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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CHECK OUT THE LATEST REVIEWS

Keep up with the very latest below or browse for your favourite reviews

Forrest Estate Marlborough Albariño 2022

September 20, 2022

Forrest Estate Marlborough Albariño 2022 $28 Ultra-vibrant nectarine, apple, lime and white peach will up and punch you in the kisser with every sip. The acidity is whipcrack sharp, like swallowing a sword, yet the underlying citrus and peachy plushness smooths and soothes it all out. It’s like an incredibly tasty exfoliation for your oesophagus … Read More

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017

September 18, 2022

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Unfined, unfiltered and crafted without the use of added anything, this organic pinot noir is ultra-fresh, with a hint of herbaceousness, rhubarb leaf, wild cherry, strawberry and redcurrant. It’s a youthful style, ultra-floral, laced with forest floor notes and showing bracing acidity which ensures solid cellaring … Read More

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2016

September 18, 2022

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2016 $45 Grown in the deep, limestone soils of North Canterbury, under the watchful eye of winemaker Di Holding, the pinot noir grapes thrive in such a mineral-rich environment and create a wine with fresh, vital energy which seems to be getting stronger despite its 6yr maturation. Crafted … Read More

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2020

September 18, 2022

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 $26 Winemaker Di Holding is an absolute pinot noir obsessive, and from her tiny site, high up on the slopes of North Canterbury’s Omihi Road, she produces minuscule amounts of organic pinot done every which way. Her new organic rosé is made without fining or filtration … Read More

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2019

September 18, 2022

Fancrest Estate Organic North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 $26 Produced organically, from a tiny, hillside site on Omihi Road,  this rosé is a touch cloudy in the bottle because this wild yeast-fermented wine has been produced without the use of any fining agents or filtration.  So don’t fret about the sediment, it’s harmless and … Read More

Wölffer Estate Long Island Summer In A Bottle Rosé 2021

September 18, 2022

Wölffer Estate Long Island Summer In A Bottle Rosé 2021 $55 When was the last time you sipped something from Long Island that wasn’t iced tea? While that’s a seriously tasty drink, it doesn’t measure up to this dry and snappy smorgasbord of (deep breath in) merlot, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot … Read More

Bald Hills Last Light Central Otago Riesling 2021

September 12, 2022

Bald Hills Last Light Central Otago Riesling 2021 $30 At a positively demure 11.5% alcohol this riesling romps in with magic mandarin and apple aromatics, a palate draped in honeysuckle and a finish that’s laced with fresh lime layers. A lick of grapefruit and a teensy tweak of creamy nougat features in the background, making … Read More

Drummond Farm Happy Jack Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020

September 12, 2022

Drummond Farm Happy Jack Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $30 Paired with Skordalia by Annabel Langbein NZ Herald Sat 17th 2022 If you were going to go full authentic on what to sip with skordalia, then best you bust out that bottle of retsina you bought to remind yourself of when you were 20 and went … Read More

Tironui Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet 2020

September 2, 2022

Tironui Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet 2020 $39 Deeply glossy in the glass, magenta-black, and heaving with smoked blueberry, plum, and blackberry notes on the nose and palate, this wine is dense, delicious, and dangerously sexy to sip. Tironui sits atop Napier’s Sugar Loaf Hill, and its stunning terraces capture sun all … Read More

Mondillo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020

August 31, 2022

Mondillo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $48 Crafted from individually-handled parcels of Dijon and Pommard clone pinot noir, this wild-fermented wine is absolutely heaving with red fruits and roaring “cellar me!” Energetic and flowing with floral complexity, black guava, tea leaf and tamarillo tones. Intensely floral and frisky-fresh on the nose yet fabulously moody, brooding … Read More

Rapaura Springs Rohe Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2021

August 29, 2022

Rapaura Springs Rohe Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2021 $36.90 Prepare for a huge lift of bay leaf, black tea, mixed spice, rhubarb and tamarillo – all things bright and beautiful essentially. In the mouth, it has a red apple and dusty cherry complexity, a creamy mouthfeel and a savoury, spice-driven core. The tannins are softly … Read More

Driven Snow Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020

August 29, 2022

Driven Snow Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020 $25.99 Nutmeg-dusted nashi notes combine with a splash of poached quince and fresh peachy punchiness on the nose and palate of this crunchy-crisp pinot gris. Deliciously dry and showing a core of minerality which brings an extra layer of complexity and citrosity (new word) to the finish. Powerhouse … 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.