Kumeu River

Founded in 1944 by 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. Still family owned and run, 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.

The story of Kumeu River Wines unfolds more than a half-century ago when the first generation of the Brajkovich family arrived in New Zealand. In 1938, Maté Brajkovich emigrated with his mother, Katé, and two sisters, Frances and Nevenka, from Dalmatia in southwestern Croatia to New Zealand. His father, Mick, had already been there for a year, working in the northern Kauri gum fields. After three years of public education during which time he learned English, Maté left school and joined his father digging Kauri gum. Two years later, the family moved to a dairy farm, then to Henderson in West Auckland where they worked in the orchards and vineyards. By 1944, they had saved enough money to purchase land in Kumeu.

Becoming Winemakers

Although there was a small vineyard already in production on their new property, the main activity was mixed farming; so for the first few years, Mick, Katé and Maté grew fruits and vegetables and raised dairy cows. In Dalmatia, many families made wine for their own use from their own vines; it seemed only natural to do the same in New Zealand. The land was so well-suited for wine grapes that wine production in Kumeu far exceeded home consumption, and the Brajkovichs started making wine commercially. Although Mick died in 1949, Maté and Katé continued to run the family business which became known as San Marino Vineyards. They produced dry red table wine in the style that was preferred for everyday drinking back in Europe, which soon gained popularity among the literary and university circles of Auckland.

A Family Legacy Begins

In 1957, Maté met his wife, Melba Sutich, whose grandparents had also immigrated to New Zealand from Croatia. Maté and Melba were married in 1958, and as the vineyard and winery expanded, so did the family. Michael was born in 1960, followed by Marijana in 1961, Milan in 1963 and Paul in 1967. For the children, being brought up around the winery established a strong foundation of industry knowledge and skill that would take the winery to a new level of success in years to come.

Kumeu River: A New Name, A New Era

1979 was a watershed year for Kumeu River, when the Brajkovichs moved away from hybrid varieties used for the production of fortified and basic red and white wines to the now-common — but then-unusual — varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Merlot. As Michael, Milan and Paul became more involved in the family business in the 1980s, the Brajkovichs continued to focus on quality and reputation; the winery changed its name to Kumeu River Wines in 1986 and began making a Burgundy-influenced style of Chardonnay that featured indigenous yeasts, extended lees aging and malolactic fermentation. The result has been a series of wines that are innovative, distinctive and unique in both style and quality for New Zealand. Today, Kumeu River produces 250,000 bottles annually from 30 hectares (74 acres) of estate vineyards in Kumeu, and another 10 hectares (24.7 acres) from local growers.

Maté’s Vineyard

Origin of Name: Named for Brajkovich family patriarch. Replanting this vineyard in 1990 was his last vineyard project.
Planted: Purchased in 1944, replanted in 1990
Soil: Very heavy clay over sandstone
Clones: Low-yielding Mendoza clone
Additional Notes About Clones: Kumeu River waited until there were some heat-treated (i.e. virus-free) Mendoza plants available, but time has shown that they all do indeed have virus. Actually, the virus probably causes the characters that the winery likes about this clone.
Exposure: Located next to an old creek, Maté’s is the lowest-lying vineyard. It has a very sheltered position and faces north to the sun.
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Always gives great intensity of “lollyish” Chardonnay characters, (i.e. caramel and confectionery notes)

Hunting Hill Vineyard

Origin of Name: Named after the hillside farmland where Maté used to hunt rabbits and pheasants for the home kitchen
Planted: Originally planted in the mid-1980s, replanted in 2000
Soil: Heavy clay over sandstone. It also has an iron pan about 12 inches below the surface, which none of the other vineyards have.
Clones: Clone UCD15, which shares the low-yielding trait of the Mendoza clone. UCD15 ripens easier and earlier than Mendoza.
Additional Notes About the Clones: Clone 15 arrived on the scene as a virus-free analogue to the Mendoza clone, and Kumeu River has large areas planted to it. Clone 15 performs very well here. Kumeu River also has plantings of Clones 95 and 96 from Dijon, and just this year planted some new-generation clones from France called 548 and 1066, which look to be very promising.
Exposure: Has varying aspects, but tends to face a little south and west, so is exposed to the westerly winds and is not as warm a site as Coddington
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Clone 15 is typically a frutier Chardonnay, with flavors of white flowers coming from Hunting Hill.

Coddington Vineyard

Soil: Heavy clay over sandstone
Clones: Clone UCD15, which shares the low-yielding trait of the Mendoza clone. UCD15 ripens easier and earlier than Mendoza.
Additional Notes About the Clones: Clone 15 arrived on the scene as a virus-free analogue to the Mendoza clone, and Kumeu River has large areas planted to it. Clone 15 performs very well here. Kumeu River also has plantings of Clones 95 and 96 from Dijon, and just this year planted some new-generation clones from France called 548 and 1066, which look to be very promising.
Exposure: Very sheltered and faces directly north, so gets maximum sun and heat, and provides grapes with the ripest flavors
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Clone 15 is typically a fruitier Chardonnay, with flavors of peach and apricot coming from Coddington.

At Kumeu River Wines, the winemaking philosophy can be summarized in a single word: quality. The Brajkovich family endeavors to grow grapes of the highest quality and then treat them with respect when they turn those grapes into wine. In this way, the potential quality is maximized, and Kumeu River is able to make wines that are truly representative of its land.

From the vines to the wineglass, every drop of Kumeu River wine is a blend of tradition, innovation and dedication to both the science and the art of winemaking

Auckland has the distinction of being the historical birthplace of viticulture and winemaking in New Zealand. The first vines were planted in 1819 by Anglican missionary Samuel Marsden, though there is no record of wine being produced from the grapes. In 1839, Scotsman James Busby successfully made the country’s first wines. In the late 1800s, immigrants from the now-Croation Dalmatian coast came to New Zealand hoping to make their fortunes in the country’s gum fields, eventually turning to farming and grape growing.

Kumeu

Kumeu is a sub-region of the Auckland wine district. Despite being situated well north of New Zealand’s other viticultural regions, Kumeu’s climate is kept cool due to its close proximity to the Tasman Sea, just 20 kilometers (nearly 12.5 miles) to the west, and the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) to the east. These two large bodies of water generate clouds, keeping peak summer temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).