Great pinot noir is what I turn to when I need salvation from social media. When my Instagram feed becomes clogged with pictures of tanned, lycra-clad young things showing sneaky side-boob whilst doing yoga poses on clifftops and rocky outcrops with waves a-breaking or windswept beaches somewhere exotic and unaffordable. They have skinny arms, glossy hair and pelvic floor muscles and I hate them. I find I need two glasses of great pinot noir when I see more pictures of these impossibly beautiful yoga people posing with their ridiculously clean, designer-swathed toddlers. Inevitably mum and bubs will be slurping quinoa-smoothies and she’ll caption the photo with a sentence involving the words ‘wellbeing’, ‘balance’ and ‘energy’. To which I say just. Go. Away.
If you’re also a fan of pinot noir would you fancy owning your own barrel blend? Would you fancy being able to trace your blend right from the bunches that were harvested, all the way through to when it’s bottled with your name on it? Well Mount Michael in Central Otago can make that happen. It’s the brainchild of owner Anna Robbie, who says it’s about offering wine-lovers a transparent service. “We’ll handle the harvesting, crushing, aging and barrel-racking while barrel buyers will be able to then work with winemaker James McElrea to curate their own custom blend of the Mount Michael 2018 vintage”. Great pinot doesn’t happen overnight, so barrel buyers will need to patiently wait for 14 month’s post-harvest to enjoy the fruits of their investment, yet they’ll be provided current vintage wines along the way and be given private barrel tastings by James along the way. Two options are available, ‘The Enthusiast’ 1 year $18,000PA and ‘The Committed’ 3 years $14,000PA, so rally round and get your chums to chip in and embark on a personal pinodyssey.
www.mountmichaelwines.com
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Jip Jip Rocks Padthaway Shiraz 2015 $18.99 (4.5 stars)
It’s an absolute blackcurrant fest on the nose, blackcurrants marinating in a bowl made from eucalyptus leaves. Bright cherry and raspberry and boysenberry and practically every berry you can think of is in this wine. Pepper, refreshing acidity, furry tannins and fabulously warm, fuzzy length of flavour. It’s an elegant as opposed to sweet and sickly shiraz – and I really think it’s going to be a hit with food. delicious!!
www.firstglass.co.nz
Lone Goat Canterbury Ehrenfelser 2012 $18 (3 stars)
As soon as you smell this wine you’ll have a throwback to some of those crazy, hybrid varieties of the 1980’s – toasty, creamy, hints of peach and lemon – pronounced ‘air-en-fel-zer’ is a German variety from the 1920’s and Lone Goat have got the only 1.2ha of the stuff in the ground here. Honey, beeswax silky – crazy flavour spectrum – not for the faint hearted.
www.loangoat.co.nz
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When it comes to pink quaffers, you can’t go past these little sips
Castaño Yecla Monastrell Rosado 2015 $10.99 (3 stars)
Made at high altitude in Spain’s Yecla D.O district, this has the most gorgeous colour, almost like a negroni cocktail colour and has aromas of quince, yellow fruits, ultra-clean, tangy pomegranate and redcurrant. Complex tannins – beautifully complex, full, delicious, lovely.
www.thegoodwine.co.nz
Pulpoloco Campo De Borja Rosado 2015 $9.99 (3 stars)
Created from 100% Grenache grapes grown in Spain’s Campo de Borja D.O, this is a super-fruity, raspberry and cherry-saturated rosé that smells and tastes like peppercorns soaking in a glass of creaming soda. Spicy-sweet, yet nicely balanced acidity – tangy and a good little quaffer for sure. www.advintage.co.nz
Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Rosé 2017 $22 (3.5 stars)
Certified organic syrah grapes have been used to craft this dry and mineral-driven rosé that’s light and lean and best served super-chilled. Not overly full or spicy, it’s a tangy, fruity, refreshing quaffer.
www.stonecroft.co.nz
