For some inexplicable reason the Wairarapa wine region is officially called the Wellington wine region, although there are no vineyards or wineries close to the capital. Wairarapa is a good hour‘s drive north of Wellington over the rugged, bushclad Rimutaka Hill This is not a large region, but what it lacks in size it sure makes up for in quality. Some of New Zealand‘s premier wines come from this small region.
The wine trail is one of the country‘s most exciting, with dozens of mainly boutique wineries that frequently win top national and international awards. Anyone visiting Wellington should make the Wairarapa an essential part of their stay.
Wines were made in Wairarapa in the mid 1880s, but production ceased after the introduction of prohibition in 1905. The new era of winemaking began when Alister Taylor planted a vineyard in 1978 in Martinborough.
A decade later, Martinborough Vineyards astonished the wine establishment in 1989 when it took the Air New Zealand Wine Show by storm, winning trophies for Best Chardonnay, Best Riesling and the coveted Champion Wine of the Show for its Pinot Noir.
That success led to the establishment of a host of wineries clustered around the sleepy little town of Martinborough. The largest winery is Palliser Estate, with 85 hectares under vines, but the bulk of the wineries are small establishments operated by passionate, qualitydriven, handson owners. Martinborough‘s success is based on Pinot Noir which accounts for a good percentage of the plantings but the soils and climate are well suited to other varieties and styles.
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling have produced world class wines that have won a host of awards including Trophies for Champion Wine in their class and Champion Sparkling wine.
Martinborough has the greatest concentration of wineries in Wairarapa and is the undoubted star, but the region has much more to offer. In the last 15 years vineyards have been established around Gladstone, East Taratahi, Masterton and Te Muna. The wineries of these emerging subregions, like those of Martinborough, are mostly boutique establishments and the results so far have been impressive.
The vineyards in these newer subregions include large plantings of Pinot Noir, together with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
With dozens of wineries and a substantial diversity of quality farmgate stalls scattered over the entire region, the Wairarapa has become a popular weekend destination, particularly for the lucky citizens of Wellington, just over an hour away.
It deserves at least a long weekend to fully enjoy its heritage and soak up the country life atmosphere.
