New Zealand Wine: Auckland Region - Kumeu River
James and I visited New Zealand a few years ago in October. Our north to south journey began by sweeping the country's main wine regions, from Auckland to Central Otago, passing through Hawke's Bay, Martinborough, Marlborough and Waipara/Canterbury.
New Zealand was the last piece of land on this planet to be settled by humans. Winemaking and vine growing in New Zealand dates back to the 1830s – only 600 years after it was settled – but it was not until the early 1970s that New Zealand started producing wines labeled by grape variety and vintage. Ever since then, the country has seen tremendous development in the size of its production, as well as in the quality of its wines.
Kiwis have an extensive wine culture. As we walked through the different wineries, we came across collections of empties from Burgundy, Bordeaux and even Barolo that were religiously exhibited in their offices.
New Zealanders know their wines well, but have a very strong sense of identity in how their land expresses the different varieties. The climatic conditions in New Zealand are hard to grasp for the newcomer; the green and lush sights are deceiving as we compare them to places like Europe or North America. One might assume that an area such as Martinborough – on the southern tip of the North Island – is inherently humid because it’s so green in the spring. But in fact, it is incredibly dry and marked by hot days and cold nights.
New Zealand has a very defined set of climatic conditions and this translates into well-defined styles of wine. However, it is a big country and the climatic conditions vary tremendously from one wine region to another.
In this video, Michael Brajkovich, MW and winemaker at Kumeu River wines, eloquently explains the effect that the excess of ultraviolet rays and climatic conditions in Kumeu, Auckland has in vineyard management and on the wine itself. The excess of UV light in New Zealand is a result of the ozone hole that sits on top of Antarctica and that also affects other well-established southern wine growing countries, such as Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Australia.
Inspired by white Burgundy, Michael notes that a main difference with his wine is that he gets a brightness and sharpness in the fruit, which may have to do with all the UV light in the environment. Kumeu River is best known for their incredible Chardonnays, and the difference in soil composition – with Kumeu’s being clay – directly affects the minerality of the wine, as well as adds a unique chalky, textural element.
After discussing winemaking tactics, James moves on to taste some older vintages of Kumeu River, which still have great structure in their age, dispelling the notion that New Zealand wines shouldalways be drunk young. Michael admits that the aging process of his wines is very vineyard dependent, as vineyards also have the ability to age.
Watch as James and Michael discuss all of the above, and see what goes into the wines at Kumeu River.
For more videos, please visit
Kumeu River Wines, Auckland, New Zealand
Kumeu River Overview
Meet Paul Brajkovich, sales & marketing director at his family's winery in New Zealand. Founded in 1944 by Paul's grandfather, Mick Brajkovich, wife Katé and son Maté, Kumeu River was one of the early pioneers in Auckland, New Zealand, that helped to establish its reputation as a world-class wine region. Kumeu River continues to pioneer new frontiers: winemaker Michael Brajkovich became New Zealand’s first member of the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine, London, and has been testing and championing screw cap closures for close to 20 years.
JAMESSUCKLING.COM - New Zealand - Kumeu River
In this video, Michael Brajkovich, MW and winemaker at Kumeu River wines, eloquently explains the effect that the excess of ultraviolet rays and climatic conditions in Kumeu, Auckland has in vineyard management and on the wine itself.
More videos, tasting reports, blogs and more at
Paul Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines: Ep. 59
New Zealand's own Paul Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines drops in (on a 105 degree day!) talk about what it's like to make some of the world's best Chardonnay!
Kumeu River Wines - Milan Brajkovich
Milan Brajkovich, co-owner and viticulturalist of Kumeu River Wines came to Dallas in June 2010 to present his wines. In this video he talks about geographic influences on the wines of Kumeu River.
Kumeu River - Village, estate and single vineyard wines
Kumeu River's Paul Brajkovich discusses the differences between the village, estate and single vineyard wines. Learn more at
Kumeu River Wines - WVTV Episode # 84
I get to taste 2 Kumeu River Wines that aren't their mainstay of Chardonnay.
@TheWineVault
2008 Kumeu River Village Chardonnay reviewed by Nick Stock for NZWINEONLINE
Nick Stock takes a look at the entry level 'Village' chardonnay from NZ's best chardonnay producer, Kumeu River.
Best Wines Online: Kumeu River Chardonnay Mate's Vineyard 2009 New Zealand
One of the New World's Finest Chardonnays. Let Kyle tell you about it...
Kumeu River Mates Vineyard Chardonnay
Kumeu River's Paul Brajkovich discusses their single vineyard Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay. Learn more at
Kumeu River: Virtual Chardonnay Tasting
Michael Brajkovich, New Zealand's first Master of Wine, hosts a virtual tasting of his family's five distinctive Kumeu River Chardonnays. Michael's parents founded Kumeu River winery, north of Auckland, in 1949.
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay
Auckland Day Trip, NZ 2018 - Kumeu Wine Region + Muriwai Beach
Spent a day travel to West Auckland, where Kumeu wine region is.
If you haven’t heard about Kumeu River winery before, that’s one of the world class Chardonnay producer that sommeliers and wine connoisseurs love.
After visiting a few winery in the region, just a short drive to the west coast to Muriwai Beach.
A full blog post will be up soon at foodwinetravelmore.com
Connect with me at
- instagram @macygey
- facebook @foodwinetravelmore
Music:
Bay Breeze by FortyThr33
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Music promoted by Audio Library
Kumeu River Hawkes Bay
4 July 2017
Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay
Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay being discussed by winemaker Michael Brajkovich MV, in the cellar of Kumeu River Wines. Produced for Family Story Inc. by Tuatara Films
Grapes to Glass: Work in a New Zealand Wine Factory
Turn on subtitles for more information.
For about eight months, I worked night shift in a wine factory in Marlborough, New Zealand. This is a video I made showing the process of taking wine from vats, bottling it, labeling it, boxing it, and preparing it to be shipped to Canada.
Thanks to all of the wonderful night shift staff at WineWorks Marlborough.
Special thanks to David Day and Whitehaven wine who let me film their product being bottled.
All filming and editing were done by me, George A. Boyle.
Music is Elephants by Japancakes released in 1999 by Kindercore Records
My website is GeorgeABoyle.com
Grape Escape 2012 - Kumeu River Wines
We caught up with Paul Brajkovich of Kumeu River - the home of award winning Chardonnay made by the 1st NZ Master of Wine - Michael Brajkovich.
New Zealand wine from Jackson Estate
View Jackson Estate wines at
John Stichbury from Jackson Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand, visits the Christopher Piper Wines team and holds a tasting at the Golden Lion, Tipton St John. He discusses his relationship with Chris Piper, going back to 1993 and talks about his estate wines. Two white wines - Green Lip Sauvignon Blanc (100% Sauvignon) and the Shelterbelt Chardonnay (hand harvested and single vineyard wine, fermented in oak) , followed by 2 Pinot Noirs - Vintage Widow and Gum Emperor (named after the moth that lives in the eucalypt trees). It's a great opportunity for John and his wife Jo to be in the UK to discuss the new vintages of these 4 wines. The wines are then tasted inside with food, mussels cooked in white wine followed by cod and pancetta. He finishes on the note let's do what we should always do with wines, enjoy it with food, good friends and good conversation.
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Meet the Winemaker (Episode 108): Paul Brajkovich, Kumeu River Wines, by Debra Meiburg MW
Debra meets Paul Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines, located in Kumeu, 26kms north-west of Auckland in New Zealand. A family owned and run winery, Paul explains to Debra how his brother Michael (chief winemaker and New Zealand's first Master of Wine), his other brother Milan (a chemical engineer, who is Vineyard Director), his sister Marijana (Marketing Director who also looks after the finances) and himself (Director of Sales and Marketing) all answer to his mother Melba, who is the boss. Paul outlines the key export markets for Kumeu River Wines, as well as the winery's history in Hong Kong.
Primarily a Chardonnay producer, Paul describes the key characteristics of Kumeu River Wines' Chardonnays, and how they achieve balance, as well as giving Debra a comparison of the wines and climate in Kumeu with other more prominent wine regions in New Zealand.