New Zealand Wines

Ahh....having returned to Canada from the sun and warmth of New Zealand, I had to face the cold, but only for 2 days. It is starting to warm up today, and should get even warmer over the weekend. Excellent! I picked my days right. I missed all the problems from the last week - ice, snow, accidents, and no gas! Whoo-hoo!

But alas, my comment today is not about weather. It is about the amazing wineries of New Zealand! I am not the only one who seems to think so. There is a giant spread in the Weekend section of USA today. I only had the chance to visit the wineries of Central Otago, but I had the opportunity to try wines from most of the wine regions. I tried a Pinot Noir from the Nelson, Central Otago, Martinborough regions, a Sauvignon Blanc from Martinborough, Pinot Gris from Central Otago, Gewurtzarminer from Central Otago, and a Riesling from Martinborough. I preferred the wines I tried in Central Otago to the other regions. Granted, I didn't try a lot from other regions, but I had my fill! What struck me most about NZ is that the wines listed on each and every restaurant winelist seemed to be primarily Kiwi! Maybe it was the restaurants I dined at, but I rarely saw an option for anything other than Kiwi. Also, I was only drinking by the glass, so maybe the main focus was local. It was very encouraging.