Published NZ Herald Sat April 9th 2016
You’ve spent the week working hard to be all things to all people. Maintaining through the demands of family, friends, your workplace and those pesky SocMed platforms that’ll forget you in a click if you don’t ‘like’, ‘share’, ‘regram’, ‘retweet’ or ‘snap’ something every seven minutes.
Good wine doesn’t care. It always has your back.
Fontanafredda Le Fronde Moscato d’Asti 2013 $35
At just 5% alcohol, this is a super-light, super-sweet little sip that’ll perk up even the most jaded tastebuds. Forget any past experiences with bad old, mass-produced Asti because this is the genuine article. Pure, uncut awesomeness. With a deliciously delicate, creamy mousse, lifted, musky apricot and honeysuckle flavours and a long, spritzy finish – it’s a stunner. www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Sip with: Thai fish cakes.
Craggy Range Te Kahu 2014 $27
Craggy Range’s ‘Giants’ winery (located in Hawke’s Bay’s Tuki Tuki Valley) is often enveloped in early morning mist which rises above the river. They’ve named this wine Te Kahu, (‘The Cloak’ in Maori) in homage to this mist. Like the 2013 vintage, this blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc, has deep colour saturation, layers of earthy spices and berryfruit, bold tannins and a vein of soft cocoa on the finish. www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Sip with: chargrilled lamb chops
Nga Waka Home Block Martinborough Chardonnay 2015 $40
If you’re a fan of buttery chardonnay, this brand new vintage from Martinborough’s Parkinson family will have you grinning. With roasty, toasty, nutty notes gleaned from barrel fermentation, soft, creamy layers from the full malolactic ferment and tangy nectarine and peach flavours soaking through to the finish, it’s a ‘thinkers’ chardonnay. I’m also certain it’ll also gain more delicious complexity and depth over the next 3-5 years. www.ngawaka.co.nz
Sip with: bacon-wrapped scallops
