As ever, when a winemaker comes-a-visiting it’s a game of dragging the hapless man through a myriad of meetings and tastings, a hefty lunch (just to prove how good the food is in the restaurants who might take their wine) and finished off by a lengthy winemakers dinner entertaining 40 people. For many, far happier tending their vines than struggling with their often rudimentary English and trying to figure out the vagaries of English humour this can be a rather onerous and overwhelming day.
Not so for our ‘fake’ kiwi winemaker. Originally hailing from The Isle of Wight, he pursued his now wife back to her native New Zealand, married her and then discovered her family farm in central Hawke’s Bay was perfect for growing grapes. At least he assured me it was in that order! His five hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot might seem out of place in Hawke’s Bay, but at 700 feet higher than the vineyards around Napier and 35 odd km inland, the microclimate has proved perfect to feed his love of Burgundy.
No shrinking violet, Roland waltzed through the tastings with an easy charm, and an infectious passion for his tiny wine estate. His stable of 4 wines were as diverse as they were exciting, and clichéd though it is, there was something for everyone and happily each restaurant was keen to see his wines adorn their list..
Meetings started at the beautiful Victoria pub in East Sheen with kiwi owner Greg Bellemy (a touch biased? We hope so!) before we lunched at the talented hands of his business partner, celebrity chef Paul Merrett, it received grunts of approval from us both. This was followed by a tasting at the lovely neighbourhood Independent shop Le Petit Canon in Parson’s Green, it was wonderful to see customers met with such energy and enthusiasm in this small but well stocked shop. We were soon forced back onto the road to trek through the delights of the crowded underground to Christopher’s Bar & Grill in Covent Garden. This is always a favourite tasting destination of mine as the company, character and quality of the restaurant and bar are superb... and if we taste late enough we are usually rewarded with a cracking cocktail. We revelled in the wine, spittoon swiftly sidelined before sampling a cocktail or two. A little swearing under the breath as we noticed the time and, despite an urge to while away another few hours at the bar with the charming GM we had to dash to our next appointment...
That evening he certainly delighted the good people of the Richmond and Teddington Wine clubs with his laid back, satirical and highly entertaining depiction of his wine, each successfully paired with their name sake. A long but rewarding day and for Roland’s first foray into the UK market it was wonderful to see the wines met with such approval.
So keep your eyes out for these wines from Tukipo River Estate coming to a restaurant near you as Roland continues to live the dream:
The Fat Snapper Chardonnay: this comes as a delicious surprise for it has an almost Vouvray appeal to it, some residual sugar gives it weight and substance while an electric acidity fires through the wine, perfectly balancing the sweetness and lending it a mouth watering sweet and sour edge.
The Fat Trout Chardonnay: about as classically beautiful as you could get. Elegant and refined there is nothing new-worldly obnoxious about this wine. Well proportioned ripe fruit, beautifully integrated subtle oak and again, that hallmark nervy acidity. It has charm and grace and it would be an honour to escort it to a dinner party with me.
The Fat Pheasant Pinot Noir: deceptively pale, a blessed departure from the over-extracted, over oaked new world Pinot’s, the pheasant is light and refreshing with oodles of lively fruit that unravel on the palate. As Roland happily said, it’s his Wednesday night wine.
The Fat Duck Pinot Noir: now this really hit the mark. A textural treat of dense dark silky cherry, a subtle use of oak backing up the fruit rather than dominating it and a freshness on the finish, most definitely his Saturday night Pinot. It has the quiet, head turning grace of Audrey Hepburn.
Written by Alex Harper
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