New Zealand Wine Reaches the Top Table

I vividly remember the buzz surrounding Farr Vintners' original Kumeu River vs Burgundy tasting in 2015.

I didn't know Steven Browett that well and wasn't invited, but several people I know from the London wine scene attended the tasting and more than one of them reported the event very favorably – I have been a fan of Kumeu River's Chardonnays since I first tasted them 30 years ago, and must admit that even at the time I was a little jealous! This envy was reawakened this week when I was fortunate enough to attend Simon Mark-Brown and David Nash's film A Seat at the Table – which takes this tasting as its starting point – as it premiered at the Auckland Film Festival.

Wine marketing is full of people trying to host landmark tastings that will cause a sea-change in people's purchasing habits along the lines of California's Judgement of Paris. The Judgement of Paris was of course immortalized in the film Bottle Shock. Despite the peculiar choice of Alan Rickman to play Steven Spurrier, Bottle Shock has helped to crystallize a narrative that may have elevated the tasting's contribution to the rise of California's wine industry to a position above that it actually deserves. It seems unlikely that New Zealand's wine industry will need to fear dubious casting decisions, as Mark-Brown and Nash may already have filmed the tasting that proves New Zealand's wines deserve a seat at the fine wine tasting table.

The film starts with the premise that a blind tasting hosted by Steven Browett, of Farr Vintners, in London four years ago showed Kiwi wines could match the best in the world. Browett's tasting saw a selected group of the UK's top tasters, including the likes of Jancis Robinson and Neal Martin, consistently rank Kumeu River's Chardonnays ahead of the finest white Burgundies. The film goes on to examine the case that New Zealand's best wines can rank alongside other French benchmarks such as Red Burgundies, Champagnes, Northern Rhône Syrahs and the Cru Classés of Bordeaux.

In the course of the film, French investment in New Zealand's vineyards and wine industry is examined, as are the dubious origins of the revered Abel Clone of Pinot Noir (purportedly stolen from the vineyards of Romanée-Conti one dark night and smuggled into New Zealand in a gumboot) and a growing interest in biodynamic viticulture. Consideration is made of the use of French oak barrels in winemaking and the use (or not) of cork closures – so much is touched upon.

Nor was the risk presented by the dominance of New Zealand's vineyards by Sauvignon Blanc plantings allowed to be an elephant (Hill) in the room. The development of Marlborough's distinctive style was chronicled by no less a figure than Cloudy Bay's first winemaker Kevin Judd. The comparison to Müller-Thurgau, which once comprised half the country's vineyards and now doesn't figure at all, was clearly made. Sauvignon Blanc's position was covered pretty comprehensively, but at speed, the narrative preferring to concentrate on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The filmmakers had clearly done copious research and spoken to pretty much everybody who is anybody in New Zealand's wine industry. There were interviews with revered senior figures such as Alan Brady (founder of Gibbston Valley), Melba Brajkovich (managing director of Kumeu River), John Buck (owner of Te Mata), Bob Campbell MW, Sir Gerorge Fistonich (founder of Villa Maria), Clive Paton (Ata Rangi), and there are many I've missed. Numerous leading winemakers were also interviewed such as Tony Bish, Michael Brajkovich, Helen Masters, Larry McKenna, Clive Jones, Paul Pujol, and, again, that list could go on. In the field of biodynamics, we heard from Nigel Greening (founder of Felton Road), the eponymous James and Annie Milton, and Mike and Claudia Weersing (founders of Pyramid Valley). If there is a criticism it is that the contributions of many esteemed figures were so brief.

The film's cinematography is superb – extensive use of drone footage showed the regions discussed, the estates visited and their vineyards in exquisite detail. Accompanying music was subtly used to set the scene and the commentary contained sufficient irreverent humor to prevent the narrative from seeming pompous or self-obsessed. The film's quality in no way belies its relatively modest budget. It was clearly a labor of love for its producers, and the attention to detail is impressive

The film's weakness is that its arguments are occasionally a little disjointed and, at times, it is varietally unbalanced. For example, there is extensive use of visuals and interviews with Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal (from Château Angélus in Saint-Émilion) and Philippe Blanc (from Château Beychevelle in Saint-Julien) – yet this footage is principally contrasted with New Zealand vineyards producing Pinot Noir.

The film concludes with footage of revered French winemakers tasting classic New Zealand wines and their seemingly genuine surprise at the quality and character of the wines they taste. The conclusion is modest in wine-marketing terms: for all concerned, New Zealand’s wines have earned a place at the table of international fine wines.

For lovers of New Zealand wines this is a rich, generous and detailed insight into the country's wine industry and its increasing confidence in its ability to produce characterful, high-quality wines that both compete at the highest level and reflect their origins. Wine-lovers will appreciate the depth and breadth of its scope.