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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 best personalised wine delivery service this side of the black stump. We help our customers navigate the vast number of wines out there in the marketplace then we match them to wines that unique and awesomely tasty. Read more about WineFriend
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Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021
May 18, 2022Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $25 If jalapeños are your jam then this certified organic, biodynamically-crafted sauvignon blanc is going to seriously spin your wheels. Grown in Seresin’s Raupo Creek vineyard, fermented using naturally occurring, wild yeasts and matured in a mixture of old oak vessels before being blended with a 9% splash of semillon … Read More
Forrest Marlborough Riesling 2020
May 18, 2022Forrest Marlborough Riesling 2020 $25 If you like your riesling to assail your olfactories with apple, lime zest and a lick of magical minerality, you’ve done a perfect parallel park my friend. Punchy acidity, pure pipfruit and crunchy citrus and the unmistakable rain-on-hot-asphalt punch of petrichor, make this an ultra-refreshing sip. It has excellent length … Read More
Honest Horse Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021
May 17, 2022Honest Horse Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $40 (for two bottles) Craig and Tamara Plunkett are the faces behind Plunkett Estate. They might be a new wine enterprise in the Spring Creek subregion of Marlborough, but their family farm has a long history of being very horsey, hence the name. I often find Spring Creek sauvignon … Read More
The Darling ‘Arnst’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
May 17, 2022The Darling ‘Arnst’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $49 This organic, unfined, unfiltered pinot noir is named after Bart Arnst, one-half of the power-pioneer duo of organic kiwi wine growing, Darling wines. Together with business partner Chris Darling, he’s sourced a parcel of superb Central Otago fruit to create a style bursting with tamarillo, rhubarb, … Read More
Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
May 16, 2022Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $49 This new release from the small, Bannockburn vineyard owned by Rod and Mirani Keillor is garnet-red, scented with soft spices and subtle rhubarb, raspberry and cherry notes and lightly-styled on the palate. If you’re looking for a punch-in-the-face pinot then you’ve come to the wrong cul-de-sac my … Read More
Maori Point Central Otago Riesling 2020
May 13, 2022Maori Point Central Otago Riesling 2020 $30 Showing crisp apple, lime blossom, lemon zest and impressive minerality alongside a squeak of natural sweetness, this riesling is a crisp, crunchy-fresh style that will freshen up even the most jaded of tastebuds. At 11.9% alcohol and 17g/l of residual sugar creates a mouthwatering palate structure and a … Read More
Coal Pit Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2021
May 2, 2022Coal Pit Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 $34 Such a precise, pretty rosé right here from Gibbston Valley-grown fruit and crafted by winemaker Anika Willner, it’s an ultra-pretty wine with a generous, redcurrant and raspberry fullness. Juicy-textured and showing hints of creaming soda, red apple, quartzy minerality and pink peppercorn spices – it’s absolutely … Read More
Bostock Airini Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021
May 1, 2022Bostock Airini Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021 $48 Crafted from certified organic syrah grapes grown in the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle sub-region, this new rosé bursts with apple, raspberry and pink peppercorn aromas and washes across the tongue and tonsils with a wave of crunchy-crisp, juicy watermelon and redcurrant characters. Cleansing and richly … Read More
Carrick Pot de Fleur Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
April 27, 2022Carrick Pot de Fleur Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $28-$36 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Manti- Turkish dumplings NZ Herald Canvas Sat 30 April 2022 Spicy, sheepy morsels like these just sing out for a succulently funky, ‘natural’ pinot noir, and this Southern example has that in unfined, unfiltered, organic, spades. Winemaker Rosie Menzies has … Read More
Akarua de Bettencor Single Vineyard Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2020
April 21, 2022Akarua de Bettencor Single Vineyard Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $40 This certified organic sauvignon blanc is grown in the de Bettencor vineyard, which sits between the base of the Pisa Range and Lake Dunstan in the Pisa sub-region. Named after Boaventura de Bettencor, a Portuguese explorer in the late 1800’s who made his way … Read More
Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
April 20, 2022Black Quail Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $49 Grown on the ultra-prestigious Felton Road (the Paritai Drive of Central Otago vineyard addresses), this tiny winery is named after one of the rarest birds in the world. The wine is pretty rare too, with only a couple of hundred cases made of just one wine each … Read More
Golden Child End of the Heartache Single Vineyard Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
April 20, 2022Golden Child End of the Heartache Single Vineyard Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $42.50 Golden Child is the project of father-and-son team, David and James Hamilton. David grows the grapes in his vineyard in Kuitpo in the southern Adelaide Hills, while his son James (often jokingly referred to as the ‘golden child of the family’) … 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. Broadcast on Food TV (SKY ch.9), 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.
