The Tupari vineyard on the Awatere River. Tupari Wines FaceBook.
Tupari Wines recently submitted four wines for review, three of which (two sauvignon blancs and a pinot gris) earned 94 points while the fourth (a rosé) scored a creditable 92. That’s a commendable result for relatively inexpensive wines: three have a recommended retail price of NZD $22 while the third retails for around NZD $30.
In my view, one of Tupari’s most valuable secret weapons is winemaker Glenn Thomas, who produced the valley’s first sauvignon blanc and has been an ardent fan of the subregion ever since.
Tupari means ‘cliff’ in Maori—the vineyard perches on the top of a cliff with great views of the Awatere Valley at an altitude of 150-200m. The vineyard has sustainability accreditation as well as a 0% chemical residue rating.
In my view, one of Tupari’s most valuable secret weapons is winemaker Glenn Thomas, who produced the valley’s first sauvignon blanc and has been an ardent fan of the subregion ever since. Thomas matched the grape varieties to the most suitable sites when the vineyard was first established. He uses shoot and bunch thinning techniques to help concentrate wine flavours and spends a lot of time in the vineyard to pinpoint the perfect time to start the annual harvest.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Tupari Wines <!– don't show the winery logo
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
