Preparing to Celebrate Méthode Marlborough Day

Méthode Marlborough executive board and technical sub-committee member Andrew Parley says the annual celebration is a chance to celebrate Marlborough’s sparkling wine harvest.

“We start the Marlborough harvest with the first grapes coming in for our traditional method wines, so it’s a time to celebrate the new vintage kicking off,” he says.

The delicate process of producing sparkling wine in the traditional method, which uses only Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes, begins in the vineyard by picking fruit at just the right time.

“Marlborough is a good place to grow grapes generally, but with sparkling wines, the grapes are kind of on the edge; they need to be ripe, but just ripe enough, we don’t get a lot of leeway” Andrew says.

“[Our] wines are delicate wines, and any imperfections really show through.” 

Picking the fruit when it has just the right level of acidity and sugar is crucial to ensuring the resulting wines are balanced.

Any under-ripe or green characters will show through, but if the grapes are too ripe the wines can be heavy and clumsy, Andrew says.

To be produced in the traditional method, all Méthode Marlborough wines undergo their second fermentation in the bottle, followed by an intricate riddling and disgorging process, resulting in a fine and persistent bead, or bubble.

They are then aged for a minimum of 18 months before disgorging takes place, allowing flavours to develop, balancing fresh and fruit driven character with savoury notes of toast and brioche. There are currently 12 members of Méthode Marlborough, many of whom age their wines for 36 months, some as long as six years, others even longer!

“We’ve got a pretty solid offering, and a diverse range of sparkling styles amongst the group. [Marlborough] is dominated by Sauvignon Blanc, and this is a different sort of wine and a different sort of market,” Andrew says.

“The sparkling wines are quite different from a winemaking perspective and it’s a really great product to take through from the vineyard … [For us at LV Wines], it’s a three year process, and [the wines] really evolve over that time.”

Méthode Marlborough was established in 2013 as a way for Marlborough’s Méthode traditionnelle wine producers to collaborate and promote their craft.

“Some early producers realised the potential [for excellent traditional method wines] in Marlborough, and over the last couple of decades we have accumulated a lot of winemaking knowledge around sparkling wines,” Andrew says.

Last year, Méthode Marlborough was able to celebrate Méthode Marlborough Day with a ‘winery tour’, progressive evening style event which was well attended by locals and visitors alike, selling out in three weeks.

This year, due to covid-19, the celebrations will be virtual. So the question is, which Marlborough Méthode Traditionelle wine will you choose to toast with?!

Members of Méthode Marlborough

LV Wines
Hunter’s Wines

Johanneshof Cellars

Wither Hills (Daniel Le Brun)
Nautilus Estate

Esses Wines
No.1 Family Estate

Pernod Ricard New Zealand (Deutz Marlborough)

Spy Valley Wines

Tohu Wines

Whitehaven Wines

Saint Clair Family Estate

We asked some of the winemarkers what makes Marlborough Méthode Traditionelle Wines so special, why are they worth celebrating?

Peter Jackson, Chief Winemaker, Whitehaven Wine Company

"The climate is such that it allows for a versatility of styles. From taught, complex and ageworthy to brightly fruity and flavoursome for earlier consumption, Marlborough is blessed that it can pull off the whole range and producers can tailor a style of Methode Traditionelle Wine that best suits them and their consumers."

Mel Skinner, Esses Wines

“Marlborough Methode Traditionnelle is all about authenticity, passion and patience. Each wine reflects and connects to where they are grown. They are a labour of love, requiring patience and time, resulting in fine, complex and simply stunning sparkling.” 

Jane Hunter, Hunter’s Wines 

We take the best of traditional French Champagne making and adapt to ensure that our New Zealand Methode Traditionelle wines are amongst the best in the world. Our unique climate ensures we have the best quality grapes to blend into our own individual styles.   

Daniel Le Brun - Owner & Wine Maker - No.1 Family Estate

"Sparkling wines produced from this province are in my opinion the closest in standard of quality to the wines of my native province, Champagne. It has been proven time and time again by the results from international competitions. 

When my first crop of pinot noir chardonnay and pinot meunier came in to the winery 38 years ago I was convinced the fruit showed the quality that I used to see in my vineyards only in the greatest vintage years. Ever since, time has shown that the same thing happens for every vintage.’

Edel Everling, Co-Owner/Winemaker, Johanneshof Cellars 

It is no secret that Marlborough is well suited for Methode Traditionnelle production with its ideal cool climate, high sunshine hours and diaurnal variation. It allows for the preservation of acidity and enhances crispness. Marlborough’s terroir results in great structure and defined fruit character. What sets Methode Marlborough apart though in producing benchmark quality is our well established production. Some of us founding members have been producing sparkling wines in the traditional method for well over 30 years which speaks for outstanding expertise. This allows a great expression of styles with depth and precision and ensures the highest quality and pleasure for the consumer.

Clive Jones, Winemaker/General Manager, Nautilus Estate

Marlborough is a remarkable place to grow grapes.  We are very consistent in our style and we represent great value for money across the price ranges.  We would expect our premium traditional method wines to compare very favourably against similarly priced wines from anywhere in the world so why not give them a try!