※Continued from last time ▶ Namu Amida Butsu in Blenheim
We stayed in a cheap motel in the town of Blenheim for two nights.
The door to the room was poorly fitted and the lock was cheap and seemed like it could be easily broken. In the room next door, there was a person who seemed to be a seasonal worker and I didn't know where he was from. In a country with a reputation for good security, there are places like this, and I felt it was a bit dangerous.
The workers next door were gone early in the morning and came back at night in dirty work clothes. I couldn't hear them talking, and they seemed to have bought something at a nearby supermarket and eaten it in their room. They seemed a bit depressed.
But if you think about it, no matter what country you're in, cheap hotels attract people who have a reason to stay at cheap hotels. I also needed to stay at cheap hotels in order to visit wineries as cheaply as possible.
Instead of going to a restaurant, I bought some udon noodles that were barely sold at a nearby supermarket and cooked them in the kitchen attached to my room. It was the worst udon I have ever eaten.
That being said, I didn't shout, "What is this udon?", but just ate the bad udon in silence. Naturally, my mood was low. I'm sure the worker next to me must have found me a little creepy.
I don't have very good memories of staying in Blenheim, but once I drove there I found myself in a different world and my spirits were lifted.
Yes, the Marlborough region, including Blenheim, is a huge wine-producing region in New Zealand. The view of the vineyards stretching out no matter how far you drive is truly beautiful. I visited in autumn (March), and when I saw the grapes hanging from the trees just before harvest, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"
I didn't say, "What kind of udon is this?", but I did say, "Wow!"
New Zealand vineyards. The wind is very strong. This dry wind protects the grapes from diseases.
The first winery we visited was the prestigious and large Wither Hills. The entrance was cool, like an aristocratic mansion. It must have cost a lot of money.
Wither Hills Winery entrance
There are quite a few stainless steel tanks towering outside. They are huge in scale. This overturns the notion that "New Zealand is a country of family-run wineries." As expected, there were giants in Marlborough, a huge wine-producing region.
Forest of wine tanks
Our guide, Guy, is the PR manager for Wither Hills. It's a big company, so they have a PR manager. Guy is a nice guy, just like his name suggests, and he guided us around in very easy-to-understand English, using gestures and body language. He's kind and cool.
First, we put on visitor's bibs and headed to the fields. It was harvest time, so we were able to see grapes being harvested up close at a large-scale farm.
Shaking machine in a vineyard
This is a machine harvester. It's huge. Is it a Transformer?
They use a huge machine called a "shaking machine."
The machine moves slowly, sandwiching a row of grape vines between them. As it moves, it shakes the grape vines that are sandwiched between it. It shakes them vigorously. Then, only the fully ripe grapes fall out. It catches them and takes them into the machine's womb. Amazing!
When I looked at the grape vines after the machine had passed, I could see that the unripe grapes were still on the branches. I suddenly remembered the days when I used to shake persimmon trees and the grapes would fall off. Indeed, it seems that the hard grapes didn't fall off, but the ripe ones did.
It's amazing that someone could create such a huge machine by focusing on the fact that "fully ripe fruit will fall off if shaken." The wine industry is complex.
The shaking machine then passes the grapes that have accumulated in its womb to its partner, the "bucket machine." The bucket machine dumps the harvest into a giant bucket, which then transports it to the winery.
Bucket Machine
At the winery, the grapes are sorted. The shaking machine allows overripe and damaged fruit to enter the wine, so only healthy fruit suitable for wine is selected.
This sorting machine was also amazing. The fruit placed on the conveyor belt passes through the sorting machine, where it is instantly separated into good and bad fruit, and only the good ones are used for the wine.
I asked Guy how it worked, and he told me that it uses sensors to identify the particles and then blows air at the defective ones to blow them away.
Fruit sorting sensor machine
A lane carrying sorted grapes
In normal sorting, everything is placed on a sorting table and manually selected to determine which are good and which are bad, but with this sorting machine, it is possible to sort the fruit accurately and at incredible speed. Guy says with a smile, "Isn't that amazing?"
All I can say is it's amazing.
After that, we were given a tour of the fermentation tanks, aging tanks, and barrels that the finished red wine is packed in. Everything is extremely hygienic, with everything being washed with water after each visit to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Indoor Wine Tank
Wither Hills is still building new tanks, so production will likely increase. More may come to Japan. Mercian handles it in Japan, so you should be able to buy it online. If you are a restaurant owner who is interested, please contact Mercian.
We return to the motel in Blenheim to sample the wine we received as a souvenir.
The Sauvignon Blanc has a very pure and strong citrus aroma. It has a strong fruity taste that is typical of NZSB. It also has a strong umami flavor.
The Chardonnay has a mellow taste with a rich aroma of oak and passion fruit.
The Pinot Noir is much darker in color than Burgundy, with fruits such as blackcurrant and blackberry coming to the forefront, and a spicy oak flavor that gives it a long finish.
All of the wines had a strong fruity flavour reminiscent of nature.
Summary of impressions from visiting Wither Hills
- Marlborough is a world-renowned wine producing region, and I learned that there are many wineries run on a large scale by large corporations.
- The introduction of cutting-edge technology, such as harvesting and sorting machines, has made mass production possible.
- Overall, it was an experience that perfectly fit the description of a "factory tour."
- I think it's important for large-scale wineries to show you everything they have to offer. If the winery has well-maintained entrances, storage facilities, and other places you can visit, you get a much better impression of the winery.
- Our guide, Mr. Guy, was a really nice guy. It's nice to feel the spirit of hospitality, no matter where you are. If you have a good experience at a winery, I think you might become a passionate fan of that winery for the rest of your life. Make + Show + Hospitality. It's important.
Next time, we'll be doing something completely different and reporting on a visit to Greywacke , a small producer in Marlborough.
