Crippled by tradition
I could feel myself slipping. The grass was too slick, the angle of the bank too angular and my choice of footwear completely unsuitable. And no, I wasn’t teetering around in stiletto’s and an ill-behaved fascinator searching for a cross-country shortcut to the port-a-loos at the Labour Day races. I was, in fact, at one with nature, scuffling down the steep bank of a stream (whose location shall remain anonymous) to check if I’d been victorious in my annual Labour Day whitebait hunt. I say ‘hunt’ because I spend a disproportionate amount of time hunting around for just the right spot to stick the waratah’s in and hook up my net. I change my mind too often. I don’t give the net enough time to settle before upsticking it to the other side of the stream because that bend in the flow over there looks more ‘whitebaity’.
I’d also spent a disproportionate amount of time in Auckland’s eastern suburbs the week leading up to said public holiday, and the subsequent addiction to wearing Allbirds® merino shoes that comes with that (they really ARE the coolest and most comfortable shoes on the planet) meant that I was wearing ‘natural’ footwear, in the ‘natural’ environment. This had disaster written all over it. So it was, that my soft, smooth-soled and seriously fashionable shoes, lost their grip on reality and had me clutching at clumps of wild fennel to avoid careening into the drink. My right knee began to twist and twist and then something went ‘ping’ and I loudly swore like I’ve never sworn before. The pain made me incandescent with rage until my husband pulled the net up and huzzah! There were enough little white swimmers in there for a breakfast fritter or five. Said fritters were fabulous, however I’d crippled myself enough to have to do this week’s tastings sitting like Lady Muck (was she a real person?) in my bed. So if my sentences appear a bit waffly, blame the mountains of Voltaren.
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Snapper Rock Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $16 (3 stars)
If you’re looking for a peach-packed quaffer then you’ve come to the right place. Soft pineapple and a splash of caramel add character to the wine and a creamy layer in the middle of the mouth brings a buttery finish. Simple but seriously sippable.
www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Te Mania Nelson Chardonnay 2015 $22 (4 stars)
I’ve been told by winemaker Lars Jensen, that this is a favourite amongst the winery staff and that they’re having to fast track the next vintage because it’s all being consumed in house! That’s hardly surprising because it’s a lovely drop. Fresh nectarine and toasty, buttered crumpet flavours are dusted with cinnamon and dolloped with cream. Get it while you can.
www.temania.co.nz
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Ernesto Catena Padrillos Malbec 2016 $22 (4 stars)
It was SO exciting to open this new vintage of one of my favourite wines from last year to see that it’s just as delicious, albeit better than the 2014. Fresh acidity, perfectly prickly alcohol and layers of dark berries, cocoa powder, roast beetroot and a squeak of tobacco. ‘Padrillos’ means ‘stallion’ in Spanish, named after the wild herds that appeared in the dreams of Argentine winemaker Ernesto Catena. It’s warm, velvety and has vavoom with venison and mushroom meatballs.
www.moorewilsons.co.nz
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014 $32.90 (4.5 stars)
Incredibly bright on the nose, bursting with ripe boysenberry, plum cherry and sweetly spiced, smoky notes. Here’s a deeply flavoured, rich and satisfyingly fruity blend, with layers of leather and cocoa carrying through to the finish. I love the refreshing, vibrant acidity and its gripping, yet supple tannins. It’s a very precise yet plush and generous wine made by the talented twosome of Hamish Clark and Matt Thomson. And it frolics and scampers spicily across the tongue with lamb navarin.
www.saintclair.co.nz
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2015 $40 (4.5 stars)
Absolutely rocketing out of the gate from a standing start comes this shiny new chardonnay from one of Hawke’s Bay’s elite producers. Declaration wines are only produced in exceptional vintages and the 2014 won a trophy at the largest wine show in the world the 2017 IWSC and the 2015 will do great things too. Elegant and restrained, while showing a backbone of grapefruit, lemon, and a drop of pineapple and peach soak through carefully structured, smoky oak. Highly precise style, fresh and taut.
www.pask.co.nz
