Besides the Australian and New Zealand wineries it represents showing their wines to consumers and trade, there were a couple of trade masterclasses. I chose one called ''Whites outside the square'' profiling exciting alternative varieties to sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris and chardonnay.
The varieties shown at this masterclass, including garnacha blanc, marsanne, viognier, grechetto, trebbiano and furmint, are classics in various European countries and some are even well-accepted in Australia. However, most New Zealanders, especially in the South, are unfamiliar with them.
If wines did not have flavours that were familiar, people tended to put a cross against them, Andrew Parkinson of Negociants said. So it's no surprise the popular ones in the tasting were those that had brighter fruit and lively finishes, like many New Zealand whites. He was keen to get feedback from local restaurateurs.
One said most people didn't think about matching wine with food. They sat down, ordered a bottle of wine then decided what to eat, which may or may not have gone with the wine they were drinking.
Another said he suggested people decide what to eat first, then he would suggest wines that might go well with their choices. However, he didn't train his staff to do this, which creates a problem for the wine and food lover when he is not there.
I always appreciate it when wines available by the glass, maybe even a couple of possibilities, are suggested for each dish on the menu. It indicates the restaurant
is serious about showing its food and wine to advantage. The ''wines outside the square'' varied from a minerally, lemony, food-friendly Vasse Felix sauvignon semillon from Western Australia to a Royal Tokay dry Furmint from Hungary, an exciting nutty, rich, mouth-filling wine with hints of honey and sherry characters but a lovely clean finish. It's a challenging wine for many but one enthusiasts should try with tapas.
Ten years ago, pinot gris might have been included in such a line-up, but now it's definitely mainstream. The variety that looks as if it's following in its footsteps is gruner veltliner, a white variety from Austria that makes a full-bodied, textural dry wine, often with hints of melon and white pepper. It's still only about 0.1% of the New Zealand vineyard, but is promising in cooler South Island climates.
Kyle Thompson of Saint Clair in Marlborough, which makes a couple of stylish gruner veltliners, pointed out it's a big commitment for a producer to plant new varieties before producing and marketing the first wine three years later.
However, its Pioneer Block Gruner Veltliner 2011 (about $27) and its Marlborough GrunerVeltiner 2012 ($21) are delicious and versatile.
Vinoptima is the passion of Nick Nobilo, who for years ran the large Nobilo wine company. When it was sold to a multinational in 2000, he set out to develop a world-class gewurztraminer, comparable to a grand cru from Alsace, even to the extent of putting rain covers on his vines before harvest.
It's still a work in progress, he says.
His 2008 (about $100) had all the floral and ripe fruit charm you expect from a gewuztraminer, but also layers of flavour and texture, a near-perfect balance and lingering finish. He suggests it will continue to develop for a decade.
After the masterclasses (the other was on syrah/shiraz), about 25 wineries showed about six wines each - far too many to taste in a couple of hours, especially when you have to go back to work.
However, some that caught my tastebuds were Urlar's 2012 rich, textural, nutty, mouth-filling pinot gris from Wairarapa ($32); Dry River's delicately poised but powerful 2010 gewurztraminer ($50) and its fragrant, youthful but harmonious 2011 pinot noir ($95); Palliser's rich, textural grapefruity 2011 Martinborough chardonnay ($40); Huia's delicious, creamy, powerful but restrained 2009 Marlborough gewurztraminer ($26); Nautilus' stylish, textural 2012 Marlborough gruner veltliner ($29); and from Australia, Jim Barry's 2011 Cover Drive, an attractive rich cabernet sauvignon from Coonawarra and Clare ($28); Yalumba's plush, powerful The Cigar 2010 Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon ($32).
