Marlborough—a place name that I imagine wine lovers would recognize with a knowing "Ah." It's New Zealand's largest wine-producing region, located at the northern tip of the South Island. It's about a 1 hour and 30-minute drive from Kaikoura, which I introduced in the previous article.

When one thinks of New Zealand wine, Sauvignon Blanc is likely the first to come to mind. In fact, 65% of New Zealand's vineyard area is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc, and 90% of that is produced in the Marlborough region. It's an overwhelming majority. David Hohnen, the founder of Cloudy Bay, a leading winery in Marlborough, reportedly became convinced of the region's potential after just one sip of its Sauvignon Blanc. Those who know, know...

New Zealand itself is a relatively new wine-producing country. Compared to Europe and North America, it's easier for smaller capitals to start businesses, which is why many Japanese winemakers are active in Marlborough. This time, I visited two winemakers in the same Marlborough region, both Japanese, yet with completely different personalities.

Folium Vineyard is a winery established in June 2010 by Takaki Okada, originally from Tokyo, in the Brancott Valley of Marlborough, New Zealand. In Marlborough, where numerous wineries are clustered, differentiation is key. Amidst this, Okada practices dry farming, meaning no irrigation.

“I want to bring out the characteristics of each vintage. Water has a significant impact on grape growth. I want to deliberately not control it and leave it to the rainfall of each year. After all, irrigation is prohibited in Europe, so it’s not that special globally.”

He says this, but Okada is likely the only one practicing dry farming in this area. Much of the soil in Brancott Valley contains clay and has good water retention, allowing the grapes to grow vigorously even without irrigation.

“Perhaps the grapes have realized that their new owner is lazy, so they have to grow on their own.”

Personally, I have the impression that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is generally a refreshing wine that combines herbaceousness with the vibrancy of tropical fruits. However, Okada's Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to the Marlborough characteristics of citrus and tropical fruit aromas and lively acidity, also possesses a complex yet straightforward and delicious profile with mineral notes, a subtle salinity, and a certain elegance. His ruby-like Pinot Noir also has a mineral quality, and as someone aptly put it, "It has a deeply satisfying flavor, like dashi broth."

The husband and wife team, Shigekisa and Mieko Kimura, run "Kimura Cellars" in the Wairau Valley. Shigekisa was born in Tokyo in 1973. He worked at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu (formerly Capitol Tokyu Hotel), where he was in charge of restaurant service and obtained his sommelier qualification during his tenure.

“After obtaining my sommelier qualification, I participated in a winery tour in France as a reward for myself. There, I was deeply captivated by the scenery of the vineyards, the aroma of the wineries, and the passion of the producers, and I began to think that I too wanted to make wine.”

He moved to New Zealand in 2004 and studied winemaking and viticulture at Lincoln University. After honing his skills at several wineries, he established "Kimura Cellars" in 2009.

Initially, they outsourced both grape growing and winemaking, but in 2018, they purchased their own vineyard. They grow Sauvignon Blanc on their 0.7-hectare estate. Except during busy periods like harvest, it's just the two of them. What they value in winemaking is wine that doesn't require aging, is delicious immediately upon opening, and above all, is "New Zealand-esque Sauvignon Blanc."

That is to say, "a wine with a rich palette of aromas."

“New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has so many aromas, like passionfruit and grapefruit, layered on top of each other. I want to express those multiple layers of aroma.”

Shigekisa says with conviction. Their dog, Nico, runs around their estate where grapes are grown using organic farming methods.

While not Japanese-owned, I also stopped by another impressive winery. Jess Barnes, a successor to a farming family that has been in operation for four generations since 1900, established "Marathon Downs" in the Awatere Valley in 2021 with her partner Nick Potts. They welcomed us along with their newborn twins, who were only three days old. The wine journalist who toured with me requested this visit.

On their vast 400-hectare property, they primarily continue dairy farming, but they currently cultivate Sauvignon Blanc in about 48 hectares. They strive to grow grapes as naturally as possible, in harmony with the land, planting mustard and other cover crops between the rows. They use wild yeast for natural fermentation, and their Sauvignon Blanc pet-nat and orange wines, in particular, have a lively, effervescent yeast character.

Incidentally, the corks of some of their wines feature illustrations of the winery dogs, Archie and Tractor. Dog lovers rejoice! (Haha).

With the cooperation of
Tourism New Zealand
https://www.newzealand.com/jp/
Air New Zealand
https://www.airnewzealand.jp/