This is a self-published book by Ric Oran, a writer and
journalist, formerly of Auckland, now living in Alexandra, Central Otago. He is known for his wine-writing, and for his
book ‘Pinot Pioneers’ released in 2002. This book is a history and presentation of the current state of the Alexandra
district as a Central Otago vignoble, and is sub-titled‘among the world’s
southernmost vineyards’. The book is in
the format of a landscape oriented school journal of yesteryear, but
significantly more serious with over 40 pages packed with information. This is the type of book that interests me,
as it tells the story of the development of wine, here in Alexandra in
particular, and records for posterity stories of our wine past which could soon
be lost. So I strongly endorse the
author’s research, work and publication.
The book was released at the Clyde Wine and Food Harvest Festival at
Easter this year.
The World’s Southernmost Vineyards
For quite some time, Verdun Burgess and Sue Edwards’ ‘Black
Ridge’ vineyard held the title of being the world’s southernmost winegrowing
area, at latitude 45.15S. Over the
course of time there have been other sites in Otago further south planted, but
these did not last. There is now a large
development in Argentina at 45.33S which has taken the title. Although the northern hemisphere has
winegrowing areas closer to the north pole, Central Otago, and Alexandra
remains as one of the most southern, and with a long track record.
The author takes us back to the pioneers Jean Desire Feraud
and James Joseph Bladier who established vines in Central Otago by 1864, and
takes us through developments by later arrivals, and discusses their legacies, which
are still apparent today. However,
modern relevance brings the story to life with the work of Ann Pinckney, Rolfe
Mills, Alan Brady and Bill Grant who planted vines in the late 1970s and early
1980s. Verdun Burgess and Sue Edwards
planted a significant 4,000 vines in Earnscleugh 1982.
The author then discusses the difficulties involved in
growing in such a southerly region and climate, and how Pinot Noir became the
favoured variety of the region.
The Focus on Alexandra
Living in Alexandra has given Ric Oram the ability to get to
know the winemaking scene intimately.
In researching the book, he visited every winegrower in the district. In the book he profiles most of them from the
tiniest to those that are a little larger.
None of the Alexandra producers is large, though Sam Neill’s Two
Paddocks is probably the most commercially viable in terms of economies of
scale. The portraits are succinct and
cover the owners’ philosophy and practical reasons, more than detail on
plantings and wine. But it’s the human
element that is most important here.
Though I have visited and taken an active interest in the Alexandra
sub-region, Oram has dug out details on much more than I ever knew, and his
portraits capture personalities and impressions very much as I see them.
Following the producer portraits, the author discusses who
actually makes wine hands-on, then the enemies of winegrowing in Alexandra,
focussing on frost. Then a reflection on
what has been achieved to date.
Supporting the text are some very good photographs, as well
as some basic, but useful maps. Overall,
the book is a little dis-jointed in topic flow, but all the interesting and
important points for an excellent overview, both historical and modern-day are
provided. It’s a book that is easy to
read and well-worth doing so, to understand the struggles and growth of a
unique winegrowing district.
Latitude 45.15S, By Ric Oram
Ric Oram and Louise Joyce, Alexandra, 2018, ISBN 978-0-473-42853-2
RRP $20.00