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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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Village Vineyards Orchard Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2023
6 November 2025Village Vineyards Orchard Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2023 $35 Crafted from organically-grown Merlot and Syrah, this rosé not only has freshness and delicacy, it also boasts depth, charm and personality from start to finish. Raspberry, watermelon, redcurrant and a whisper of spice on the nose and palate give this wine lovely presence and persistence of … Read More
Village Vineyards Ironhorse Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
3 November 2025Village Vineyards Ironhorse Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $45 Everything about this wine displays gentle complexity and careful handling. With aromas of grilled grapefruit, roast peach and creamy cashew complexity, it’s a wine that has immediate attractiveness and yum-factor which washes across the tongue and gums with plushness. It has good presence and poise, freshness and … Read More
Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
29 October 2025Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022 $75 Sublimely soothing and suede-like, this is a Pinot Noir roaring with ripe rhubarb, soft cherry, gentle, earthy, dried herb and raspberry layers. It’s a delicately balanced example with plush, slippery textures, brick dust and forest floor, leaf litter loveliness washing over every nook and olfactory cranny. Sauce! … Read More
Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
29 October 2025Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 $22-24 If you’ve been looking for herbaceousness, citrus-ness and buckets of tropicality then you’ve come to the right place. Classically structured, showing lovely balance of depth and zestiness and solid length of flavour. It’s a very well made style that’s lipsmacking and lush. Watch video review here Jules Taylor
Village Vineyards Orchard Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2025
26 October 2025Village Vineyards Orchard Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2025 $35 Crisp crabapple, ripe peach, whisps of watermelon, raspberry and persimmon plushness create and aromatic and flavourmatic spectrum for this fresh, feisty, new season rosé. Cleansing, softly spiced, dry and showing hints of pink peppercorn, Provençal herbs, white strawberry and a lick of creaming soda to finish. … Read More
Village Vineyards Golden Queen Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2025
26 October 2025Village Vineyards Golden Queen Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2025 $35 Taking on the pale pink hue of having spent some time on its pinky-grey Pinot Gris skins, this wine is singing with fresh, frisky and fanging with red anjou pears, nashi notes, soft baking spices and hints of creamy strudel complexity. Cloudy yet crisp to … Read More
Elephant Hill Sea Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2024
26 October 2025Elephant Hill Sea Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2024 $34 Clearly, Viognier thrives under the baking Hawke’s Bay sun and in the saline sea breezes roaring in from the Te Awanga coastline, and winemaker Hugh Crichton knows exactly how to capture its unique jasmine, citrus zest and apricot-stacked excellence, well, excellently. The new Sea is superbly restrained, … Read More
Čuvar Guardians Cornerstone Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2023
26 October 2025Čuvar Guardians Cornerstone Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2023 $49 From a cyclone year when everything could have been a washout comes a Bordeaux-style blend that marries classic Cabernet characters of bay leaf, fresh tobacco, blueberry and blackcurrant, with the plummy plushness of Merlot and the meaty, savoury, dusty complexity of Malbec, to create … Read More
Brookfields Reserve Vintage Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2023
26 October 2025Brookfields Gold Label Reserve Vintage Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot Cabernet Franc 2023 $70 This blend of 70% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc is lucky to be alive. Why? Because on Feb 14th, just weeks before the fruit was due to be harvested, the most catastrophic cyclone in 80 years roared through the … Read More
Smith & Sheth Cru Omahu Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
26 October 2025Smith & Sheth Cru Omahu Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021 $80 If you’re a fan of densely textural syrah then this will soothe the throat, clear the nose and shiver all your timbers. Crafted by Steve Smith MW and his team, from fruit grown in one of the holy trinity of Hawke’s Bay vintages (2019/2020/2021), this … Read More
Akitu A2 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
23 October 2025Akitu A2 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022 $46 Sniffing this wine makes me totally get why people join cults and stop shaving. It’s like a sorcerer throwing magic cherrywood smoke in your face and leading you, zombie-like, away from the crowd to a new life of worship. Red rose, roast beets, tamarillo, and cola combine … Read More
Two Rivers Isle of Beauty Marlborough Rosé 2025
20 October 2025Two Rivers Isle of Beauty Marlborough Rosé 2025 $22 This is what happens when winemaker Dave Clouston is let loose to create his own version of a crunchy-crisp, Corsican rosé. A snappy-dry, mineral-rich style bursting with pink peppercorn, crabapple, yellow plum, zesty raspberry and a hint of creaming soda gushes forth. Pure, cleansing and crammed … 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.
