Postcards From Here and There

Neudorf Vineyards

Established 40 years ago, Neudorf is one of the important wineries in the Nelson wine growing region. Never complacent about its position, Neudorf strives for continuous improvement in viticulture and the quality of wines it produces. It has been using organic practices since the 1980’s. Located in the Moutere Hills it has ideal conditions for growing grapes with warm and dry summer months and a low likelihood of damaging winter frosts.

The vintage begins in two weeks or so depending on the weather. Vines are netted to protect grapes from bird damage.

Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc 2017 Sauvignon Blanc is the variety for which New Zealand is best known in the UK. For me many are just a little too much but that is not the case with this lovely and drinkable Sauvignon from Neudorf. Twenty percent of grapes are barrel fermented which then gives some body and nice tropical fruit flavours to the wine. If Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is your choice but you tire of the high acidity in some examples, give this a try.

Neudorf Moutre Pinot Gris 2016 Aromas of tropical fruit, fresh flowers and a hint of citrus.Quite dry on the palate but with lovely balance and elegance. This is the sort of wine that I really like to drink.

Neudorf Rosie’s Block Chardonnay 2016 A wild yeast ferment in barrel of which 15% was new French oak followed by 10 months on the lees. This wine has aromas of tropical fruit, apricot and stone fruits. It is full flavoured with warming notes of vanilla and almond. A great example of New Zealand Chardonnay.

Tom’s Block Pinot Noir 2015 Another wild ferment wine, 100% French oak of which 22% was new. Light cherry red. Aromas of cherry and strawberry. Palate is red fruits, hint of spice, pepper. Tannins give a firmness which make this an excellent food wine. Very drinkable.

The wines of Neudorf are worthy of investigation. Have look at their website

Nelson and Mapua

From the Picton ferry there is a choice of two routes to the city of Nelson. The first follows State Highways all of the way and is very much the long way round. The second route is to take the minor road almost straight after the ferry. It starts to climb immediately to give fantastic views of the bays and inlets of Picton harbour and beyond. The road twists, turns, climbs and descends until it eventually joins with State highway 6 just before the town of Havelock. In doing so you have passed the most gorgeous scenery. It might be slower but it is an absolute pleasure. From Havelock the route to Nelson is the same.

Havelock is a small town and you might be tempted to pass on through if it wasn’t for the fact that it is the Greenshell Mussel capital of the world. Greenshell Mussels are farmed in the waters of the Marlborough Sounds and are unique to New Zealand. They are huge, about 4 inches in length, and have a vivid green rim around the shell. Sadly I didn’t take a photograph but they are available in all their glory at The Mussel Pot (73 Main Road) where they have been seeing them for 20 years and are well worth a stop for lunch.

Nelson is a small city by British standards with a population of around 50000. It is the oldest city in the South Island, which may be hard to believe as it appears thoroughly modern today and is one of New Zealand’s most liveable cities.

The city was named after Horatio Nelson and this can also be seen in the the names of streets such as Trafalgar and Hardy. The city has a good range of restaurants and bars selling craft beer. It seems that you don’t need to travel very far in New Zealand to find a craft beer brewery! A personal favourite was The Free House ( I think I will do the beer reviews in a separate post). To show just how small the world actually is I met an ex work colleague, in the beer garden, that I hadn’t seen for several years.

About 20 miles west of Nelson, on the shore of the Tasman Bay, is the small town of Mapua. Mapua is the gateway to the vineyards of the Nelson wine region and from here it is possible to hire a bike and explore the wineries. Be warned however, the region around the Moutere Hills does, not surprisingly, present one or two challenges.

The town of Mapua itself is an absolute delight with an excellent selection os shops, bars, restaurants and, you guessed, a craft brewery

From Mapua you can catch the ferry to Rabbit island which is the largest island in the Tasman Bay. It runs once an hour on the hour and costs 12 NZD return. It gives access to cycle routes if you have hired bikes from nearby trail journeys and want a flatter route than the Moutere Hills. You can also drive to the island near the town of Richmond but that does take away some of the fun.

To The South Island

The Cook Strait between the north and south islands connects the Tasman Sea to the east with the Pacific Ocean to the west. It can be a very unpredictable stretch of water for navigation due to the winds that can roar through from the south, giving large swells on the open stretch of the crossing. We were fortunate that for our crossing it was it was calm and tranquil following Cyclone Gita which had passed through the area two days earlier.

The crossing itself between, Wellington on the north island and Picton in the south, is approximately 94 kilometres and takes three and as half hours. Only about a third of this time is actually in open water, the first third is leaving Wellington harbour and bay and the final third is the cruise up the beautiful Queen Charlotte and Marlborough sounds.

Two ferry companies cross the straits, Interislander and Bluebridge, both have several crossings per day. We crossed with Interislander which have bigger ships, our vessel Kaitaki is the largest and is used for the busy 9am crossing. It can carry 1350 passengers and on the day we crossed was very busy indeed.

The following photographs show some of what is considered by some to be one of the great ferry journeys of the world.

Marlborough Sound