I Spy the Secret to Making Great Wine

‘I see the western wheat fields dry out – sometimes.’

‘The Pink Oboe floats downriver pleasantly.’

Confused? You’re supposed to be! Covert agents are given clandestine phrases and counter phrases to utter when meeting other spies so they know they’re spilling their secret intel to someone they can ‘trust’. The phrases are not meant to make any sense together otherwise a civilian might be able to guess them, which is not an ideal scenario within the secret spook world. Of course, the above aren’t particularly serious phrases but they’re similar to the types of light-hearted fun you’ll find on the Spy Valley Wines website.

Waihopai

After setting up Johnson Estate Vineyards thirty years ago, founders Bryan and Jan Johnson thought the name of their new entity was very functional – but also perhaps a little understated. So, drawing inspiration from the international satellite spy base just down the road at Waihopai, they decided to give their winery a much more memorable name – and one they could have a bit of fun with too. Since then the Johnsons have totally gone with the espionage theme, calling their staff ‘agents’, their goals ‘missions’, decorating the Spy Valley website with morse code and even including hidden messages on their bottles. 

The idea grew from there and in 2007 Spy Valley even ditched the ‘2’ from the vintage to make ‘007’ labels. They served some to James Bond himself, Sir Roger Moore, who was sporting enough to sign a handful of the 007 vintage magnums that can still be found at the winery today. For Your Eyes Only.

Awards

Not that the humour has lessened any of Spy Valley’s dedication to quality however, as they’ve been regulars at a host of wine award victory podiums over the years. Since winning their first ever gold medal at the 2002 London International Wines and Spirits Competition for their 2002 Gewürztraminer, Spy Valley has won a heap of awards, trophies, and accolades. These include some real big ones like snagging the New Zealand Wine Producer of the year at The International Wine and Spirits Competition – not once but twice! Plus, they’ve just bagged two more golds at the 2023 Global Pinot Noir Masters for their ENVOY Outpost Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 and ENVOY Johnson Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017. Not a bad haul for a winery that’s only been around for twenty years! 

Grapes

Though the Johnsons have been growing grapes in the Waihopai Valley for thirty years, initially they were just supplying Corbans Wines – or was that just their cover story? Even growing grapes was a bit of a gamble in those days as Marlborough hadn’t yet fully developed its richly deserved reputation as one of the global powerhouse winemaking regions. It is easy to forget these days that it was only 50 years ago that Montana paved the way by planting their first large-scale commercial vineyards in the province. As unbelievable as it may seem today, back in 1993 making wine in Marlborough was still regarded as a bit iffy as the land was considered too hard, dry, and infertile for wine. So the 125 hectares the Johnsons committed to grapes back then was a real gamble; a fact not lost on Station Chief Bryan Johnson, “As we celebrate 30 years since our first vines were planted, we are proud to have played a role in Marlborough’s wine industry’s 50-year legacy. It’s an honour to be a part of such a rich and vibrant history”.  

As the Johnsons and all the other Marlborough pioneers proved the doubters wrong, their confidence grew leading to the formation of ‘Johnson Estate’ followed by Spy Valley in 2000. Now the winery has expanded, growing seven varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, and exporting – overtly – to over 35 countries around the world. Of course, they are not at liberty to either confirm or deny any other exports to further sovereign nations.

Sparkling

To mark 30 years in Marlborough, Spy Valley have embraced this pioneering spirit by making their first ever Rosé Méthode Traditionnelle, a sparkling wine that nods to their three decades of vineyards and winemaking tradecraft. Named Echelon, it is made in the traditional method which means the second fermentation is in the bottle, followed by the intricate riddling and disgorging process after being aged for at least 18 months. This produces the finest and most persistent bead and allows complex flavours to develop, balancing fresh and fruit driven character with savoury notes of toast and brioche. But you won’t need to be eavesdropping at a secret satellite station to find out when this will be released – it’s due out in about 18 months’ time (after time on lees in the bottle). But, knowing the Johnsons’ love of spy paraphernalia, we can’t rule out some form of cryptology on the label somewhere!