When you walk into the Tiwaiwaka Winery nestled between Nga Waka and Grava on Kitchener Street you notice a large window that looks into the winery. When the rear door of the winery is open, you can see down the rows of grapes towards a shelter belt of trees. The wine you'll be offered to try would have come from those very vines, to the winery just in front of you, and then to the glass you raise to your lips. Food miles is a nonsensical term in this winery as it doesn't even come close to a mile.
If The ever-cheerful Elise and Morton Anderson started their wine journey in Oporto with a broken down van and ten days of enjoying all of the vinous treats that Portugal had to offer. This led them by way of Mclaren Vale to South Australia, where they grew Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Viognier made its way into Chester Osborns' d'Arenberg Winery-one of the top tier Australian wineries. Returning to Aotearoa New Zealand, they scouted the country for a place to put their roots down and chose Martinborough. "I didn't want," says Elise, adamantly, "to prune in the snow." Morton adds "We were running out of North Island by the time we got to Martinborough!"
They realised that to expand. they would need staff, and in doing so, this would add significant costs.Given their background in hospitality and specifically hotel and restaurant supervision, they have an aptitude for self-reliance.This attitude is being passed down to their teenage daughters, active!y making platters and bussing tables. Their vineyard (previously called Cabbage Tree due to the eponymous tree in the middle of the vineyard) is about five acres, and makes five or six wines sold directly to customers via the cellar door, local wine shop, and brand new website.
They have been in Martinborough for 23 years and see the cellar door and wine tourism as ideal for the scale they have settled on. They essentially thread in whatever life throws at them to stitch together a rich tapestry of hospitality, wine and food to give the customer a delightful experience mere feet away from the raw material. In the cellar you can see their Pinot broodily sitting in a fermenter, barrels and tanks orderly in rows, and the rich smells and fragrance of fermenting yeasts occasionally wafting in.
The previous harvest's bottles always display an honesty akin to their maker - bright, expressive, full of character and nicely poised. All are worth trying - Morton expands on his theory of winemaking:" Grow good quality fruit: he says, and then "try not to stuff it up. in the winery·. Half their wine is inoculated with wine yeast and half is left to its own yeast - wild ferments. The allure was partly, ·making world-class wine in a region that already does." And, "having a capital city close by with a strong customer base as well as a nice place to visit for sports and recreational activities."
Their initial success - for a Cabernet Sauvignon wine was in the Bragato Wine Competition - beating "the best of Hawkes Bay!" while heartwarming, was hard to replicate due to only having a great year one vintage in five. They eventually focused on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rose, Merlot and Semillon. They expanded production and then contracted it. and this is where their business smarts makes them rare. "I used to load up the car, drive round the North Island or over the hill almost daily," says Morton, And now? "Less fruit, less wine, so we aim at the market that comes to us. To sit in the garden, under that shady tree, tasting the wine made from the vines that are just there! It's a great thing!"
Added to this are the sumptuous platters made in the kitchen just off the tasting room "They're something we have developed because that's what we can do" says Elise, rightfully proudly. "We make our chutneys, dukkah, crackers, drizzle and preserved mushrooms, ingredients locally sourced and made mostly by us.· When you visit. take in the charming outdoor tasting area - a favourite of my English aunt, who has already asked me to reserve a table in February when she returns. Sitting under the shady tree - like Morton says - sipping wine, telling family anecdotes, and nibbling on a handmade platter would have to be one of life's greatest pleasures. As Morton and Elise say, "We wish we could have visited a place like this 25 years ago, so we created it for others to enjoy and come back to."
Cheers to that.
- This article was originally published in Wairarapa Lifestyle Magazine and was written by Ben Digdale. Photo by Lucia Zanmonti.
