He purchased the brand at the start of 2016 and has since launched a range of new wines. Each of the wines highlight not only the strength of Hawke’s Bay’s climate and geography for growing grapes which originate in Bordeaux, but also Mackenzie’s own passion for wines from that high quality French wine region.
The Alluviale wines come from vineyards planted on the remains of stony riverbeds in Hawke’s Bay, which were left behind by the meandering journey of the Ngaruroro River, hence the name Alluviale (‘stones’ in French).
Artwork on the front label of all the wines pays homage to the role of the river. An artistic interpretation shows an aerial view of river channels, which are painted as whispy lines on each of the wine labels.
The brand’s white wines, Alluviale Blanc, Tardif (a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc, as the name implies – ‘vendange tardif’ means ‘late harvest’ in French) and Anobil are made with grapes grown in Mangatahi, which is slightly cooler than many grape growing areas of Hawke’s Bay. The red is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, made from grapes grown on the Gimblett Gravels. There is also a Rosé in the range.
Mackenzie’s other wine brands are Theory&Practice and TOÑO (New Zealand wines made from traditional Spanish grapes), both made in higher volumes than the Alluviale wines. This means that the cost of production involved in Alluviale can be assisted by the other established brands in Mackenzie’s growing portfolio of winemaking. ν
