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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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Chard Farm Finla Mor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
May 3, 2021Chard Farm Finla Mor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $42 Clearly the gods were happy with the Chard Farmers because they’ve given them a blessed vintage in 2019. Sourcing fruit for the Finla Mor from fruit grown in the deep schist soils of Lowburn and Parkburn subregions of Cromwell, the vineyards are hand harvested in … Read More
Music Bay Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2018
May 3, 2021Music Bay Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2018 $15.99 If you’re looking for a fruity, smooth, super-easy, quaffy mcquaff face red to soothe the throat, clear the nose and wow the crowds, then you’ve come to the right cul de sac here my friend. Ripe, rumpty, Hawke’s Bay merlot has been blended with cabernet sauvignon to … Read More
Carrick Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
April 29, 2021Carrick Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $45 This bolshy, bold, Bannockburn Pinot Noir is rockin’ and ready for action. A touch rough around the edges, medicinal, peppery, roast cherry and rhubarb-induced astringency and herbaceousness. There’s a hefty whack of spice, a slightly feral, funky texture and it’s very much a puppy that needs time … Read More
Carrick Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2020
April 29, 2021Carrick Organic Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 $28 If you’re expecting something soft and fruity then you’ll need to pull the rope and hop off the bus because this organically crafted, crunchy-fresh Pinot Noir-based rosé is raspingly dry and laced with the kind of minerality you’d get should you opt to lick freshly crushed … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Verdelho 2020
April 29, 2021Coxhead Creek Matakana Verdelho 2020 This is a bigger beast than the previous vintage and that makes me a very happy camper. It’s a new style absolutely heaving with lemon and juicy nectarine notes, hints of toast and white pepper alongside soft peach, whiskers of walnutty notes and a beautifully textural and lengthy finish. Love … Read More
Tankersley Estate Central Otago Rosé 2019
April 26, 2021Tankersley Estate Central Otago Rosé 2019 $19 Richard Tankersley’s tiny Central Otago estate has just appeared on our radar. Grown in his little pozzie (is that the right way to spell ‘pozzie’? – who knows) in the nooks and crannies of the mighty Pisa Range up on the Cromwell-Wanaka Road. Crafted from 100% Pinot Noir, … Read More
Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Rosado 2020
April 26, 2021Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Rosado 2020 $20 Made from 100% Tempranillo, this wine takes it’s name from the Spanish word for rosé. It is an unusual style, edged with savoury notes, hints of rhubarb and smoked fruits. So long as you’re up for something a little bit funky and not something fruity, then this could … Read More
Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2014
April 26, 2021Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2014 $25 Doug Haines has just released this wine after giving it six sleepy years in the cellar. It’s developed a very savoury, developed nature, moving on from any primary fruit it may have once had. Taking on an earthy hue and an even earthier flavour profile, this pinot … Read More
Junction Possession Central Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018
April 26, 2021Junction Possession Central Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $29 Crafted by Leith Ashworth, one of the most talented winemakers to ever come from ex-All Black stock, this cranberry and pomegranate-packed pinot noir has freshness and an individual style all of it’s own. They don’t hand out silver medals at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Wine Awards … Read More
Novum Marlborough Chardonnay 2019
April 21, 2021Novum Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 $55 If you’re looking for an elegant, finely-tuned, stonefruit-and-spice saturated example then you’ve crossed into the bus lane honey and you’ve been pinged by the cameras. Perfumed with peach, apple, grapefruit and buckets of fresh spices, this wine also unveils youthful acidity line, fine-grained oak tannins and soft, creamy textures. It’s … Read More
Black Estate Home Vineyard Young Vines North Canterbury Chardonnay 2020
April 21, 2021Black Estate Home Vineyard Young Vines North Canterbury Chardonnay 2020 $36 Glossy and golden in the glass and bursting with fresh nectarine and grapefruit goodness, this is a seriously smashable example. Grown organically, in the limestone and sedimentary clay-rich soils of North Canterbury, this chardonnay is quirky-cool and comfortable in its own skin. It’s a … Read More
Rockburn The Art Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
April 21, 2021Rockburn The Art Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $96 It’s hard to think of a more appropriate name for this supremely scented wine. It’s art. It really is. Creating a wine so multilayered and complex it could be a Jackson Pollock painting in a bottle. Pomegranate, raspberry, cherry, redcurrant and tamarillo combine with black tea, … 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.
