At the centre of HB are the Heretaunga Plains. This is a large and very fertile alluvial plain about 100 k/m across. This has been called the "Fruit Bowl of NZ" and as such is intensely farmed. Still within the Political area of Hawke's Bay, we have Wairoa (5000) 100 miles (150k/m) to the North and to the south but much closer, there we have Waipawa (1800), Waipukarau (3600) and Dannevirke (5000) plus the odd small village.

The indigenous race in NZ is the Maori and they have rather an interesting legend about Hawke Bay. The super hero of Maori legend was called "Maui". One day, Maui and his brothers were fishing in their canoe (which was the South Island) and Maui's older brothers were not doing very well. Maui made a magic hook from the Jawbone of his long dead great, great grandmother, punched himself in the nose and baited the hook with the blood. He cast this magic hook into the ocean and caught a huge fish, which he fought for many days until he finally landed it. This Fish was the North Island, the hook caught in what is now Hawke Bay and the mountains and volcanos down the centre of the island were caused by the violent struggle between the giant fish and Maui. HB has two cities called Napier and Hastings, which are about 13 miles(20 k/m) apart. There are two smaller towns nearby. Taradale is a short distance from Napier, while Havelock North is just outside Hastings. Each town has a population of about 5000 and are both very popular residential areas. Each city has a population in excess of 55000, and together with the other small towns and the large rural population, this makes the overall population in excess of 130,000. As the area has some of the highest sunshine hours in NZ, and being sited on a very fertile alluvial plain, it ideal for intensive horticulture.

HAWKE'S BAY WINE GROWING

The immediate area surrounding Hastings was until recently mainly used for orchards, most of which are devoted to pip-fruit such as apples but increasingly other crops are being developed such as Kiwifruit and Olives. In recent years an ever increasing number of Vineyards are being developed although the oldest Winery in Hawke's Bay was built over 100 years ago. Some of the land to the West of Hastings used to be old riverbed and was such poor quality that it was used for low cost housing. Recently it was discovered that this land is in fact perfect for growing high quality grapes, in particular the red varieties. 1999 alone saw many new Vineyards being developed and consequently the area is rapidly developing into one of the premier wine growing regions in New Zealand.

The breadth and diversity of Hawke's Bay's wine is surprising; yet it shouldn't be. The spread of macro-climates, soil types, wind patterns and even wine-maker personalities is as mixed as the wines they produce. With gold medals in sweet white, Pinot Gris, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the wide strengths of Hawke's Bay showed clearly through the results of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards in October. It left the region with 27 gold medals, eight more than the more prolific Marlborough region. There may have been help from a couple of very good seasons but perhaps there was also the natural advantage of more winemakers with better knowledge and confidence in the Hawke's Bay region. It was Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot which lead the way, just as they should.

More than 40 percent of Hawke's Bay vineyards are in Bordeaux grape varieties which includes these two as well as Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Chardonnay does very well also but does not have quite as much planted. Not everyone is enthusiastic about Riesling in Hawke's Bay, yet there has been a gold medal wine from this grape over most years. Pinot Noir similarly has had Hawke's Bay fans ever since McWilliams in the 1970s tried with one clone. More recently, newer clones and rootstocks better suited to Hawke's Bay conditions have changed that early start.

Success has come slowly and steadily, many growers preferring to plant Bordeaux varieties than Pinot Noir. This year's gold for C.J. Pask Pinot Noir was earned after two decades of evolution and development by Chris Pask. Pinot Gris is growing in interest nationally and Hawke's Bay has shown it is up with the best with a gold for Bilancia's Reserve 1999. This grape is enjoying an "in-vogue" status and carries a lot of interest and prestige for wine enthusiasts. There are Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer varieties doing wall in Hawke's Bay as well, both grapes reaching gold medal status in the past for the region.

Perhaps the darkest horse for Hawke's Bay is Syrah, what the Australians call Shiraz. Years of consistency are still slowly being recorded yet the development at Stonecroft, Te Mata Bullnose, Trinity Hill and Mission are ringing the bells of potential. So we can see that a wide range of varieties can do well in the right Hawke's Bay sub-district, especially now local conditions are better understood. It underlines Hawke's Bay's wonderful viticultural future, and shows that it is not all in one style of wine.

That's just as well! Plantings of almost 400ha in the past year send the Hawke's Bay vineyard to 2,800 hectares to crop in 2 1/2 years' time. That will provide grapes for between (depending on vintage yield) 23,000 and 30,000 tonnes. That's 50 percent more than the past five-year average and provides, conservatively, an extra half- million cases of wine to sell. The new plantings have been in the cross-section of varieties that have done well and whose potential is believed in, using the qualities of each piece of new vineyard for grapes suited to it.

Yet the diversity is apparent in other ways as well. The stones of Mere Road and Gimblett Road, the airy, elevated sites at Te Awanga, the red-metal soil of the Ngatarawa triangle, the cooler terraces of Mangatahi and the warmer slopes of To Mata, the earthquake-raised seabed around the airport. These vineyard sites are all different and reflect in different ways on the grapes and thus create a different impact on the wines. And exploring is fun. What's great in Hawke's Bay is the convenient little clusters of wineries which give handy half-day or one-day trips without any great distance in between. Throw in a winery cafe for lunch and its one of the best days of the year! If there is no volunteer for "designated driver" then there are mini- bus tours which can do the driving for us.

The winemakers themselves vary as much as the territory. From the "big guys" like Corbans and Montana through to a bunch of one-family wineries like Akarangi and Stonecroft lies a huge variation. In between there are medium-sized operators like Vidal, Mission and Sacred Hill. Some are big exporters, others are not, several have cafe restaurants, some times opened only in the weekends or in summer. They now offer some of the best Hawke's Bay dining with top chefs and marvellous food in lovely relaxed winery conditions.

Hawke's Bay is lucky in what it has: 40 winemakers committed to their vines and their future; a climate which is viticulturally wonderful most years; a spread of grapes and styles which reflect their territory, and sometimes the season. This great diversity is there for all to enjoy.