I’m writing this column on Wednesday November 9th. Trying to write while the television screen is showing that the world will need to strap itself in for a Donald Trump presidency is nigh on impossible. Just typing the words “Donald Trump Presidency” makes the vomit rise in my oesophagus a little, which also makes wine tasting nigh on impossible too.
The tension of watching each of those states heartstoppingly turn red or blue, is sending me on a fast track to an ulcer. This and the fact that I’ve also just completed a marathon effort of watching the video of that baby iguana outrunning those snakes on that beach in a bid to find its mum over and over again. I need to calm down. I stopped to take a deep breath, then fished around in my enormous handbag for something resembling a pain killer. In doing so my fingers brushed against a small bottle of wine that Tim Turvey from Clearview Estate had given me a couple of days earlier. It was a coppery gold colour (not unlike Donald Trump’s spray tan) and on it he’d sellotaped a label with the word ‘Karaka’ scratched onto it in black vivid.
“This is probably the first ever wine made in New Zealand completely without additives of any type” he’d told me. “It’s a sauvignon gris we were looking to do something different with, to find a different way of crafting it”. Sauvignon Gris is a grape, not a blend of sauvignon blanc and pinot gris and Tim and the team decided to basically do nothing with it. No added sulphur (SO2), no added yeast (they just let the natural yeasts in the environment inoculate the juice), no tannin, acid, sugar, fining or clarification agents or stabilisers. It has a fresh, musky, floral character, freshness and a hint of spice and it’s as natural as a wine can get basically. Look out for it over the coming weeks.
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Black Barn R&D Orange Wine 2016 $38 (4.5 stars)
Famed hither and thon for his tremendously golden chardonnays of all descriptions and deeply concentrated, saucy saturated reds, Dave McKee of Black Barn vineyards in Hawke’s Bay has taken a step sideways and released a shiny, new ‘orange’ wine. Inspired by a Georgian winery called Pheasant’s Tears, who ferment their wines with wild yeasts in clay vessels lined with beeswax that are buried beneath the ground, Dave McKee has taken Havelock-Hills-grown pinot gris, left it to ferment on full solids and skins for 28 days (hence the ‘orange’ colour and ‘chewy’ texture) before being transferred to older oak barrels to mature. Unfined and unfiltered it’s arguably the best, most balanced orange wine I’ve ever tried. Luscious, lifted lychee, baked pear, strudel spices, deliciously dry, grippy mouthfeel and exceptional length.
www.blackbarn.com
Millars Vineyard Syrah 2014 $25 (4.5 stars)
Take the little bendy track called Bush Lane above Mangawhai beach, and you’ll find the small but perfectly formed vineyard belonging to Ross Millar. He grows tiny amounts of darn lovely wine and this syrah is no exception. Ultra-pure peppercorn characters on the nose merge with lifted violet, dark cherry, blueberry and juicy, succulent fruit on the mid palate. It’s a deliciously fresh syrah that’s bursting with personality and peppery spark. Love it!! www.millarswines.co.nz
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Black Estate Circuit Waipara Pinot Gris 2016 $24 (4 stars)
Tangy quince and japonica jelly notes on the nose lead to a fat, juicy, sassy apple and pear smashup in the mouth. It’s bursting with freshness, attitude and natural sweetness that’s balanced by racy, gum-numbing acidity. Thinking of demolishing some deliciously aged crumbly cheddar? This will be awesome.
Howard Park Leston Shiraz 2012 $43 (4.5 stars)
When wines like this arrive at the Lorkin office, I do my happy dance. I’d never make the cast of Limbs, or be given a place in Parris Goebel’s Royal Family, but my enthusiasm more than makes up for the lack of coordination. This shiraz absolutely bursts with clean, peppery spices. It’s also awash with dark berries and blackcurrant and shows refreshing restraint on the palate. It has lift and vibrancy and works wonders with herb and pepper crusted beef.
For stockists email info@eurovintage.co.nz
Soho White Label Marlborough Rose 2016$20 (4 stars)
Quite the prettiest rose I’ve seen in a long time, candy floss, raspberry, watermelon and classic, mouthfilling fruity clean notes burst from this gold medal winning pinky. Winemaker Dave Clouston has crafted a rich, robust little rose despite its pale, ballet-shoe colour. Delicate to look at – deadly tasty to drink. There’s a classic, creaming soda character on the finish, lipsmacking “ooh yes” acidity and like the Black Eyed Peas song, there’s an instant ‘boom boom pow’ on the palate. Pomegranate and apple salad? Yes!!
