It's the month of peat, poutine and pinot.

Kia Ora, wine and spirited friends

It's getting warmer, and we are now three-quarters of the way through the year! I can't believe it; I'll be 42 soon!

We are very excited about this month's newsletter. Tristan gets to write about his immersive 3-day trip to Central Otago, where he made some pleasant and surprising discoveries. Martin talks about his trip to Canada, and Frankie speaks 'Peat in Whisky'. We still have tickets to Fiesta del Vino - Wines of South America, hosted by Carlene Wilson. This will take place on Wednesday, the 24th of September. More info and tickets below. Also, check out the section below for upcoming in-store tastings.

THIS MONTH’S MUSINGS…

NEW ARRIVALS IN STORE

There’s always something new & interesting in store & this month is no different. Here are our 4 faves but head to our New Arrivals section on the website to see everything that has come in this month.

Join us on most Fridays and Saturdays at our Tasting Podium to try wines while you browse the store and chat with us. The wines change every week. We are also excited about these upcoming events too!

I spent three days in Central Otago, tasted 140 wines and decided the region feels like our own Burgundy. I thought I might have been over Pinot by the end of this trip, but it left me wanting more.

In August, The Central Otago Wine Growers' Association invited me to attend a three-day trip and a deep dive into our flagship wine region. It had been nearly a decade since my last visit, and the reminder of the region’s ethereal beauty hit me the moment I stepped off the plane. Most people can appreciate how picturesque this place is, but receiving the opportunity to experience the wine region like I did really enriched my perception of it.

20 like-minded industry folk, from all around Aotearoa and Australia, were shipped into vans and driven through the region's rolling tussock grasslands and grand alpine views and the sight of our beloved Karearea (Native Falcon) soaring overhead.

Our first port of call: a workshop on the foundations of Central Otago wine, tasting 3 flights of 4 wines from varying producers and vintages - the oldest being 2009. From here, the subsequent workshops each had a theme and, of course, a flight of wines from some of the 20 participating wineries. I think we tasted around 140 wines in three days.

The takeaway for me from this experience was connecting with producers and people like myself who work in consumer sales and distribution. But, most importantly, experiencing the region in its physical form gave me a deeper understanding of how and why the wines are what they are.

Honestly, I might have overdosed on Pinot Noir, but I came back to Tamaki wanting more. One thing I discovered and will point out is the insane diversity of Pinot Noir styles between the 7 sub-regions: Gibbston, Bannockburn, Wanaka, Bendigo, Cromwell/Lowburn, Pisa/Queensberry and Alexandra. I will also mention Waitaki - not Central Otago, but important to know of this up-and-coming region further north.

Region, vineyard site, and winemaker influence play a crucial part in the expression of the wine. Central Otago is a system of valleys and microclimates. It's like our own little Burgundy. For example, Bendigo is one of the warmest and driest sub-regions. Drive 40 minutes north to Wānaka, and you will experience a cooler climate with more precipitation. Another discovery over the 3 days was the farming and production of alternative varieties (not Pinot Noir) - Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, Grüner Veltliner and Muscat! There are some definite gems here, and we are excited to have some of these on the shelves soon. Pinot Noir will always remain king in Central Otago, but on your next visit, I encourage you to take a brief step off the beaten wine-track, and you will be amazed by what you discover.

FRANKIE’S WORDS OF WHIS(KEY)-DOM : PEAT

You love it or you hate it, Peat, but what is it? Well, it’s dirt. Specifically dense, decomposed plant matter. Historically used as a fuel source in Ireland and Scotland, where there are peat bogs a’plenty, and surely used by other peoples that had access to peat bogs. It was this historic use as a fuel source that lent itself to whisky. For the malting process to happen, the grain is tricked into germinating (the first stage in a seed getting ready to grow into a plant), then quickly dried to preserve the sugars and halt the growing process any further. Until the more recent invention of electricity, this was all done by spreading the malt over a big floor and heating up the floor with fire from below. So for a time, all whisky would have been flavoured by peat.

Nowadays, peat is much more intentional. And peat from different places can impart different flavours. It’s all down to the makeup of the peat bogs. As it's compressed and decayed organic matter, it’s the local vegetation that is going to make up what the peat is. So let’s take Islay peat as an example: peated whiskies from Islay tend to have a very briny, salty, iodine streak through them, a hallmark of the style. The peat that makes up the majority of the peat bogs on Islay is of ancient seaweed and coastal grasses/plants. Peat from more inland Scottish peat bogs will have more plants such as heather, moss, and grasses and small shrubs. I tend to find that this leads to either a lighter peat or peat that is more forest floor in profile, but still with a bit of a medicinal streak.

The peat we have in NZ in our NZ whiskies is similar in a way, at least in makeup. Most of the peat will have come from moss, as well as grasses and flax. Offering, in my experience, less 'meaty' notes and more medicinal, herbal, and vegetal notes. We can see the idea of 'terroir' come into play, every fen or bog or moor is going to have a different makeup, leading to different notes and flavours given to the whisky. Peat is only harvested from one location here in NZ, a little bit north of Invercargill, so I can’t speak to what other peat from around the country would be like, but it’s probably not best to start harvesting such a slowly generating resource just for fun.

I write this to you, all rugged up after weekend of rain, and cold and crazy winds in Auckland.  Only three weeks ago I was in Vancouver, enjoying the warmth and sunshine.   I headed over there in early August to check out the local wine scene.  Being the ‘connector’ that I am, I caught up with school friends in Vancouver and Will, Steph and Angela - Canadians who have all worked in wine roles in Auckland - in Toronto.

The origin of the word Canada is Kanata, the Huron-Iroquois word for ‘village'.  The story goes that Jacques Cartier (not of the famous fashion house) believed that the locals were referring to the great region when, in fact, they were talking about their village.  Hence, Canada is but a village - a very large one at that!

More about wine:  I visited around 26 wineries, 6 breweries and 2 distilleries in my visits to 4 wine regions (VQAs).  The climate can be extremely challenging, with the Okanagan Valley basically making no wine in 2024 as low temperatures killed vines and decimated any hopes of crops.  Many wineries are selling Oregon and Washington wines under their labels currently.  Mission Hill are even selling Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc under their Canadian brand!  Most Syrah vines were killed and most wineries I spoke to will not be replanting that variety.  Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay were the dominant grape varieties.  The massive diurnal variance and heat in the Okanagan (it was 36C during my visit) makes it a challenge to find balance.  Some do get it right.  On the Niagara Peninsula, wines were more elegant, with the chardonnays being my favourites.  I gave the Niagara Falls 20 minutes of my life and I wonder whether that was too much.  Think of a trashy Disneyworld (food, rides, tacky clothing).  I was shocked at the brashness of it all.  Other areas visited were Vancouver Island and Prince Edward County.  Cooler climates and some excellent wines.  Now, the real work starts, deciding on which wines to import and how to get them to Aotearoa.

LET US DO THE HARD WORK

We look forward to seeing you at Cahn’s again soon.  And remember to visit Aleks and Hugo at ground wine bar below the shop (open 7 days a week).

From Martin, Tristan and Frankie (The C-Team)