Ake Ake Vineyard Winery are in the midst of planting 400
Pinotage vines. “We had difficulty sourcing them,” owner John Clarke told
me, “and we received these pot-planted but that means we can plant them now even
though it’s late in the season.”
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| John Clarke shows the first of his 400 new Pinotage vines |
John showed me the first of the infant vines. After just two weeks in the ground they are already showing healthy new growth. “The
nursery say that we can get our first harvest in the second year, but I am
dubious about that,” said John. “But come back in two years.”
Ake Ake— the name means ‘forever and ever’ in the Maori
language— is near Keri Keri in The Bay of Islands Northland region of New
Zealand’s North Island.
Ake Ake have been producing wine for a decade and already
have a reputation for their Pinotage, which they made from grapes sourced from
Waitapu Vineyard, the most westerly vineyard in the north of New Zealand’s
North Island.
Ake Ake currently grows Chambourcin, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot
Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Albarino. After an initially promising start, Tempranillo
failed.
“Our soil is a bit of everything,” says John. “We are on
higher ground and exposed to the wind so some varieties that do well at
neighbouring vineyards fail here.”
Ake Ake grow organically and are in transition to full
certification. “From September 2015 our
wine will be Certified Organic by Organic Farm NZ,” says John. “Growing grapes
using organic principals will be better for our customers who visit the
vineyard and restaurant, us who live here and ultimately we should have
healthier vines and better wines.”
“We do have a bit of powdery mildew, but not enough to cause
problems. Pinotage, with its thick skins and early ripening, should do well
here. I really like the wine it makes, and it’s more reliable than Pinot Noir
which can be hit and miss here in the North Island.”
I tasted
Syrah-Pinotage 2012, 13%ABV ($20 NZD). This is a
blend of 2/3 Syrah to 1/3 Pinotage. “2012 was a cool year,” said John. “This
has been aged half in oak and half in stainless steel.”
I found this a lighter style of wine with bright cherry notes
and crisp acids on the finish.
Pinotage 2013 14.5% abv ($30 NZD).
“This is 100% Pinotage
aged 10 months in seasoned oak barrels. Whole berry fermentation— the berries ware
so hard most went through the destemmer-crusher barely marked, and unfined.”
This wine is delicious but probably would be even better with
more time as it has the dark purple colour of youth in the glass. There’s
cedarwood on the nose followed by an assault of layers of fruit including raspberry,
cherry and red plum. Delicious ripe and fruity and before one can find more
descriptors the glass and bottle are empty.
We hope to return in a few years to taste John’s own estate grown
Pinotage.
Before we left we dined like royalty in the winery restaurant.
Ake Ake Pinotage 2013
Northland
14.5% abv
$30
.
