Drink about it
Kate Underwood
We are so lucky in Aotearoa to have many delicious, locally-produced beverages. From my favourite bitter orange aperitif to the wine department, where Pét Nats, orange wine, and chilled reds are taking over. Many are made by exciting young winemakers from the Eat New Zealand Kaitaki – a collective of next-generation food leaders who are telling stories of place through their wine.
Let’s start with L’Opera, crafted by Hastings Distillers, this bittersweet orange aperitif is NZ’s version of Campari, but better! It makes a dreamy negroni, or the Instagram-famous Negroni Sbagliato, ‘with prosecco in it’. It can be served long with ice and soda water and comes in a strikingly tall, vintage bottle. For those who made it to Italy this year and are missing aperitivo hour, you can use it in place of Aperol in your spritz too.
In the wine world, you’ve likely heard of a Pét Nat (short for Pétillant Naturel). It means ‘naturally bubbling’ and is a return to the old tradition of producing sparkling wine. With its natural yeasts, it ferments in the bottle, creating a unique wine that is often cloudy and offers funky aromatics. It’s different for sure, but I’m a big fan of its bright, bubbly, and unique personality.
Both Greystone and Black Estate have a handful of Pét Nat vintages, and every single one has been heavenly – full of fruit, fun, and funk! I’ve heard through the grapevine that young North Canterbury winemaker Will Bowman from Vita Wines is soon to release a new Pét Nat called ‘Kisses’ encapsulating the sweet, soft taste of summer.
Matua Murupaenga (Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Kahu), a chef based in Tāmaki Makaurau, has just launched Tāwhiti Wines, a natural wine label that incorporates Māoritanga, alongside his partner Imogen Weir. Their first wine is called Awatea (the dawning of a new day), and it’s a glorious Chardonnay Pét Nat made with organic grapes from Te-Matau-a- Māui (Hawke’s Bay).
Orange or skin-contact wines are an interesting style with a little more oomph. Some love it, some hate it, but the amber or orange hue occurs due to fermenting white grapes with their skins on. It creates more body, higher tannins, and a more exuberant profile than traditional white wine.
A rise in chilled reds provides the perfect excuse to drink red throughout the hotter months. Some are blends, like Pinot Noir with Pinot Gris, while others are lighter Pinot Noir. Jannine Rickards from Huntress Wines in the Wairarapa has a flavourful chilled red called Kuratea, that offers juicy red fruits with a savoury depth.
Another female winemaker, Ashleigh Barrowman, has just released her beautiful new range, all grown biodynamically from The Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. The 2023 Empress Chilled Red is a pale Pinot Noir, described as ‘popping’. It makes the ideal beach or BBQ wine that I plan to fervently sip in the sun.