The Magic of Hawkes Bay Soils: New Zealand In the Glass

Join sommelier Erin on an exciting adventure to Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, as she dives into this renowned wine region's unique soil types and their impact on rich reds and complex whites. Learn the fascinating history behind the soils, including the dramatic 1931 earthquake and the formation of the famous Gimblett Gravels. Discover top wineries producing outstanding wines in this region and get practical tips for choosing your next bottle. Perfect for wine enthusiasts who love big reds and aromatic whites!

00:00 The Magic of Hawkes Bay: New Zealand's Vineyard History
02:13 Where is Hawkes Bay
04:10 Earthquake of 1931 - Vineyard Impacts
06:23 Gimblett Gravel - Sub Region
07:49 Climate
08:37 White Wine Styles
09:09 Global Acclaim 
09:59 Sustainability
11:03 Wineries to Look For
12:53 Recap

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Transcript

Erin: 0:00

If you love big reds and complex and aromatic whites. Then today's episode is for you, because I'm going to take you on an adventure down to the Southern hemisphere where we're going to go to Hawke's bay, New Zealand. And I have two fascinating stories to tell you about how unique the soil types are in this area and how they impact the wines that you enjoy in the glass. So if you're curious to learn more about the soils of Hawke's bay I'm going to be breaking down all of the magic behind the special soils, including the famous Gimblett gravel vineyards. So if you're ready, let's get started and dive right into today's episode. Hi everyone. And welcome to the wine. Tough talk. I'm your host. My Erin Rosar and I am so happy that you're here with me today. If we haven't met before, it's lovely to have you here. And if we have welcome back now, for those of you who are new, you should know that I've been a professional smile for over 20 years now. And it's my passion and my privilege to make learning about wine. Not only fun and easy, but also practical. I want to make sure that you leave every single episode with some real life practical tips that you can use, right? Right away to help you find wines that you're going to love and enjoy and be able to share with family and friends. I want you to think of me as your very own, a practical Somali. And today's episode is a fun one, it's a follow on to last week's episode where I talked about. The area of pre-read in Spain and the special liquor rela soil, The black slate soil. And how that special terroir impacts the wine that you enjoy in the glass. And so this week's episode is along the same lines is I'm sharing with you some wine, geeky stuff, all about the fascinating stories behind the soils of the vineyards and how that special terroir, that soul of the place. Comes through and sings in the glass. And today's episode is all about Hawke's bay. New Zealand. It is known to produce both rich reds and complex whites and Before I dive into information about the soils let's get our bearings of where is hock spate in New Zealand? So Hawke's bay is located about midway up the north island of New Zealand. So this is the island closer to the equator. And here's a little trick for those of you who may get confused about Martin borough. And we have Mar bro on the Southern island and Martin borough on the top island. So just think that Martin borough, which is on the north island, which is the island I'm going to be referencing today, has the tea in it. Martin numbero so tea for top island and then Marlboro. On the lower island has an L in it for lower. So that's just a quick little study tip, if you will, of, when you're looking at the labels of you're in the New Zealand section of your favorite wine store, when you see Martin borough, you're going to know that it's on the top island. And if you see Mar bro, you're going to know that it's on the bottom island or the lower island. So now that we know that we're on the top island, whereas Hawkes bay Hawkes bay is about halfway up the top island and it's on the coast of the right hand side. So if you're looking at a map of New Zealand, you're going to see a half moon Crescent that talks bay. And we're going to be talking about the area of Napier, which is a beautiful city, just right on the coast. I'm going to be talking about what makes. The area of Napier special and then Hawke's bay itself. And then I'm going to be talking about Gimlet gravels. There's a various special soil and it's inland from the coast a little bit from the area. So Gimlet gravels, when I'm talking about them it's not on the actual coast. It's further inland. Now it's important for you to know that hotspot is the countries second largest wine producing area. It's a place where the sun shines bright and the diversity of the landscape with Hills and coasts and microclimates allows for the production of. many different wine styles and grape varieties. But today, I'm going to be talking about the soils on the coast, and then we're going to move inland to Gimlet grapples. So before I dive into the Gimlet grapples, I do want to talk about a dramatic event I think is important to share, but it also shows how the earth is always evolving and how that literally reshaped the land of this region. And this happened in 19 30, 1 known as the Hawkes bay earthquake. Now on February 3rd in 1931, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck this area. And it unfortunately caused widespread destructions in the cities of Napier and Hastings. But this earthquake didn't just change the skyline with the damage. It did. It also transformed the coastline. During this quake, a large section of the seabed was actually pushed, thrust upwards by as much as two meters. And this created new land that had previously been submerged underwater. One of the most remarkable examples of this is in the hurry lagoon, which was almost entirely drained as the land rose. This newly exposed land what's part of the ocean floor was later developed for various uses, including agriculture and. You guessed it viticulture, meaning we grow grapes on this incredible soil that actually came out of the ocean. Now the years following the earthquake parts of this uplifted land around Napier were turned into vineyards. Now these special soils are enriched by centuries of Marine deposits and prove to be excellent for grape-growing. It's amazing to think that some of the vineyards producing incredible lions today that you were enjoying are located on land that actually came out of the ocean. Less than a century ago. So that's just a really cool sidebar story that I think is just something we don't hear about very often. It's definitely unique story in the wine industry. We know that we have lots of prehistoric seabeds and fault lines, but. This event happened, not that long ago in the big scheme of things. And today we do have very unique soil types around this area because of the earthquake and how the land actually came out of the ocean. Now let's move in land and I want to talk about Gimblett gravels. And this is a very famous sub-region of Hawke's bay and this isn't just any wine growing area. It's a geographical Marvel. And if any of you have a passion for geology and history, this is going to bring those worlds together in a perfect harmony. To set the stage. I wanted to imagine walking through beautiful vineyards where the soil beneath your feet is composed of small gravelly Riverbed deposits that were exposed after a massive flood around 150 years ago. That's right. This unique terroir was formed when the Naruto river changed its course and when it did it left behind a bed of gravel. That's perfect for growing grapes, the result, are some of the most concentrated and flavorful wines that you'll ever taste. Now when this massive flood exposed the bed of gravel, which has exceptional drainage properties. And. Forces the vines in this area to work harder for nutrients because of the buy-ins have to go down through this gravelly soil. And the result is because the vines are working so hard to get their roots into the ground, that the berries are smaller and more concentrated in flavor. Giving the wines great structure. Depth and aging potential. Now the soil is one factor obviously to the world-class wines that are made in this area, but climate is another impacting factor and it plays a crucial role. as a region is known for its warm sunny days and cool nights. This creates the perfect conditions for growing Porto style, red fry. These like Cabernet Sauvignon were low and Sarah and these wines are known for their structure and elegance and aging potentials. The reds from this area are known around the world To be Bordeaux lookalikes, if you will, and come through with the classic Bordeaux blend style wines coming from Gimblett gravels. So, if you enjoy a rich full-bodied red, especially a Cabernet or low blend Bordeaux style, then this is definitely an area that you want to try a bottle of wine from. But it's not just red wines that shine here. The region also produces some outstanding Chardonnay. With the flavor profile that's rich and complex. Thanks to the unique combination of soil and climate. These wines are often characterized by notes of stone fruits. So peach, nectarines. Apple's payers, citrus and hints of minerality that reflect the gravelly terroir that they come from. This is very close to. Pulley Fu se or St. Fran. So those are the classic fuller bodied style of burgundy Chardonnay. One thing I love about the Gimblett gravel area is that it's globally recognized as a fine wine region. This is the only wine appellation in the world defined purely by a soil type. So When I talked about pre-read last week, we know that liquor rela is associated with it, but Gimlet gravel actually will be on the label. And there are very few regions around the world where we basically make it a home base. We put on the label of how cool the soil is and how much recognition the terroir deserves and this area. Gets that world a claim and It lets people know about the quality of the wine and this distinctiveness. Uh, of what will be in the glass and these wines are a must have, and must try for any serious wine lover., in my opinion, and let's not forget about the sustainability aspect. Many of the vineyards within the Gimblett gravels are pioneers in sustainable wine-making. And this goes for New Zealand as a whole. They have definitely been in the forefront of organic. Practices and biodynamic methods and their vineyards. The winemakers here are deeply committed to preserving the environment and ensuring that the land continues to produce exceptional wines for generations to come. Now the story of Gimlet grumble is also a story of the land itself. The concept of terroir is a beautifully illustrated here. Each bottle of wine from this region is a reflection of its environment from the Stony soils to the sunlit days and cool nights, it's a taste of Hawke's bay in every sip and these wines are sought after around the globe. Now I would be remiss if I did not mention to you that the Gimblett gravel area is a relatively small space, which means that the wines produced here are in high demand. They're limited production adds to their allure, making them even more special for those lucky enough to enjoy them. Just like the wines of pre-read. Now you may be wondering what are some wineries that you will know by label. If you're looking to try a wine from the Gibbler gravel. So here are a few wineries that have vineyards and are producing wines in the area. So the winery craggy range is probably one of the most well-known wineries in New Zealand and they're Gimlet grapples. Vineyard is renowned for producing high quality Porto red styles. And their Sophia blend is definitely one that is a very highly regarded. Trinity hill is another winery is a pioneer of the gimbal gravel region. And they produce a wide range of wines, including a very famous surah, which is definitely worth the search. if you are lucky enough to. Grab a bottle of it. I would highly recommend putting one in your seller. it has gained international acclaim. And if you're looking for high point wines in both Craigie range and trendy hill are not going to disappoint. The wineries homash Surat is one of New Zealand, most celebrated and awarded wines. Mission estate is new Zealand's oldest winery. And while they have vineyards of various locations, they're Gimlet, gravel wines, especially their reserves rot, and Merlow are very well-respected and sought after. And finally sacred Hills. Now sacred hill has been years. Around New Zealand, but their Gimlet gravel vineyards are known for producing premium. Red wines and their deerstalker Surat is a standout wine. That exemplifies the quality of the region. Again, if you are a big red lover, then there are some incredible collectible delicious wines for you to try from this area. So these wineries are some of the key players within the Gimblett gravels area. And. Hopefully you'll be able to find at your favorite wine store. As many of the wines are. Available around the world. I hope you've enjoyed learning the story of hock spays, remarkable landscape, as much as I have loved sharing it with you. These are the fun geeky stories behind the wines that sometimes as we get caught up around discussing the wines, aromas and flavors, and ageability, we forget to talk about the ground, the dirt, the soil types that they're actually grown on. And these are the basis of the grapes that go into the wines that we love. And I love. Sharing these stories with you. And in keeping with this themes, Famous soils and wines around the world. I'm going to be taking you to France next week, and we're going to head into the world famous area of Chablis. And I'm going to be talking about the soils that the grapes grew on that makes some of the most iconic white wines in the wine world now as always, if you have any questions or comments about today's episode, please reach out. You can reach me at hello. A wind goal academy.com come say hello on the Instagram or Tik TOK. You can find me at wine girl academy now if you're new, it's a welcome to have you. I hope that you have enjoyed hanging out with me this week. New episodes come out every Tuesday. So I hope that you'll be joining us, be sure to like, and subscribe. So you never miss a new episode. And if you haven't yet had a chance to take my. Signature pallet personality quiz. You're going to find the link at the low in the show notes to take you to my fun, quick quiz, that's going to help you discover your very own line pallet personality. You'll also find a link in the show notes below to hold the different freebies that I have up on the website right now. So there's lots of great resources there for you as well. I hope that you have enjoyed learning about these fascinating soil types and their stories from Hawke's bay in New Zealand, and wish you a wonderful week. Cheers to you. Bye now.