Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 5 Apr 2016
I’ve just returned home from the local premier of Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’. It’s based on the Barry Crump story Wild Pork and Watercress and stars 13yr old Julian Dennison (he’s skux, look it up), Sam Neill (he’s crusty), Rima Te Wiata (my new favourite on-screen aunty), Rhys Darby (he’s a loon), and Boy cast members, the ferociously talented Rachel House and my current crush, Cohen Holloway. The film stretches a selfie-stick above our kiwi interpretations of pop culture and somehow manages to merge scenes redolent of The Lord of the Rings and Mad Max Fury Road with the scoffing of scroggin seamlessly. I took my teenagers. They thought it was “crack up”. Not a crack up. Just ‘crack up’. They also thought the sad parts in the film were “pretty rats”. Sigh.
Taika himself makes an appearance as a priest who asks us to enter the door of Jesus and not the door of Burger Rings and Coke Zero.
It’s with that mention of liquid refreshment that I’ll park my segway on the point of this column. I love that I can pop along to one of my local cinemas (Focal Point in Hastings and Cinema Gold in Havelock North) and buy a glass of decent wine to sip during a movie. It makes me feel more comfortable, like I’m at home. And I find that if I sip one glass of wine during a film I’m less tempted to dive into the popcorn or packet of sour snakes that my children are inevitably eating.
It also represents how the ability to purchase and consume wine is a normalised part of our lives now. That an adult can sit in a comfy chair and enjoy a glass of wine while at the movies, speaks volumes about how far we’ve come culturally. This makes me a very happy kiwi.
Snapper Rock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $15 ★★★★
A perfectly friendly, fruity, passionfruit-packed sauvignon boasting layers of lemon, lime, white stonefruit and all manner of tangy, tropical tastiness. Classic Marlborough sauvignon here, and a great little wine that often comes down a few more dollars on special. www.winebox.co.nz
Ma Maison Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 $38 ★★★★
Ed Leung is a well-respected, Wellington-based dentist and his wife Marjory spent 30+ years in the banking industry, however they shared an all-consuming devotion to pinot noir, which despite all attempts, they could not shake. So today they grow their own, and with the help of winemaker Wendy Potts have created a pinot redolent of ripe cherry, black tea, rosehip and spice. It’s an elegant, succulent sip with a long, red-fruited finish. www.moorewilsons.co.nz
Baron’s and Potter ‘The Countess’ Reserve HB Chardonnay 2014 $32 ★★★★
A brand new label produced for Hawke’s Bay’s Barons and Potter families by Hamish Jardine of Crab Farm, this is an ultra-tropical chardonnay showing hints of honey, spiced pineapple and peach crumble on the palate. There’s a hint of creaminess, but it’s the tang that prevails through to the finish. Available from www.nzwinecentre.co.nz
Domaine Schlumberger Les Princes Abbes Pinot Blanc 2013 $24 ★★★★½
I am totally, 100% in love with this wine. You don’t see much in the way of pinot blanc here in NZ, imported or otherwise, so to come across one that’s so delicious and affordable then I’m all over it. Lean, clean white peach, chalky notes, preserved lemon, hints of salt and pepper, nectarine and oyster shell-like texture, make this a really complex, dry yet mouthfillingly rich wine. Special.
Wild South Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $17 ★★★½
Bright raspberry and cherry aromas leap out of the glass in this super-approachable and super-affordable pinot. Gentle spices, soft plummy fruit and an attractive vein of earthiness on the palate makes this a really easy pinot noir to enjoy at any stage of play. Nice to sip on it’s own, but with some duck liver pate it’s darn lovely. Widely available.
