Published NZ Herald Sat 9 Jan 2016
Just when you’re thinking about hauling your carcass into some active wear and going for a jog, wait, shuffle around the block; you see a wine column singing the praises of those luxuriously decadent dessert wines you love so much. Curses…
Johanneshof Noble Late Harvest Marlborough Riesling 2011 375ml $27
Amber-pink gold and glistening in the glass, there are just minute amounts available of this wine which has gathered enough gold medals and accolades, the maintenance guy at Johanneshof has had to strengthen the prize cupboard in the pool room. With classic toffee and manuka honey glaze alongside a hint of beeswax on the nose and palate, it’s massively sweet but carries a hefty vein of acidity to freshen and ‘tang’ things up. Love it.
Pegasus Bay Waipara Barrique Fermented Noble Semillon Sauvignon 2011 375ml $37
Wow! I love the amber-topaz colour of this glossy dessert wine. It smells like honey drizzled over oatcakes and there’s an exotic toffee note cloaking baked stonefruit and an intense sweetness encasing a monster 14.5% alcohol. Wild yeast fermented and aging for two years in barrel has created an un-put-downably delicious wine with a squeak of apricot and caramelised cinnamon sugar on crumpets. Dangerously good.
Music Bay Autumn Marlborough Sauvignon 2012 375ml $18
No mistaking which grape variety this sweet treat is made from. From the instant whiff of passionfruit curd, tangy lemon verbena, sweet cut grass and complex lime and caramelised capsicum characters, you know it’s a rare example of dessert sauvignon blanc. It’s got a crazy spectrum of flavours that will no doubt polarise people; but at this price I encourage you to give it a nudge.
