Outside the Office

Longways—A Wine-Tasting Trip
to New Zealand

By Eric Sterling, MD

Years before the movie Sideways came along, Santa Rosa radiologist Dr. Frank Cutruzzola and I became involved in the grape and wine business. I eventually founded Esterlina Vineyards and Winery in Mendocino County, where I am now the winemaker. Frank, on the other hand, bought a pinot noir vineyard on the Central Coast.

Love of wine and grapes recently took us to New Zealand, in search of the perfect sauvignon blanc. Pinot noir is actually our first love, but since Esterlina will soon be making sauvignon blanc, we decided to investigate the various styles of this versatile grape.

The wine business in New Zealand owes its success to sauvignon blanc. About 20 years ago, the Marlborough area was planted to sauvignon blanc, riesling, and some red varietals. While the reds have been hit or miss, the world now recognizes New Zealand sauvignon blanc as some of the finest available.

Since January is the heart of summer in New Zealand, we thought it would be a good month to get out of cold, gray Santa Rosa. Armed with only a map and a rental car, we began searching for the soul of sauvignon blanc. Our first stop was Waiheke Island, an hour’s ferry ride from Auckland.

The travel guides list 43 wineries on this tiny island, and lots of beaches. We tried more than a dozen wineries over a three-day period, all while managing to stay on the left side of the road. With a few exceptions, the wines were not memorable, but the island was beautiful. It was awesome to see vines extending all the way down to the ocean. In fact, some of the best beaches were just a stone’s throw from a winery. Have a little wine, lie in the sun, go for a swim; you get the picture. Not a bad way to spend a January afternoon.

Our next stop was Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The region is perhaps the warmest in the country, and a subregion called the Gimblett Gravels produces excellent merlots and cabernet blends. We were surprised to find so many good wines. The sauvignon blancs were ripe, with flavors of passion fruit and pear. Very nice, but not quite the perfect sauvignon.

We then headed for the South Island, the heart of sauvignon blanc territory. After an amazing three-hour ferry ride, we landed in Marlborough, the motherland of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Ninety percent of all New Zealand wines exported to the United States come from this region. Producers like Huia, Craggy Range, Kathy Lynsky, and Fromm are based here and make incredible wines. Typically, the sauvignon blancs are clean, crisp, and slightly grassy, with loads of citrus and green apple flavors. The biggest surprise, however, was the pinot noir. The grape is new to this region, but the wines we tried gave reason for optimism. They had great balance, with rich, dark berry flavors, spice, and vanilla, finishing with a pleasant dose of acidity.

After four great days of tasting, eating, and visiting with local winemakers, we reluctantly left Marlborough and headed for the Waipara Valley north of Christchurch. There, we had wonderful rieslings and, again, sauvignon blancs. The drive along the coast was amazing as well. I can’t begin to describe how beautiful New Zealand is, but we felt incredibly fortunate to see a large portion of the country during our trip.

Our next stop was a desert region called Central Otago near the south end of South Island. It is purported to be the “next big thing” for pinot noir. After a seven-hour drive, we arrived in the high desert. Neither of us thought it looked much like pinot country, but there were plenty of vineyards in the high valleys. Some of the wines were excellent as well. Go figure: pinot in the desert.

After more than two weeks of sampling wines, we decided to take the scenic route home. The west coast of the South Island is one of the lushest areas of the country. Driving through it for hours on end gave us a lot of time to reflect on medicine, wine, and life in general. Frank and I agreed that the challenge of our work is what drew us to medicine in the first place. We still enjoy that challenge, but we could do without the long hours, the stress, and the increasingly difficult work environment.

In contrast, people are generally happy in the wine business. Wine tasters are out to enjoy themselves, and wine is something that people drink when they are relaxing or celebrating. We both felt that growing grapes and (in my case) making wine, adds balance to our lives. That balance is crucial: without it, neither of us would be as effective in our jobs, or our lives.

Our wine journey ended in Nelson, at the northern end of South Island. Once again, the wines were all generally good, but the best part of our stay was a visit with a quirky old winemaker who resembled a mad scientist. He had a PhD in mathematics and made his wine in what looked like a garage. He spent most of an afternoon with us, opening his wines from the last 12 years. Many of the wines were great, some were good, and some were just plain awful. But his passion, wit, and personality made him one of the highlights of our trip.

We left New Zealand soon afterwards, having had lots of fun and some great wine. We felt fortunate that our jobs allowed us the opportunity to travel and to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, but we’re not sure if we found the perfect sauvignon blanc. We may have to go back and try some of them again. Maybe same time next year.

Sonoma Medicine, Volume 56, Number 2 (Spring 2005).