One of the things I love most about my job is that I get a lot of parcels in the post and I happen to get ridiculously excited about opening packages of any description. Sometimes it’s obvious by the branding on the outside of the box, what I’m to expect inside. However every now and again, something anonymous will arrive bearing bottles that I’ve never heard of before and that’s when I start to fizz. Over the last month I’ve been lucky to see wines from tiny new players and it’s a great thing to see new brands with quality wines making their way nicely in such a crowded local marketplace. Colombo is Martinborough’s newishest (not a word but go with it) winery and it’s owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Carolyn Irwin from Northern Ireland and Baptist Sieber from Switzerland. Located on Todds Rd, the couple have their arms open to friends and customers for wine tastings, private functions, food and wine events and even the odd raid on their private wine collection.
The name came about after Baptiste and Carolyn spent 2 years riding six horses through the Australian outback. The team were led by a lovely beast called Colombo who suffered a broken leg during a storm and had to be put down (sob). While this sad event heralded the end of their trek, it was the beginning of a new adventure in wine in Martinborough with son Monty and their dog Bruno – they’re just hoping the wines live up to the spirit of their equine inspiration.
Another exciting, Martinborough-based newcomer is Grava Wines. Founded in 2014 by Alistair Gardner and his wife Karla Falloon, ‘Grava’ is Spanish for gravel, and it’s a name that encapsulates Alistair’s many years making wine in Galcia, Segovia, Toro and Malaga, and of course the deep, free-draining alluvial soils of their local operation. In fact, the logo on their bottle is a sculpture made from stones found in the vineyard. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Rose and Pinot Noir are produced here and it’s a real family effort, with the business incorporating loads of in-laws and of course, their black lab-huntaway cross “Pepe” who does all the leg work.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Grava Martinborough Pinot Noir 2015 $45 (4.5 stars)
Wow! How intense is the fruit in this wine? Chock full of baked cherry, blackened berries, sweet, dark cocoa and baking spices, this little lovely from Lake Ferry Road has it all. Tiny amounts are made by Alastair Gardner and his wife Karla Falloon from grapes grown in deep gravel soils (hence ‘grava’), which provides a huge influence on the final wine. The logo on the bottle is of a sculpture created from their gravels. Sip with pork rillets.
www.greatlittlevineyards.com
Colombo Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $20 (4 stars)
Beg, steal, borrow, do whatever it is you need to do in order to secure yourself a bottle of this ultra ripe, plump passionfruit and peachy wine produced by Swiss-Irish couple Carolyn Irwin and Baptist Sieber. I love the herbaceous elements and layers of lemongrass on the finish and it’s just perfect with mussel fritters drizzled with dill and lemon
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How’s your week been so far? Bored already? Stretch your tastebuds to some vinous Sudoku with these babies…
Silver Wing Nada Reserve Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $38 (3.5 stars)
Think you’ve tasted every kind of chardonnay? Well this’ll have you scratching your head while nodding at the same time. This wine is called NADA because of what it doesn’t contain and that’s absolutely no preservatives (sulphites) or any other chemical additions were used by winemaker Andrew Fox in this chardonnay. Hand-picked, whole bunch pressed straight into French barrels and fermented with wild, natural yeasts and aged for 11 months before being bottled without fining or filtration – it’s a citrus-led, chalky-dry style with a spritzy, nutty finish.
To purchase email silverwing@inorbit.com
Millton Te Arai Gisborne Muskats @Dawn 2016 $20 (3.5 stars)
On these sun-soaked summer days, sometimes all you want is a glass of something super-chilled and something that’s not going to knock you sideways. Well here’s your answer. At a positively demure 8.5% alcohol, this organic, biodynamically-produced, musky, peachy white is a fruity, trop-fest of a wine that’ll keep everyone happy. Light, lovely and luscious with rockmelon wrapped in prosciutto.
Ohinemuri Estate Kapaki Reserve ‘Taniwha’ 2014 $30 (2.5 stars)
Horst and Wendy Hillerich reside in quite possibly New Zealand’s cutest little winery deep inside the Karangahake gorge, high above the Ohinemuri River. Horst sources fruit from different regions for his wines and this blend of cabernet franc, pinotage and merlot is on the herbal end of the spectrum, so prepare for menthol, spearmint and leafy lean-ness and elastic tannins. There’s some dark berry concentration in the background, so maybe another year or two in the bottle may flesh this out somewhat.
