I had one of those sit-bolt-upright-and-gasp moments the other day when I suddenly realised that I’d actually been working in wine for eighteen years! It seems like only yesterday that I rocked into Glengarry’s on Ponsonby Road, approached the cool kids at the counter and announced that I was there to do an instore wine tasting. I was working for a television network in sales at the time and a mate of mine who ran a Temping Agency was stuck for a ‘wine girl’ to cover a busy shift. She knew I enjoyed a sip or seven, plus she promised me the princely sum of eleven dollars an hour, so I was in!
The cool kids gave me a barrel to lean against, some tiny plastic cups for people to taste out of, some bottles of wine they wanted to sell (I think it may have even been Sacred Hill at the time) and I was away. I’d done some research, picked up on some facts about the winery, came up with a little spiel about each variety, got to grips with some techy details like alcohol levels, titrateble acidity, vintage characteristics and I was armed and ready for action.
“Hi there sir, would you like to taste some of this gorgeous new Hawke’s Bay chardonnay? You would? Fantastic! Not only is it ridiculously tasty, it’s also on special tonight for just $12 a bottle (or something)” I think I sold a couple of dozen bottles over a few hours in that busy little wine shop and I felt so proud of myself. I had great chat with enthusiastic customers and I’d soaked up volumes of knowledge from the staff in the store. I loved being able to share with other people what I enjoyed about the wines and what I’d learned about the winery. I couldn’t wait to have another crack at it…
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Tohu Mugwi Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $25 ★★★½
Prepare to have your perceptions of sauvignon blanc altered immediately! With intense aromas of watercress, freshly-baled pea hay and smoked jalapenos, this is a seriously funky, complex style style that’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Named in honour of Mugwi MacDonald, the late treasured Kaumatua of Maori-owned and operated Tohu Wines, it’s a wine crafted from hand-harvested, Awatere Valley fruit that’s been fermented with wild yeasts and matured in French oak barriques. It’s stunning with parmesan and fennel gratin…
Spade Oak Gisborne Rosé 2015 $18.50 ★★★½
Most rose styles in New Zealand are made from pinot noir or various combos of merlot, syrah and the like. However, Steve and Eileen Voysey at Spade Oak have chosen to go with saucy, Spanish tempranillo for theirs – and it works a treat. Dry, spicy and packed with red apple, raspberry, spiced watermelon, hints of creaming soda and nutty notes. Sip with skate wings dusted with chorizo crumbs, lemon and capers
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Duca Di Castelmonte Diantha 2013 $22 ★★★★
Made from a blend of Malvasia and Grecanico, this delicious wine has the most alluring, musky-sweet, nashi pear and lemon blossom perfume and it’s so fresh and crisp and delicately fruity on the palate that it’s perfect for seafood dishes that feature a splash of chilli and spice. The shiny, new, state-of-the-art winery is located in Marsala in Sicily’s Cardilla region and they grow a smorgasbord of other indigenous local varieties like nero d’avola, grillo, inzolia, catarratto and zibbibo too.
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Chardonnay 2015 $19 ★★★½
Toast and roast peach characters on the nose lead to a biscuity, complex, dry style of chardonnay on the palate. There’s a squeak of grilled apricot and honey on the finish alongside a seam of clean acidity running it’s entire length. Fans of toasty, oaky chardonnays will enjoy this wine. Sip with creamy smoked chicken & bacon pasta.
Amisfield Lowburn Terrace Central Otago Riesling 2014 $25 ★★★★★
This is an absolute cracker of a riesling. I’m loving the super-clean, super-citrusy, lime, lemon curd and Pacific Queen apple characters. At a positively demure 8.5% alcohol, it certainly wont send you sideways and there’s a hefty splash of mandarin and nectarine-like sweetness in the mid-palate to keep you buoyant. Winemaker Dr Stephanie Lambert is a genius and viticulturist Andre Lategan is her gifted sidekick – together they make achingly good wines. Enjoy with chilli and lime snapper ceviche
