Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokai
whenuakitanatahu.... In Maori it means "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one." And why is this important? well (this is one for the pub quizes....) it is the longest place name in the english language! And it is located in Hawkes Bay- the north island just got a lot cooler! But more importantly back to the wine- Hawkes Bay is not like the other regions we have focussed on- basically Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Hawkes Bay accounts for more than 80% of New Zealands plantings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah grapes. Hawkes Bay's succes in these big red wines is in part to its diversity of soil types and climates.
Hawkes bay not only enjoys being able to boast the longest place name in the english language, it also boasts long sunshine hours, low precipitation, and a long ripening season. Now for a fickle grape like Pinot Noir this would be horrible.... but for late ripening grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Riesling this is perfect. In fact its 100% different to the other regions I've talked about so far. But all this serves to highlight is that during our 20% off sale on New Zealand wines today and tomorrow- You're going to find something you like!
whenuakitanatahu.... In Maori it means "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one." And why is this important? well (this is one for the pub quizes....) it is the longest place name in the english language! And it is located in Hawkes Bay- the north island just got a lot cooler! But more importantly back to the wine- Hawkes Bay is not like the other regions we have focussed on- basically Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Hawkes Bay accounts for more than 80% of New Zealands plantings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah grapes. Hawkes Bay's succes in these big red wines is in part to its diversity of soil types and climates.
Hawkes bay not only enjoys being able to boast the longest place name in the english language, it also boasts long sunshine hours, low precipitation, and a long ripening season. Now for a fickle grape like Pinot Noir this would be horrible.... but for late ripening grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Riesling this is perfect. In fact its 100% different to the other regions I've talked about so far. But all this serves to highlight is that during our 20% off sale on New Zealand wines today and tomorrow- You're going to find something you like!
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