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
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2023
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2023 $24 Gorgeously golden in the glass, winemaker and owner Emma Lowe has, from a horrific cyclone year, I might add, created a bold, peach and cashew-crammed style with refreshing acidity, buttered toast dusted with cinnamon characters and a finish that’s like a marathon being run in your mouth. Tropic-tastic and … Read More
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2023
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2023 $24.99 2023 was a really tricky year for Hawke’s Bay grapegrowers as Cyclone Gabrielle struck with devastating force just as harvest was about to begin. Yet the folk at Trinity Hill managed to craft a snappy, richly-structured, dry-styled gris laced with classic nashi notes and a hint of … Read More
Huia Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Huia Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 $36 From one of New Zealand’s oldest and most respected organic pioneers, this sauvignon will appeal to anyone keen on a little less of Sauvignon’s signature squinty acidity and a little more of a softer, creamy side. Scented with gentle bruised basil, lemongrass and jalapeno notes, it has a … Read More
Blank Canvas Anandale Farm Marlborough Riesling 2023
Blank Canvas Anandale Farm Marlborough Riesling 2023 $32 This snappy-sweet, beautifully balanced Kabinett-style Riesling is sourced from a vineyard located in the Blind River sub-region in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. The nose roars with ripe lime, homemade lemonade and freshly cut Ambrosia apples. All of those elements osmose across the palate, leaving an ultra-vibrant, zesty-textured finish … Read More
Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Barrique Nelson Chardonnay 2023
Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Barrique Nelson Chardonnay 2023 $42 This rich, generously fruity, luxuriously juicy, creamy, and toasty chardonnay is stacked with nectarine niceness and sweetly concentrated, slightly smoky layers licked with almond and ripe yellow plum notes. It’s stunning stuff, and if you’re disciplined enough to leave a little in the bottle for tomorrow, … Read More
Three Fates in Bay Buzz Magazine 2025
Three Fates wine by Yvonne LorkinApril 1, 2025 From left: Holly Girven-Russell, Casey Motley, Hester Nesbitt. Photo: Florence Charvin When it comes to wine stories fitting the cultural zeitgeist, it doesn’t get more current than three, young Hawke’s Bay women stalking each other on social media before opting to leap into business together with the … Read More
Brookfields Back Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2023
Brookfields Back Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2023 $22 Peter Robertson is an ex flatmate of the Wizard of Christchurch. He also began making wine in Hawke’s Bay in the early 1970s and purchased Brookfields Vineyards in 1977, forty years after it was founded in 1937. He was one of the first to leap onto the … Read More
Jenny Dobson Florence Hawke’s Bay Fiano 2023
Jenny Dobson Florence Hawke’s Bay Fiano 2023 $45 Having been involved with crafting Fiano from fruit grown in tiny amounts in the Bridge Pa subregion since 2010, Jenny Dobson is easily New Zealand’s foremost expert on Fiano production. Fiano is an ancient, white grape with its spiritual home in Campania in Southern Italy. Still, it … Read More
Huntress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2023
Huntress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2023 $48 This is the first time Jannine Rickards has released a syrah from Hawke’s Bay, and she sourced her fruit from the Herringbone Vineyard in Bridge Pa. Taking a third of the grapes and fermenting them as whole clusters (rather than the traditionally crushed berries) has created a wine with … Read More
Saorsa Hawke’s Bay Rosê 2023
Saorsa Hawke’s Bay Rosê 2024 $32 Built on a backbone of Bridge Pa-grown syrah, this is a bright, peppery rosé, dry and rich and spicy. In a dimpled punt, it’s a fleshy, feisty style with good richness. And excellent length of flavour. Complex and rich.
Cardrona Distillery The Falcon Single Malt Whisky
Cardrona Distillery The Falcon Single Malt Whisky 700ml $353 This is the flagship single malt from the clever kids at Cardrona and it’s a blend of portions taken from an ex-Olorosso butt, and ex-Bourbon barrel and an ex-Central Otago Pinot Noir barrel. Grilled nectarine, creamed manuka honey, buttery, boozy, raisin and sultana-soaked Christmas cake batter … Read More
Cardrona Distillery American Barrel Single Cask
Cardrona Distillery American Barrel Single Cask 700ml 52% $353 Ex-Bourbon American seasoned barrels are the most commonly used vessels used in Whisky maturation, and the 200l cask that this example comes from has injected something exotically seductive, something almost emotional and something almost, dare I say it, spiritual. It’s intensely scented with smoked butterscotch, vanilla, … 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.
