For a very long time I’ve been moonlighting as a wine tour guide. I do it for several reasons. The first being (and this may surprise you) the wage one receives writing a small weekly wine column is not enough to keep me in the Manolo Blahniks and Gucci clutch purses to which I was hoping to become accustomed. Curse you Carrie Bradshaw! Why a Sex in the City lifestyle didn’t eventuate for this wine writer in Hastings is a mystery. Let this be a lesson to parents. Don’t let your children grow up to be wine writers. Steer them to HR or App development maybe. So anyway, to enable my quarterly visits to the No.1 Shoe Warehouse, I occasionally agree to take people on wine tours.
When I’m thinking about where to take my guests on their day out, the overriding factor is customer service. How will we be received in the cellar door? And I don’t care if a winery is big and famous and makes amazing wine – if their cellar door service isn’t flash I won’t be bringing wealthy, wine-curious tourists through the door.
Which is why when I heard a new qualification designed to recognise and reward high standards of customer service at New Zealand’s vineyard cellar doors was about to kick into gear, I did a little dance.
ServiceIQ has introduced a new unit standard dedicated to cellar door sales expertise, as part of its NZ Certificate in Tourism (Visitor Experience) Level 3. The qualification can be completed on the job by staff taking care of customers at any vineyard cellar door in the country.
The press release says “The unit standard complements our world famous New Zealand wine industry that relies on internationally certified levels of expertise at each stage of the wine making process, from grape growing to marketing. It’s also an initiative that recognises the increasingly important role local vintners play in helping to grow the country’s booming tourism industry. The potent combination of world-leading wine amidst stunningly beautiful vineyards in scenic locations, is an increasingly popular attraction, with more and more international visitors choosing a wine tour as part of their ultimate Kiwi experience.
The NZ Certificate in Tourism is a workplace assessment available now from ServiceIQ. To find out how to enrol your cellar door stars, please contact Suzi Nock, ServiceIQ Tourism & Travel Sector Manager on 09 337 75333 or email suzi.nock@serviceiq.org.nz
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Black Estate Circuit Chardonnay 2016 $24 (4 stars)
If you’re looking for a chardonnay bursting with hazelnut, citrus and hints of toast and smoke then this is for you. North Canterbury has real talent for producing chardonnay that shows sensational minerality and combine that with a skilled winemaker who can create creamy, nutty notes in the palate spectrum – then you’ve got a great little sip. The vines are 15 years old and grow on Glasnevin gravels soils on MacKenzies Rd in the heart of Waipara, and they’ve done a great job creating grapefruity goodness here.
Mahurangi River Winery Field of Grace Reserve Chardonnay 2014 $54 (5stars)
Oh wow! I love the seductive aromas of panetone, roast fig, grapefruit and buttered crumpets that erupt from this wine and the waves of grilled peach and butterscotch that wash across the palate are rather drool-inducing too. Ultra-fresh and bursting with textural goodness, it’s a gorgeous, super-lengthy example of an old-school, multi-layered chardonnay that’s worth every cent of its $54 price tag and more.
www.mahurangiriver.co.nz
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Stock up for the weekend with something fizzy, something pink and something sweet…
Mionetto Prestige Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut ($19.99) (3.5stars)
I love the subtle, seashell and wild flowers on the nose and the immediate juicy-dry spectrum of flavours in the mid palate. Clean, precise and packing some punch, it’s just absolutely delicious and beautifully balanced. Traditionally made using a grape called glera, this little Italian bottle of awesome will have your gums tingling and your lips smacking in no time. Smoked trout paté on crunchy crostini should be washed down with this fantastico fizz.
www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Black Estate Waipara Rose 2016 $24 (4 stars)
Sweet cranberry, rhubarb and cherry notes on the nose, it’s ultra fruity-fragrant and has instant wham bam appeal. Bursting with cherry and raspberry intensity in the mouth, here’s a rose you won’t forget in a hurry. There’s even a peppery, slightly dense, meaty note which gives it real strength and presence. Sip with warm, spicy, lamb and couscous salad.
Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2016 375ml ($35) (4 stars)
I’ve loved Stonecroft gewürztraminer since aeons ago, yet this is the first time I’ve tried it made in a dessert style and I’ve got to say, it’s a real treat. I love the tangy, musky, ginger and lychee flavours, all wrapped up in a layer of manuka honey and spice. The acidity is super-refreshing and provides beautiful balance to the intense natural sweetness. This organically produced, dessert wine is drinking well as a baby, but I can’t wait to see how it develops over the next few years. Serve with a wedge of aged, crumbly cheddar. Yum!
www.stonecroft.co.nz
