Feb 11

Feb 11 the not serious Dave Mackintosh

written by the not serious wine drinkers

Coordinating a time to record a chat with winemaker Dave Mackintosh in Auckland isn’t so hard. He’s something of a flying winemaker, dividing his time between the Big Smoke where his wife, Caitlin and their kids live, and Hawkes Bay where he makes wine under his newly established Kenzie brand.

The Mackintosh clan returned home to Aotearoa after a solid fifteen years in Australia. If you’ve spent 10 minutes in a wine bar in Melbourne you may have crossed paths with Arfion, a wine made by Dave in a wine project that also involves his bros, Jimmy and Dad, Brian.

Family is important to this laddie. Much of the reasoning behind the return to Aotearoa was to explore the legacy left by some stoic Scottish ancestors. Indeed, Kenzie draws its name from Annabella MacKenzie, Dave’s Great Grandmother who survived months in a boat on the ocean, the great depression and the Napier earthquake to put down new roots in the hope of starting a better life.

She ought to be proud. The wines crafted in her honour pay homage by stylistically challenging the norms while artistically stating their place.

The wine labels for Kenzie are also of Dave’s creation. Enthusiastic about how art and winemaking weave themselves together, each label reflects the totality of the life of wine — the land, the place, winemaking, the myriad of flavours found in the aromatic notes. No surprise either that music also plays a big part in the production of a bottle of Kenzie.

Part of our research before locking Dave in our padded sound studio was to blast out the beats of El Michel Affair and their rendition of the '90's hip hop Wu-tang Clan track Tearz. A tune that resonated so much with Dave he made and named a wine after it.

It was lovely to be introduced to Dave by the good folk at By The Bottle. We chatted away like old pals in a pub. So, pour yourself a wee dram of something bonnie, pack a plate of tatties to go with it and rest up for a wee spell of Coorie. This is the not serious Dave MacIntosh chat.

Kenzie Tearz 2022 White Noir — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay blend
antipodes still 1L
Giant Steps, Yarra Valley, Australia. Est. 1998
Arfion, Yarra Valley, Australia. Est. by Dave, his Pops and bros in 2011
Steve Flamsteed, winemaker at Giant Steps
Oyster Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand. Est. in 1990
PJ Charteris (& Stuart Holdern) Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, Australia. Est. in 1970
Sarah Crow, winemaker at Yarra Yering , Victoria, Australia. Est. 1969
Amy Hopkinson & Olly Styles at Halcyon Days, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Est. 2018 (first release)
Julian Grounds, winemaker at Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Est. 1998
Warren Gibson, Trinity Hill. Hakwes Bay, New Zealand. Est in 1993 and Bilancia Est. in 1997
The whānau - Caitlin, Dave’s wife, Jimmy, Dave’s bro and Brian, Dave’s Dad.
Three Fates, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Est. in 2020
Amoise, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Est. in 2018
Pen Naish & Nicholas Brown at Black Estate, North Canterbury, New Zealand. Est. in 1993 by Russell Black and Daniel Schuster. Purchased by the Naish family in 2007
Dan Murphy’s, an Australian liquor store that was established in 1952. A chain of stores that reaches across Aussie, the store has its HQ in Melbourne.
Chateau D’Yquem, Bordeaux, France. Est. in 1593… as you do. The vintage mentioned was the 1996, quoted as being an extremely good year. Tasting notes for that vintage are:
“Light gold with a tight but promising nose of roasted hazelnuts intermixed with creme brulee, vanilla beans, honey, orange marmalade, and peaches, this medium to full-bodied offering reveals loads of power in its restrained, measured personality”
Seppelt, Victoria, Australia. Est. in 1851. The vintage mentioned was the 1895. Hard to find tasting notes on it but it clearly resonated for our Dave.
The Scots arriving in Aotearoa:
The first Scots to set foot in New Zealand were crew on explorer James Cook's ship Endeavour in 1769. Over the next 200 years, they were followed by thousands more, setting out for a new homeland on the other side of the world.
Napier Earthquake, 1931
The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256, injuring thousands and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster.
Watties, originated in Hawkes Bay is a leading New Zealand food producer. Synonymous with Tomato Sauce the company is a food producer specialising in frozen and packaged fruits and vegetables. Est. in 1934
Rappers drinking Champagne — A common theme for many hip-hop artists is attaining “the good life.” By introducing Champagne as a symbol and prop in their music and lifestyle, it meant, “Hey, we made it.” In the 80s and 90s famous emcees like Puff, Biggie, 2-Pac and Jay-Z exposed the global youth to big bubble names such as Cristal and Moët Chandon (Source: fatcork.com)
El Michels Affair, Wu-Tang Clan and the tune Tearz.
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. Their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is largely considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
The song Tearz, written by RZA, was said to be about the societal structures that promote a life of violence and crime. The song’s intentions are as a brutal and honest protest against such constructs that see young people exposed to such aggression.
El Michels Affair riff on their own version of this. Dave felt an affinity to the music and wanted to express the music in wine form.