Wine columnist and connoisseur DENNIS KNILL gives his views on Balvonie’s prosecco méthode traditionnelle.
In just ten years after planting their first grapes, Ben and Helen McLauchlan have transformed their bouquet winery into one of New Zealand’s true success stories.
After graduating with a Management and Science degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology, Ben headed off to the UK to further his career in sales and marketing roles with various alcohol companies. On returning to Blenheim, Ben purchased a vineyard in Raupara close to Balvonie Farms. In 2017 Ben and Helen took ownership of Balvonie Farms and continue to produce quality beef and wine which are sold locally and exported around the globe. In 2021, Ben made a bold decision to plant Glera grapes and focus solely on producing prosecco.
Glera is a traditional grape from Prosecco – an Italian village near the city of Trieste, by the Slovenia border and after which the wine is named. It’s a neutral grape cultivated to use in sparkling wine styles and has been grown for centuries in the Veneto and Frivli Venezia Giulia that encompass nine different regions in northeastern Italy. To my knowledge, Balvonie is the only homegrown winery producing prosecco wine, the others are imported, some with New Zealand labels.
Thanks to Italian restaurateurs, prosecco has become all the rage in the USA and gaining popularity worldwide. While it has a lower alcohol level when compared to conventional wines, it is the perfect food-and-wine match when served with antipasto.
Balvonie prosecco is available on balvonie.nz
’23 Balvonie Marlborough Prosecco
RRP $35
A fabulously stylish, refreshing, and easy-drinking wine that is finely balanced with fresh fruity aromas and a sense of lightness and elegance giving a soft mouth-filling feel on the palate. Pair with seafood, risotto, pork, and veal.
