exhibit classic black fruit tastes and supple tannins with a fresh finish – they’re a wonderful tribute to an outstanding pioneer.

I’ve just spent an enjoyable sojourn in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay attending the New Zealand Syrah Symposium where I had been invited to talk about Northern Rhône wines and present a tasting of some personal favourites. This well-organised gathering of wine geeks was preceded by a Cabernet Merlot Conference all of which added up to a great deal of wine tasting and a potential overload of information. Some of the lectures on the likes of ‘Leaf Plucking and Canopy Management’ or ‘Colour Dynamics and Co-Ferments’ were not for those suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder but there was a wealth of more readily digestible material to enjoy.

Happily the British wine press were out in force with the likes of Neal Martin (the Wine Advocate), Matthew Jukes (Daily Mail & MoneyWeek), Oz Clarke (of TV fame) and Jamie Goode (www.wineanorak.com) all making contributions from the floor. Tim Atkin (of the Observer and www.thewinegang.com) rounded off a long day with an excellent trans-global tasting of 10 Syrahs, from as far afield as Israel and San Antonio, providing superb commentary and plenty of food for thought. Tim began his presentation by saying that ‘no-one should talk in public for longer than they can make love’ which gave him some concerns about his 2 hour time allocation!

Unsurprisingly, New World winemakers featured heavily and Dan Buckle of Mount Langi Ghiran in Victoria tutored delegates through a fine range of Australian Shiraz culminating in a vertical of 3 vintages of his own wine (2004, 2006, 2008) which amply illustrated that you can have concentration and finesse in equal measure. Local luminary Rod Easthope, of the celebrated Craggy Range estate, gave an insightful talk on his winemaking philosophy which centres on painstaking vineyard management and a minimalist intervention policy during vinification. Rod eschews the addition of enzymes, tannins, acids and natural supplements as he wants to ‘make wine, not a beverage’.

Australian journalist and winemaking legend James Halliday gave a headline talk on Australian Shiraz, which accounts for 36% of their domestic market. James was clearly disgruntled by a fellow Aussie journalist who had overslept and caused his late arrival but he rapidly regained his composure and shared a fund of detailed information, on climate, geography and wine styles, with the audience.

Hawke’s Bay winemakers John Hancock of Trinity Hill and Peter Cowley of Te Mata Estate sampling Syrah.

The most high octane delivery of the day was from American Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein who shone the spotlight on the U.S. on-trade market. Evan’s break-neck speech highlighted the need to re-enthuse American tastes for Syrah and he beseeched producers to visit the States in person and champion their wares. The gist of his argument was that the market wouldn’t evolve of its own accord but that American sommeliers were receptive to new tastes and ideas.

For my own part I was pretty intimidated addressing such august and well-informed company. Fortunately, my wine selections which included Alain Graillot’s 2007 Crozes Hermitage, Pierre Clape’s 2004 Cornas and Jean-Louis Chave’s 2001 Hermitage were well received and my slick Powerpoint slides (artfully assembled by my colleague Hamish) pretty much offset my failings as an orator.

After a day discussing, tasting and mentally immersing ourselves in Syrah we retired to the bar of Hastings’ wonderfully restored Opera House – where we slaked our thirst with – beer – of course!

With thanks to Peter Cowley and all at Te Mata Estate for their magnificent hospitality during my visit and Nicola Pentelow at Game Plan Events for her impeccable organisational skills.

An invitation to speak at the New Zealand Syrah Symposium in Hawke’s Bay at the tail end of January was too tempting to resist. It was with a keen sense of anticipation that I packed summer clothes and headed off for the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. I also packed 25 bottles of iconic Rhone wines to accompany my presentation which furnished me with inordinately heavy bags that I was relieved to check in at Heathrow. The principal sponsor of this cork-sniffers convention is Air New Zealand, the fringe benefits of which were a business class return ticket to Auckland & a double baggage allowance.

The flight from Heathrow to Auckland lasts a gruelling 26 hours (including a 2 hour pit stop in LA) which is a daunting prospect, only mitigated by Air New Zealand’s terrific service and high-end food and wine offerings. The in-flight menus are devised by celebrated Kiwi chefs Peter Gordon, Geoff Scott and Rex Morgan and include dishes such as spicy coconut and coriander prawn curry with jasmine rice, chicken thigh stuffed with pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and chipotle chillies with maple glazed squash, and a trio of 42 Below vodka and honey cured salmon with poached prawn, sesame wasabi seared tuna and karengo (seaweed – neither had I) potato salad. This is the most ambitious and by far the best airline catering I have ever sampled with lovely clean flavours and simple presentation. Air New Zealand have clearly decided that the way to passengers’ hearts is through their stomachs – it works for me!

As their informative literature tells you “Air New Zealand is the country’s largest single server of New Zealand wine, proudly serving 6.5 million glasses to passengers every year.” If you don’t fancy a glass of several premium Sauvignons there are some great Chardonnays and ‘aromatics’ too. I plumped for the complex, citrus-edged Coopers Creek Swamp Reserve Chardonnay 2007 in an effort to gain some insight into the Hawke’s Bay wine scene. Eschewing a comprehensive range of Pinot Noirs, I then opted for a glass of Villa Maria’s Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. This cruiser-weight, Bordeaux blend wasn’t subtle but was well received by this weary traveller. Having dined superbly I even snatched a few precious hours sleep. If you do have to do the long haul, I couldn’t recommend Air New Zealand more highly. It’s a Kiwi thing!