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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SOHO Pink Sheep Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021

January 22, 2022

SOHO Pink Sheep Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $25 Lifted and lemony and loaded with lime, this shiny sauvignon is named in homage to the late, great British haute couture designer Alexander McQueen, a self-described ‘pink sheep’ of his family. Grown in the Carter Family Vineyard, a burst of basil, sweetpea and lemongrass will unleash in … Read More

Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020

January 18, 2022

Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $37 Just gonna put it out there to say I feel this is the best Marshall Bank chardonnay Pete Robertson and his team have ever produced. Dangerously drinkable, and deliciously defined, it absolutely pops with pineapple, roast peach, rockmelon, yellow plum and toasted almond notes on the nose … Read More

Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020

January 16, 2022

Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020 $25 When the 2020 grape harvest wrapped up, winemakers were hopping, skipping and clapping about the excellence of it all and right about now the reds being released are absolutely proving that point. This syrah is always exceptional value however 2020 is a squeak above the rest. Bold … Read More

Domain Road Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2021

January 16, 2022

Domain Road Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $24 This absolute banger from Bannockburn just proves Marlborough isn’t always the centre of the sauvignon blanc universe. Dripping with delicious citrus, fragrant elderflower and peachy notes this sauvignon was sourced from the Crosbie family’s Defiance vineyard which could explain why it’s such a seriously tasty rebel. Whole-bunch … Read More

Church Road Gwen Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2020

January 13, 2022

Church Road Gwen Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2020 $21 Paired with: Zucchini Noodles with Corn and Tomatoes by Annabel Langbein in Canvas Magazine Saturday 15th Jan 2022 in the NZ Herald All that punchy pesto and creamy, avocado indulgence screams out for this crunchy-crisp, deliciously dry, cheek-slappingly sippable wine. Named in homage to the wife of … Read More

Mills Reef Elspeth Hawke’s Bay Methode Traditionnelle NV

January 11, 2022

Mills Reef Elspeth Hawke’s Bay Methode Traditionnelle NV  $39.95 Wow. Golden in the glass and heaving with heavenly scorched brioche, toasted almond and grilled citrus, it’s got all the hallmarks of thoroughbred champagne at a fraction (and I mean fraction) of the price. Generously proportioned, stacked with baked apple, rising dough notes, soothing caramelised characters … Read More

Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc 2021

January 11, 2022

Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $20 If you have a hankering for sauvignon blanc saturated with ripe lemon, punchy peach, frisky florals, feijoa and a kick of kiwifruit, then this is your jam. Actually not really jam, although sauvignon blanc jam or jelly does sound rather glorious. Anyhoo – this wine is gently … Read More

Main Divide North Canterbury Rosé 2021

January 7, 2022

Main Divide North Canterbury Rosé 2021 $21 Now you’d imagine for a company so famous for pinot noir, that their rosé would be fashioned from exactly that. Not so for Pegasus Bay, with their Main Divide 2021. Rather it’s a secret blend of multiple varieties that create an ultra-pale, pink sapphire coloured example. with aromas … Read More

Brookfields Ohiti Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

January 7, 2022

Brookfields Ohiti Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $22 If you’re looking for a cabernet sauvignon showing a tweak of that funky, smoky, Old World French stylism about it, then you’re snuggling into the right sleeping bag, my friend. Bold, boho-like, plummy, and bursting with earthy, roasting-pan meatiness, it also boasts grainy tannins, leathery layers, … Read More

Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020

January 7, 2022

Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020 $24.99 Made by the folk at Pegasus Bay and named after the mountainous backbone of New Zealand’s South Island, this superbly-priced pinot noir boasts a beautifully integrated red fruits and smoky, savoury notes. 40% of the grapes were fermented as whole bunches which injects some succulently chewy stem … Read More

Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2016

January 7, 2022

Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2016 $49 Six quiet, sleepy years on from vintage, this gorgeous Gimblett Gravels-grown merlot is awake and ready to roar. With cocoa-dusted boysenberry, plum and blackcurrant characters on the nose and palate, buckets of rich spices and edged with soft, smoky, caramelised oak tones, it’s a joy to drink. … Read More

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019

January 6, 2022

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $27 This is one of those wines I keep buying and re-tasting and over the last year it’s just getting more and more delicious. Ultra-friendly, juicy and chock full of cherry and hedgerow berries. Sweetly spiced and softly smoky, it’s edged with cocoa and clove and finishes ripe and … 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.