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YVONNE LORKINA fan of all things fermented...Get in touchscroll down to read my latest reviews -
Co-Founder & Chief Tasting Officer WineFriend Owner/Executive Producer Thirsty Media Ltdscroll down to read my latest reviews
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Wine Writer NZ Herald CANVASscroll down to read my latest reviewsWine & Beverages WriterdishMagazine
I’m super-proud to be the co-founder and CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) of WineFriend, the greatest personalised wine delivery service in all the land. Founded in 2015, we match wine to people. We help our subscribers navigate the crazy-vast number of wines out there in the marketplace by pairing them with wines that only suit their individual tastes. Wines that are delicious, unique and definitely not seen in your average supermarket. Read more about WineFriend
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Folding Hill Bendigo Chardonnay 2023
2 August 2025Folding Hill Bendigo Chardonnay 2023 $38 Wow! Central Otago Chardonnay is absolutely having its moment and I’m exultant about that. From the 2023 vintage the team at Folding Hill have crafted a fantastic example, a style roaring with baked stonefruit, creme brulee, soft caramelised characters a lick of white pepper and grapefruit pith. A style … Read More
Two Rivers Convergence Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
1 August 2025Two Rivers Convergence Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 $22 Crafted by winemaker Dave Clouston, this is one of the best value Sauvignon Blanc’s on the market. Brand new and erupting with lemony sweetness, passionfruit sorbet, buckets of mandarin and basil burst across the tongue and gums. It’s delicious now, but I’d love to revisit it in … Read More
Palliser Estate Om Santi Vineyard Martinborough Chardonnay 2023
31 July 2025Palliser Estate Om Santi Vineyard Martinborough Chardonnay 2023 $85 Sourced from Palliser’s original, gravelly vineyard, Om Santi is certified organic and their flagship Chardonnay, only produced in years when the fruit is deemed exceptional by winemaker Guy McMaster and his team, and designed for maximum impact. And it does exactly that. Erupting with stonefruit intensity, … Read More
Palliser Martinborough Riesling 2024 $32
29 July 2025Palliser Martinborough Riesling 2024 $32 I love how there’s a ‘sweetness gauge’ on the back label, telling us that this wine leans into the dry side with a tweak of sweetness, which gives it great balance and poise. Classic green apple and lime zest notes are drizzled with a hint of manuka honey, white nectarine, … Read More
Ayrburn Whimsy Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
28 July 2025Ayrburn Whimsy Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $29 Maturing gracefully and scented with scorched rhubarb, charred cherry, and sunbaked earth, this pinot is delivering classic brick dust and forest floor savoury notes. The textures are slippery, but the acidity is still youthful, and the tannins have powdery pluckiness. Ayrburn
Lateral Wines Bannockburn Skins 2022
28 July 2025Lateral Wines Bannockburn Skins 2022 $35 A blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc by winemaking couple Pip Batteley and Austin Black, it’s got that bronze-copper colour typical of a skin-soaked example. Aromas of soft white pepper, quartzy minerality, a hint of nashi and fennel. On the palate, there’s a dried herb, smoky vein, dandelion, … Read More
French Peak Banks Peninsula Chardonnay 2023
28 July 2025French Peak Banks Peninsula Chardonnay 2023 $52 Absolutely stacked with shiny medals, this Chardonnay from the scenic surrounds of Banks Peninsula is light, cleansing, softly oaked, and laced with a layer of creamy complexity and delivers very youthful acidity. It’s a style I’d like to go back to in another year or so. White peach, … Read More
Ayrburn Homestead Central Otago Pinot Noir 2024
15 July 2025Ayrburn Homestead Central Otago Pinot Noir 2024 $65 Exotically spiced and roaring with dark cherry saturation, typical of fruit ripened under the baking Bendigo heat. Baked rhubarb, rooibos tea, heightened blueberry and blackcurrant characters merge with seductively spiced, smoky oak, juicy, grainy tannins and showing a strong, warming, muscular, sinewy finish. Deliciously drinkable now, yet … Read More
Ayrburn Central Otago Bonnet Rouge Nouveau Pinot Noir 2023
15 July 2025Ayrburn Central Otago Bonnet Rouge Nouveau Pinot Noir 2023 $45 The winemaking team at Ayrburn have opted to have a crack at crafting a lighter ‘nouveau’ style pinot noir that’s just as happy being chilled down to serve on a sizzling day, or sipped fireside during winter. Aromatically it’s ultra-bright, perky, roaring with redcurrant, raspberry, … Read More
Lansdowne Estate Wairarapa Syrah 2016
15 July 2025Lansdowne Estate Wairarapa Syrah 2016 $46 Nine years on from vintage, and this syrah is heading into its tertiary period, where the fruit is morphing into deeply savoury, gamey spectrums, the once peppery aromatics are now more leather and earth-focused, and the tannins have softened considerably. Shepherded from berry to bottle by local legend Karl … Read More
Ayrburn Central Otago Pinot Gris 2024
15 July 2025Ayrburn Central Otago Pinot Gris 2024 $40 From one of the most exciting new wine businesses emerging from Central Otago comes a Pinot Gris that’s so beautifully balanced it’s been headhunted by the Cirque du Soleil tightrope team. No joke. Sourced from vineyards in Gibbston Valley, it’s scented with poached pear, softly spiced quince and … Read More
Lansdowne Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2014
14 July 2025Lansdowne Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2014 $42 Hear me out. Sometimes you can find absolute treasures inside the most unassuming packaging. This wine is an excellent example of that. Eleven years old and made by one of the Wairarapa’s legendary winemakers, Karl Johner, this pinot noir, grown on the original Beetham-owned farm (famous for Heritage … Read More
Thirsty Work is a television show that unearths some of the personalities behind New Zealand’s successful and innovative Wine and Beverage Industry. Originally broadcast on Food TV (SKY ch.9) then on TV3 with subsequent eps on Amazon Prime, Thirsty Work soaks up New Zealand’s beverage landscape. Not just vineyards, but barrel halls, tank rooms, cellar doors, wine stores, supermarkets, breweries and backyard vignerons.
Missed Series 4 of Thirsty Work? Fret not, just click here to zoom directly to view on demand.
