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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Tinpot Hut McKee Vineyard Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2018

May 26, 2022

Tinpot Hut McKee Vineyard Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2018 $25 Crafted from grapes grown in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley (which, if separated out from the rest of the province, would be New Zealand’s second-largest wine region), this grüner from winemaker Fiona Turner is drier and has more depth of spice and minerality than much of the lighter, … Read More

Gladstone Wairarapa Pinot Gris 2021

May 26, 2022

Gladstone Vineyard Wairarapa Pinot Gris 2021 $24.99 There’s something in the deep, dry, rocky soils of the ancient terraces of the Ruamahanga River that gives Gladstone Vineyard’s pinot gris its deliciously dry superpowers.  Spice-stacked and mineral-focused, it has a core (scuse the pun) of pear and green apple which provides the spine for crunchy acidity … Read More

27 Seconds Waipara Riesling 2020

May 26, 2022

27 Seconds Waipara Riesling 2020 $19 Awesome aromas of citrus jubes, mandarin, honeysuckle and lime-o-rama from woah to go. Incredibly crisp and stacked with crunchy-fresh character, it’s also showing lovely length of flavour and perfectly prickly textures. Nice to see a wine contributing to such a worthwhile cause too (100% of the profits from each … Read More

Linden Estate Peacock Block Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019

May 25, 2022

Linden Estate Peacock Block Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 $24.99 2019 kicked off what would become one of the most exciting triple-vintage runs Hawke’s Bay’s ever seen. A sequence of superb harvests where spiciness saturated every red grape. Designed for the cellar, youthful and tightly-coiled, this wine also opens up with decanting or swirling. Bay leaf … Read More

Domain Road Defiance Central Otago Chardonnay 2020

May 24, 2022

Domain Road Defiance Central Otago Chardonnay 2020 ($32) Slow down, find a spot, indicate and do your best parallel park because you’re going to want to have all your wheels pointing forward to take on this absolute stunner of a chardonnay. Intense grapefruit, roast peach, pineapple and caramelised, toasty oak notes roar out of the … Read More

Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020

May 24, 2022

Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 $35 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Spicy Duck Noodle bowl recipe in NZ Herald Canvas Sat 28th May 2022 Ah 1994. Nancy Kerrigan got kneecapped, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s president, Michael Jackson married Lisa-Marie Presley, and we used Netscape Navigator to browse the newfangled internet thing. It’s also when Sue … Read More

Gold Digger Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019

May 23, 2022

Gold Digger Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $29.99 Years ago I bought a hobby horse for my little niece and told her it could be her noble steed, but she misheard and named it ‘My Noble Steve’. I never corrected her and Steve served her well. As will a serving of this gentle beast from … Read More

Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021

May 18, 2022

Seresin 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, 2022

Forrest 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, 2022

Honest 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, 2022

The 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, 2022

Black 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

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.