1997 New Zealand Wine Regions / Vineyards

In 1997, NZ Post wrote as they issued these stamps:- 
"New Zealand burst onto the world wine stage in the 1980s with striking Sauvignon Blancs that crammed more flavour into the glass than any other country had ever achieved with that classic French variety. Today's (1997) wines are riper and less green-edged in an easier-drinking style, but they are still considered to be some of the best in the world. New Zealand's climate and soils are the key assets that enable the production of outstanding table wines. Around the world, the finest wines are grown in regions with relatively cool climates where grapes are able to ripen fully but slowly, retaining their refreshing acidity while building up subtle aroma and flavours."

In 2018, when I am writing this, the wine industry of New Zealand has continued building from strength to strength. New Zealand's wine production has been undergoing rapid growth, averaging 17% per annum for the last 20 years. In 2017 New Zealand produced 285 million litres from 37,129 hectares (91,750 acres) of vineyard area, about three-quarters of which is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. Nearly 90% of total production is exported, chiefly to the United States, Britain and Australia, reaching another record of NZ$1.66 billion in export revenue in 2017. New Zealanders over the last ten years consumed a fairly constant 20 litres of wine per capita, about a third of which is imported from other countries, mainly Australia.

Personal Comment - New Zealanders should stop buying the cheap Australian wines dumped on our market here and start buying many of the quality New Zealand wines that can often be purchased at not much more than the Australian ones.

The Stamps.

40c - Central Otago.

This stamp featured the Rippon vineyard, situated on the edge of Lake Wanaka and surrounded by snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps. The area's extreme dryness reduced the risk of disease and allowed an extended autumn ripening period. Central Otago's first Methode Champenoise was produced by Rippon in 1993.

2018 - The dryness and stony soils of Central Otago have been found to be great for red wines. The grapes don't fatten up and gorge on water as they do in other areas of higher rainfall. This leaves a smaller grape with more concentrated flavour, giving a deep, rich finish to the wine.

The small winery, Weston Winery is established in Otago, near Dunedin. They have their own postal and shipping service. You can check out their stamps, including some featuring their wines, via this link.  New Zealand Wine Post.

80c - Hawke's Bay.

Hawke's Bay Chardonnays, oak-matured Sauvignon Blancs and Cabernet-based reds from this region ranked amongst the best in the country. Marist missionaries planted the first vines in 1851 in the Hawke's Bay and by the 1890s several wealthy landowners were producing commercial volumes of wine. The Hawke's Bay climate of warm, sunny summers, dryish autumns and a strong maritime influence has distinct parallels with Bordeaux in France - an area renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-based reds. Te Mata Estate is shown on this stamp, a vineyard with a reputation for producing high-quality red wines.

2018 - Go to almost any good restaurant in Auckland and you will find some great Hawke's Bay wines on their wine list. Much of this wine production used to be shipped to Auckland for processing but now is either processed locally or shipped down to Marlborough.

$1.00 - Marlborough.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's largest wine region, with almost 40% of all plantings. Grapevines sweep across the pebble, pancake-flat Wairau Valley, and are also well-established in the Awatere Valley, over the hills to the south-east. Sauvignon Blanc is the flagship varietal of Marlborough, and Cloudy Bay, the vineyard featured on this stamp has received much acclaim for its Sauvignon Blancs, as well as its Chardonnays.

2018 - When Matua Wines was taken over by the world-wide, Australian based company, Treasury Estates, their whole operations were moved from West Auckland to Marlborough. Sauv Blanc is a big product for this company so it made sense not having to ship all that grape juice in bulk up to Auckland to be made into wine.

$1.20 - Canterbury / Waipara'

The Christchurch district produces leaner, steelier wines than the more robust and ripely flavoured wines flowing from the sheltered warmer sites in North Canterbury, the location of Pegasus Bay which is shown on this stamp. Pegasus Bay is planted on a bed of smooth stones left by the retreat of an ice-age glacier. The Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot produced by Pegasus Bay is a wine that has gained a big reputation.

$1.50 - Gisborne.

Gisborne growers produced over a third of the total New Zealand grape harvest in 1997. Sun drenched Gisborne is a wine grower's paradise which particularly favours the Chardonnay grape. The Millton Vineyard is shown on this stamp, a winery that has gained renown for natural, chemical-free methods of winemaking, as well as the quality of its white wines. One of the Millton success stories is the Millton Opou Riesling.

$1.80 - Auckland and Waiheke Island.

Only 3% of New Zealand's vines are planted in the Auckland region, but over a quarter of the wine companies are based in Auckland. Thick skinned Cabernet Sauvignon grapes flourish in Auckland's warm and sunny, but relatively damp climate producing sturdy red wines with rich blackcurrant and spice flavours. Goldwater Estate pioneered wine-making on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf and is famous for its magnificently full-flavoured and complex Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot.

2018 - Over recent years there has been a trend of some larger wine companies to move out of the Auckland area due to the higher rates and land needs of an expanding Auckland. The original thought had been to establish winemaking facilities close to the larger market of Auckland. More recently, the trend has been to set up wine-making closer to where the grapes are grown and ship the finished product instead. 

Winemaking has continued on Waiheke Island where lack of land has led to the trend of smaller wineries producing high-end wines. Day trips to visit these wineries and take wine tours are popular with Aucklanders. 

Collector Items.

First Day Cover - 19 March 1997.

Colour separation of the $1.80 stamp.

Prestige Booklet of 7 Miniature Sheets.

The cover can be seen above with some of the inside pages seen below. As well as including the seven miniature sheets, there are further notes and information on each of the stamps. 

Pacific97 World Philatelic Exhibition.

Wine Cave, Gibbston Valley Wines, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Wine Regions Exhibition Miniature Sheet with one 40c, one $1.00 and one $1.50 stamp designed for the Pacific97 World Philatelic Exhibition held in San Francisco USA from 29 May - 8 June 1997.

Technical information.

Date of issue: 19 March 1997.

Stamps and first day cover illustrated by: Nancy Tichborne, Akaroa, New Zealand.

Stamps and first-day cover designed by: Dianne Prosser, Wellington, New Zealand.

Miniature sheets and booklet designed by: Communication Arts Limited, Wellington, New Zealand.

The number of stamps: Six.

The number of miniature sheets in the booklet: Seven, one of each stamp denomination and one containing all six stamps.

Printer: Southern Colour Print, New Zealand.

The number of colours: Four process colours, gold plus one special colour for each denomination.

Size and format: Stamps: 44.3mm x 30mm horizontal; 

Miniature sheet: 160mm x 110mm horizontal.

Sheet size: 100 stamps per sheet; Miniature sheets of one, three and six stamps.

Process: Lithography.

Perforation gauge: 14.

Paper type: Harrison and Sons, 103 gsm red phosphor coated, unwatermarked.

Special blocks:  Plate/imprint, positional or value blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps. Barcode blocks were available in both A and B formats and could be obtained by purchasing at least two stamps.

Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 19 March 1998.

I wish to thank French winemaker, Marceau (now living and winemaking in New Zealand), for his help and advice in writing this post. 

Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ

You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information & images for this post came from.

New Zealand Post (Stamps)