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Talk about Sauvignon Blanc in New
Zealand and you are talking about the Marlborough, in the North-East corner of
the South Island. This region, which has as its centrepiece the narrow and
horticulturally fertile Wairau Valley, has a worldwide reputation for its
Sauvignon Blanc wines. The soils impart a pleasant aromatic character to the
wine pressed from grapes borne by the vines that carpet the valley floor.
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The
Wairau Valley just outside Blenheim
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Blenheim is the largest town and
the commercial hub of the region. Each year in November the town hosts the
Hunter’s Garden Festival which attracts thousands of gardeners to enjoy the
open gardens, savour the tastes of Marlborough and generally have a good time.
A new ingredient in the tastes of
Marlborough is locally produced extra virgin olive oil. The Blenheim Market held
during The Hunters Garden Festival was dotted with stalls selling extra virgin
olive oils from the region. Blumenfeld from the Wairau Valley, and Nelson Olive
Oil from Nelson are there with Tony Johnson the oil maker. Nelson is over the
mountains to the west of Blenheim on Tasman Bay.
The oils are young, grassy and
peppery. The sellers fresh and keen, as befits a new industry sculpting its
place where palates are already plied with culinary delights. The buyers are
delighted with the freshness and taste of the extra virgin oil, and that fact
that it is produced locally.
Blumenfeld
and Nelson Olive Oil Stalls at the Blenheim Market during
the Hunter’s Garden Festival.
Pioneered by Ponder, and nurtured
by the Marlborough Olive Nursery, the Marlborough olive industry is growing.
Founded by Dr Gideon Blumenfeld in 1986, Marlborough Olive Nursery is down ‘Grove
Road’, between Blenheim and Picton, where else but in ‘Grovetown’. Their
olive trees are direct descendants of cultivars imported form collections in
Israel and Spain.
My host during the visit to
Blenheim, Hamish Macfarlane joined Dr Blumenfeld in the olive nursery business
and was instrumental in building the nursery and the local industry into one of
the regions most exciting growth industries.
Simon Morris has recently
acquired full ownership of the nursery, and with the assistance of Rose Wells,
will continue to supply the expanding industry as well as produce the Blumenfeld
label of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Hamish Macfarlane
talks to visitors to the Marlborough Olive Nursery (right).
Down Rapaura Road, which links
the road to Picton and the road to Nelson, are two olive destinations.
774 Rapaura Road turns into
Creekside Olive Estate and Vineyard, the dream of Libby Fulton and partner Ken
Prain. The setting is exquisite. The manicured grove of Barnea, Frantoio,
Leccino and Koreneiki produces the distinctive styles of Creekside Extra Virgin
Olive Oils.
The range of Creekside oils
covers the spectrum of intensity and flavour to please most discerning palates.
The late harvested Barnea has
light nutty flavours. The more robust, intense, grassy peppery and bitter green
flavours are characteristic of the Creekside Frantoio/Leccino blend, and the
Greek variety Koreneiki has green tones of freshly cut grass, green apples and
some citrus.
Adjacent to the grove is the
tasting room where Libby passionately promotes the culinary virtues of extra
virgin olive oil.
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Ken
Prain and Libby Fulton in the Creekside Olive Grove.
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The
Creekside Tasting Room. |
Down the Rapaura Road at 193 is
the Marlborough Olive Shop run by Helen McGowan and Don Hutchings (and their
dog).
Festooned with oliveabilia, the
shop stocks all the local extra virgin olive oils. The oils reflect the stage of
the local industry, with most of them exhibiting the green, grassy
characteristics of early harvested olives. In time the range of styles will
increase as the trees get older and the grove managers and processors learn the
vagaries of ripening and start to develop different styles through later
harvesting and blending.
The
Marlborough Olive Shop with Helen McGowan and friend.
Most olive oils in the shop and
other outlets are reasonably priced for the range and quality they present.
However, some demand prices beyond their quality, the highest priced at NZ$36
for a tall 375ml bottle.
As the Marlborough olive industry
matures, the range of styles will grow and prices will come down. Extra virgin
olive oil from the Marlborough region will then be as distinctive and sought
after as the Sauvignon Blanc.
As for table olives, the quality
of those produced locally and for sale suggests that there is a real opportunity
in the market for a tasty, locally produced table olive!
Contacts:
Marlborough Olive Nursery
www.marlborough-olives.co.nz
Blumenfeld Olive Oil Company
www.blumenfeld.co.nz
Nelson Olives
www.nelsonolives.co.nz
Creekside Olive Estate and
Vineyard PO Box 1050, Blenheim,
Marlborough, New Zealand email: Ken.creekside@xtra.co.nz
Marlborough Olive Shop
193
Rapaura Road, Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand email:
ourdogRover@xtra.co.nz
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