#309 Maori wine - Tohu Wines

Britain has a long and bloody past of conquering nations.  We invaded, wiped out the local indigenous people and then took over the land.  Originally inhabited by Eastern Polynesians a thousand years ago, the Dutch came to New Zealand in the 17th century closely followed by the Brits.  But rather than just wipe out the Maori, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 that agreed that the British and the Maori would cohabit New Zealand together.  The only flaw in this plan was that existing land ownership by the Maori was not respected.  The net result of this was a bundle of land claims through the courts in the 1970s, where Maori communities got their land back. 

This was vital to the Maori as it allowed them to have a major asset upon which they could build businesses.  One such business is Tohu Wines, the first wine company owned by the indigenous people of New Zealand. With vineyards in Marlborough, Nelson and Gisborne, they have three distinct regions in which to produce terrior focused wines.  But are they any good?

2010 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc
From Marlborough, this is definitely their strong point.  It is a textbook Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, lots of fresh citrus, grapefruit and lemongrass.  Some green pepper and asparagus too.  Nicely balanced, long lasting finish.  7.5/10 £12

2010 Tohu Riesling
Another from Marlborough, and a wine with 5g/litre residual sugar.  It is light, lemony with a honey aroma that continues into the palate.  Citrussy with a slight spritz to it.  All is well so far, but it is so acidic it becomes unpleasant.  5.5/10 £12

2010 Tohu Pinot Gris
From Nelson, this is light, fresh and clean with a creamy texture and a little lemon and mineral note on the palate.  Then a horrible plasticine flavour comes through with harsh alcohol.  A pass on this one.  4.5/10 £12

2010 Tohu Chardonnay
Back to Marlborough, with a creamy, yeasty and citrus focused Chardonnay.  The palate is not bad, some citrus notes, decent balance and an oily texture with tropical fruit throughout.  7/10 £12

2008 Tohu Pinot Noir
Again from Marlborough, quite dirty.  Some fresh fruit, but it is controlled by confected strawberries and overly sweet, but not stewed, brambles.  The palate is ok, but has too much alcohol on the finish.  it is far too expensive.  5/10 £17

I appreciate that I didn't try their entire range, but from what I did, Tohu don't appear to be producing anything different from every other winery in New Zealand.  The wines that I liked (Sauvignon & Chardonnay) are good, but a bit too expensive and the ones I didn't like (Riesling and Pinot Gris) are not good and expensive.  They appear, like a lot of wines that brand themselves with an image, be it Fair Trade or Organic, to be charging a bit more for the lifestyle choice.  The bottom line is this.  I don't care, and neither do a lot of customers, if your wines are Organic, Maori, Fair Trade or Free Range.  I just want a decent bottle of wine for a decent price.  Sadly, Tohu don't deliver that.