After having worked for 16 years in France, winemaker Jenny Dobson returned to New Zealand in 1996. Her home country was at the time slowly changing from being only a country of sheep and rugby to being also a country of wine.
The region she chose to settle in was Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island. Maybe because this is a region well suited to Bordeaux grapes. She had worked for 12 years in Médoc in Bordeaux so she was well acquainted with these grapes.
And as she thinks blending is great fun, she probably appreciates the fact that here she can blend Syrah – a grape she really likes – with Cabernet and Merlot. Read more about what this legendary winemaker thinks of New Zealand today, what has changed and what are the challenges.
Read more in Britt’s article on Forbes: “Jenny Dobson, New Zealand Winemaker And Wine Consultant With A French Touch”.
Here’s the introduction to the article:
Jenny Dobson is one of New Zealand’s most experienced winemakers. But she didn’t actually start making wine in New Zealand until 1996. That was still early days for the New Zealand wine industry. When Jenny wanted to learn how to make wine, in 1979, her home country offered no wine education whatsoever.
“I had a chemistry degree”, says Jenny, “and I wanted to learn about wine. So, I went to the country of wine, France. I was very lucky to work with wonderful people in France. I learnt the philosophy of wine, the enjoyment.”
Already as a young girl, she was fascinated by aromas. “When I grew up, there were very few licensed restaurants in New Zealand and no culture of wine. But my father is English and we drunk wine at home and I got to taste and I was fascinated by the different smells of wine. I think that was why I was driven towards wine. In fact, there is a scientific base to winemaking, but there is also an artistic side to wine that doesn’t follow the rules of chemistry. It challenges you. I actually find I get more enjoyment from the artistic side. But it does help to have a degree in chemistry.”
Read more in Britt’s article on Forbes: “Jenny Dobson, New Zealand Winemaker And Wine Consultant With A French Touch”.
Watch the interview on this video:
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