For wine lovers who reside in Wellington, Waiheke Island is a long way away. There are plenty of

nearby wine regions awash with many excellent wines. Why is there any reason to seek out those from

Waiheke Island, when the wines can be hard to find and expensive to buy, and not all they are cracked

up to be? Hence a promotion held at Regional Wines to allay the problems and dispel the myths. The

wines from Waiheke Island have indeed kept up with the state of play, and new varieties, such as

Viognier, Syrah and Montepulciano are being explored. And interestingly, the prices of most of the

latest releases, many from realistic newcomers, are in line with similar wines from throughout the

country. Of course, some of the wines are priced at stratospheric levels, but in general, these wines,

such as the legendary Stonyridge, are at the highest level of quality. Chardonnay has a proven track

record, but it is the Bordeaux-varietal wines that are the best performing, these rivaling Hawke’s Bay as

the leaders in this country. So it was with great interest that some dedicated wine lovers attended this

Bordeaux-style wine Island winemaker Michael Wood leading us through a range of Waiheke Island

reds. Here are my notes on the wines, presented in three flights of three:

A flight of current releases, 2007 a low yield year, while 2006 a larger crop, but with beautifully riped

a youthfully coloured wine with rich and ripe dark berry and plum flavours on a succulent and supple

palate. Meaty, herby notes were seen as well as a shrivel note. A blend of 54% CS, 34% CF, 10% Me

more elegant, in a modern style, this found favour with many tasters. A blend of 60% Me, 18% Ma,

21% Ma, 5% CF and 15% PV, this was impenetrable black in colour with amazingly deep and

concentrated ripe, black fruits. It carried an incredible freshness and liveliness from the acidity, and

very fine-grained tannins, providing the ability to age 10-15 years easily.

This was one of the great vintages for Waiheke Island, a hot summer with very low yields and very

and Ma, was elegant and fragrant on the nose, but with a real core and concentration. A wine with

powerful extraction and structure, there was ripe and sweet fruit succulence behind the tannins. This

elegant and cooler in fruit expression, blackcurrant leaf, with complexing savoury and cedary oak

elements showing. With more acidity showing, there was an attractive freshness and suppleness.

of fruit and amazing concentration. Black berry and dark plum flavours on a palate of great dimension,

but balanced by remarkable acidity and powdery tannins. Stunning stuff.

A flight to demonstrate aging ability and the development of complex Bordeaux-like character with

on colour, but the bouquet was still primary with a real core of blackcurrant and plummy fruit. Lovely

savoury secondary and earthy nuances were appearing and an aromatic cedar note gave interest. Rich,

forest aromas with a little lift, but still sweet and succulent on palate, with meaty game and cedar on a

palate with fine grip. This had a lovely balance. 45% Me, 36% CS, 11% Ma and 8% CF. The final

plenty of secondary and tertiary notes. Meaty, gamey, a little brettanomyces adding complexity, but

still some sweetness of fruit and good acidity alongside the fine and firm tannins, giving a suppleness.

Good drying finish