World Monitor Mag, Industrial Overview WM_November_2018_WEB_Version | Page 58
Life style
Brancott Estate.
Fresh. Bright. New Zealand
The wines from New Zealand have become incredibly popular around the world in a short period of
time while managing to reach a share of 3% of the global wine market. For such a small country with
a relatively short winemaking history – this is truly a unique achievement! What is the secret of the
success of wines from this far away yet attractive country?
New Zealand is an island country in the southern hemisphere,
east of Australia, which for a long time has been the larger
and more economically developed neighbor prevailing over
New Zealand. In the early 19th Century, the first vines were
brought from Australia to the New Zealand North island. Still,
modern winemaking has begun since the 1960s, when vines
of international grape varieties were brought from Europe and
planted. The first vines were planted on the North island, where
the climate is warmer, and for a long time it was believed that
winemaking in New Zealand is possible only there.
However, in the early 1970s, the spirit of innovation and
curiosity inherent in Brancott Estate throughout the history of
the winery, served as an impetus to the development of land
on the South Island. It was the Brancott Estate winery that
pioneered the now world-famous region of Marlborough. In
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1973, Brancott Estate planted first Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot
Noir vines in their vineyards, which are located in the best part
of the Marlborough region – the valley of Wairau. Marlborough is
the most favorable region for viticulture in New Zealand, which
led to its great popularity in the world of wines. The uniqueness
of the Marlborough region is primarily due to the special climatic
conditions: a wide valley through which a full-flowing river runs, a
favorable alternation of bright sunny days and cool dry nights for
wine-making enriches the wines with a pleasant taste. In general,
all New Zealand wines are characterized by bright aromatics,
pleasant acidity, rich flavors and a pleasing aftertaste.
In 1979, a significant event occurred that was of great
importance not only for Brancott Estate, but also for all of New
Zealand. In the blind tasting at the 21 st international competition
of wines and spirits, which was attended by over 1,100 wines of