Upside down New Zealand wine

As residents of a small country on the other side of the world New Zealanders are used to doing everything themselves. In their own way. Opinionated out of necessity. It produces unique, boundless wines.
Text: Niels van Laatum | Image: Misty Cove

Misty Cove goes the extra mile. This wine company has always done things differently and always will. WINELIFE takes a look behind the scenes.

Reverse mode of operation

One of the founders of Misty Cove is commercial director Jarrod Englefield. 'But I don't limit myself so much to this function, nobody here does. It's not in our nature. It's hard work in a relatively small team, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Everyone always grabs multiple roles.' No words but deeds, New Zealand is the Rotterdam of the world. A comparison we may make because Misty Cove has a special connection with our country. Jarrod is married to a Dutch woman, once lived in Heemstede for ten years and his three children were also born in the Netherlands. Founder Andrew Bailey also knows our country well. Originally a wine importer, he got a good idea of what the Dutch, and thus the European, market looked like in the middle of the first decade of this century. That's how he knew how to shape his wine business. A clever reverse engineering.

Built from nothing

They also call the typical New Zealand go-getter mentality there: Kiwi 8-wire spirit. A reference to the original way of running a farm with lots of livestock, especially sheep. To protect and preserve land and animals, fences were erected with steel wire, 'number 8 wire'. Then a practical application, now part of the New Zealand cultural lexicon and a metaphor for resourcefulness. 'We built Misty Cove from nothing, which says something about our nature. It was hard work and a lot of learning. You have to be resilient if you want to make wine, even financially.'

Doing what's needed and knowing what's going on means you can also knock on Jarrod's door to ask: What does Misty Cove really stand for? 'For me, that's connecting. Staying true to yourself, building relationships and friendships. Then you get further, especially in the long run.' Fits nicely with their motto: Wine for good times.

New Zealand is full of flavour

'Misty Cove was first a brand before we became a producer,' Jarrod explains. 'We wanted, like what happened with Verdejo from Spain and Pinot Grigio from Italy in the on-trade, to bet on wines by the glass. So that Dutch consumers could also experience that. The first harvest was in 2007; the next step was to plant new vineyards and find talented winemakers. We started with sauvignon blanc, then pinot noir and so on.' Sounds logical. Sauvignon Blanc, especially from Marlborough, is known worldwide. A sure thing for Misty Cove? 'It's a wine that opens doors, that's true. But we want Misty Cove to show the other side of what is possible, in terms of grape varieties and in terms of region.' 

In the Netherlands, we know Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as the white wine that jumps out your glass with intense, often tropical aromas. That's in the country, says Jarrod. 'New Zealand is full of flavour. It's our terroir. The soil, with lots of old riverbeds. Warm days and cool nights. That makes for an impressive concentration of aroma and flavour, good acidity and more texture.'

Classical approach

Yet that is precisely not what they are looking for at Misty Cove. Yes indeed, expect aromatic, fresh wines in an unmistakable Marlborough style (see also Tasted). But at the same time, the wine takes on a more classic approach. 'We are bringing a bit more old world into the wine. Sur lie, so aging on the yeasts for up to six months, with more focus on elegance. The best of both worlds, you could say. Because no matter what other countries try, they don't succeed in making wines like ours. And that has nothing to do with knowledge or experience. That is purely our land, our unique environment.'

Trial and error

Misty Cove has Marlborough as its home base, but also operates in the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne wine regions. That offers flexibility, because from north to south, the country has many different climate zones and landscape variation. These are welcome options for a wine company that is always pushing the boundaries. 'We have vineyards near the sea, we have mountains. We can go in many directions. That's why in Gisborne we can choose a grape like albariño, which thrives on sea breezes like in Spain. Or grüner veltliner in the Fareham Lane vineyard, which suits a cooler environment. So we get similar results, with the typical New Zealand character. We try a lot, in various places. In July, we will release our first Bordeaux blend. Made from merlot and cabernet franc from vineyards in Hawke's Bay on the North Island. It's a lot of trial and error. For example, we now plant our pinot noir more in hilly landscapes with clay in the subsoil, where plants have to work harder. That produces better wine.'

Unusual combination

Besides the wines in the Landmark Series and the Estate Series, Misty Cove has four eccentric wines under the Limited Release banner. Two are a reference to the highest mountain in the Marlborough region, Mount Stokes at 1203 metres. Both, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, are aged for 15 months in French oak. Number three is Tamahine, a Sauvignon Blanc from the very best vineyards, named after the first ferry that connected New Zealand's north and south islands. Most special, in every way, is Waihopai. This wine does not see the light of day every vintage and is always different. 'It is the best possible blend we can come up with in the best years. An often unusual combination of grapes, in 2019, for example, it was pinot gris with gewürztraminer and chardonnay. Another year chardonnay with riesling. Pinot noir with chardonnay as rosé, and added carbonation we also had once. It can go either way.'

Doing things differently on purpose

The beauty of making wine in New Zealand is that you have the freedom to experiment and push the boundaries. To push them sometimes. There are no laws imposing rules on which grape varieties are allowed per wine region, like in France, or when you have to harvest and whether wood aging is mandatory. 'There is export regulation though, wines are tasted and inspected before they leave our country. But other than that, we have all the space we need to innovate. We do things differently on purpose, like to try out all kinds of things. For instance, we have been working with acacia wood barrels in addition to French barriques for a few years now. A revolution within our company. This gives white wines their own signature, with a fine texture, less woody aromas and floral, elegant aromas.'

Wine tourism and fundraisers

Also typically New Zealand: fundraisers. Fundraisers for - well - almost everything. Schools, sports clubs, personal projects. 'That is indeed very big here. Misty Cove contributes to the community by donating wine to raise money. It's a lot of work, but deeply embedded in our social life.' 

Speaking of the local culture, at Misty Cove you can also enjoy staying as a guest. Wine tourism is getting off to a reluctant start in New Zealand after covid, but should you take the plunge, a visit is well worth it. The homestead with spectacular views of their top Marlborough vineyards has everything you need to recharge your batteries in a luxurious way. 

Upside down

Whatever wine Misty Cove makes, no matter how crazy the blend or how atypical the grape in a particular location, value for money is paramount in all of them. Jarrod: 'With a focus on the gastronomic application of our wines. That's where it started and that's where we will stay. And indeed accessible, because [laughs] we know the Dutch consumer who always pays attention to price.'