As published in January/February BayBuzz magazine by Yvonne Lorkin
So when the theme of “Big Ideas for Hawke’s Bay” was pitched across my desk, the first thing I did was leap up and holler “Monorail!” But no-one in the BayBuzz office thought that would fly. Yet, dear reader, you and I both know that pretty much everything predicted on The Simpsons eventually comes true, so all we need to do is wait, right?
One thing I didn’t want to wait for was to learn what big ideas our local wine whānau might have whizzing around in their heads. Winemaking is where art and science collide, so naturally they’re a community of big thinkers, dreamers and doers. So I put the call out and they did not disappoint. Some have been edited for length and flow.
“Rename Roy’s Hill ‘Te maunga mō Syrah’. At the heart of France’s most famous Syrah vineyards sits a hill, the hill of Hermitage. From that hill, and surrounding that hill, some of the most revered and expensive Syrah wines in the world are produced from the appellations of Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage and St Joseph. Now Roy’s Hill may only contain some very small vineyards on the actual hill (La Collina being the most famous), yet surrounding the hill, across the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa, some of the most famous Syrah wines in the Southern Hemisphere are produced. We’re talking Trinity Hill Homage, Craggy Range Le Sol, Smith & Sheth Omahu, Te Mata Bullnose, Church Road Tom, and Stonecroft amongst others.
“Standing atop and walking along Roy’s Hill you can see the vineyards that are home to all of these wines. They are so close you can almost touch them. This truly unique place needs a name from our culture that could allow it to sit alongside the revered hill of Hermitage, and one day have equal status in the world of fine wine and become a true beacon for one of the world’s 12 Great Wine Capitals.Te maunga mō Syrah … the mountain for Syrah.”
Karen Fistonich and the Čuvar team
“Where premium wines are available in innovative formats like cans, eco-friendly pouches, and boxes. This will establish Hawke’s Bay further as a premium, adventurous and progressive wine and wine tourism capital.”
Brent Linn, Wairiki Wines
“We have an extremely talented wine grower and winemaker community crafting super classy wines from the widest range of varietals from any wine region in New Zealand.
Daniel Brennan, Decibel Wines
“Last October we had 10 wineries in 10 different locations across the Auckland region for fun, affordable pop-up events called ‘Radiant’. We also canvassed the region that week with winemakers showing their wines to the trade. We had huge impressions on Instagram and generated quite the buzz across Auckland, showing our great diversity and quality in the wines from Hawke’s Bay. We’re looking to take this concept to Wellington in May.
“It’s essential we expand our reach across New Zealand to show how great the Hawke’s Bay wine scene is. We must make Kiwis our biggest fans so they’ll take that message overseas. Because let’s face it, we must export. There’s too much fantastic wine coming out of Hawke’s Bay even for the whole of New Zealand to consume, but they can become our biggest ambassadors. So that’s our plan!”
Grant Edmonds, Redmetal Vineyards
“It’d be great to see a long weekend harvest festival, incorporating things like Taste Hastings, wine walks, long lunches etc… in one big celebration of Hawke’s Bay wine and food. I know these are done individually across the year to encourage off-peak visitors, but they mostly cater to locals.
“A single big multi-event weekend or week would make more noise and potentially bring in both international and other domestic tourists to support our Great Wine Capital status. And it wouldn’t preclude single events at other times of the year. Just a thought.”
Richard Brown, Tironui Estate
“Wineries could open 7 days a week, 365 days a year (or as close to that as possible). Too often I get complaints (especially over winter) that wineries are closed. We could also create a Hawke’s Bay Wine Centre, to serve as a space for wineries that don’t have cellar doors and could allow visitors to experience many Hawke’s Bay wines in one place. Plus have a Hawke’s Bay wine showcase at Napier airport. Can something go in the site just vacated by Bellatinos?
“A national airline that doesn’t cancel flights at its whim would be good. Let’s also remind tourists that you don’t have to drive down the Desert Road to get from Auckland to Wellington and that there is an alternative route. Let’s have more family-focussed activities for people with kids coming to Hawke’s Bay and, at the other end of the scale, create a greater focus on upmarket tourism. Restaurants could also stay open until a sensible time in the evening. How many times have you tried to walk into a restaurant at 9pm and been told, ‘sorry we are closing’.”
Leith and Thalia, Ash Ridge Wines
“We hope that one day we’ll be a region that encapsulates the concept of unity based off its sheer diversity. Chardonnay and Syrah are our flagships, but so many other varieties produce exceptional wines. Why don’t we capitalize on and celebrate this diversity, and showcase that we’re a fabulous fruit salad in terms of wine. It would also be very cool to have a website purely dedicated to Hawke’s Bay wine, featuring an interactive, educational map of each of the sub-regions and the varietals/wineries found within them. Plus there could be an ‘events’ tab showing a timeline of all the upcoming, wine-related events. This way out-of-town wine fans can see Hawke’s Bay as an ‘always happening region’ and actively choose us as a fun destination.”
Rosie Butler, Lime Rock Wines
“With the warming climate, CHB will become even more suitable for grape growing. There’s land a-plenty, limestone hills, loess and a layer of volcanic ash, stony plains sheltered by the Ruahine Ranges and two wide river beds, we’ve got it all! There’s no room left in Marlborough so come to CHB! Plus Sauvignon Blanc from CHB is low-tonnage and makes a delicious wine without OTT acidity. To encourage young people to drink wine let’s create more low-alcohol and sexy, wine spritzer styles.
The Hawke’s Bay gravels region is going to get very hot and potentially move to Italian varieties. Or plant pineapples. But water is going to be our battleground with dams needed to ensure supply, and grapevines are way more economical on water compared to dairy.”
Yvonne Lorkin is a wine writer, the co-founder and CTO of WineFriend (NZ’s No.1 personalised wine subscription service) and she’s a proud, born and bred Hawkesbaylien.
