Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Gewürztraminer 2024 $22 On your marks, get set, and GO directly to my pick for the BEST VALUE gewürztraminer for the summer. It’s Paddy Preston of Mills Reef started out making kiwifruit wine in Tauranga. He was darn good at it too. But a few years into it, back in … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Little Big Wolf Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Little Big Wolf Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 $32 So the messaging might be a teensy bit cryptic if you’re looking at the back label, and if you visit the website it’s a bit of a mission to find out exactly “who” is behind the brand. There are many mentions of ‘we’ and ‘our family’ and … Read More
Rapaura Springs Southbrook Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2023
Rapaura Springs South Brook Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 $42 Situated in the Fairhall Valley, in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys sub-region, this Dijon clone-dominant style has a creamy, cherry-red hue in the glass and boasts rhubarb, plum, cherry, rooibos tea, thyme, game meats and a lacing of five spice on the nose and palate. The tannins … Read More
Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Vineyard Omaka Valley Chardonnay 2023
Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Vineyard Omaka Valley Chardonnay 2023 $40 With gold medals and 5-star ratings up the wahzoo (technical term) this roasty, toasty bottle of peachy perfection will absolutely bring the grins to any occasion. Crafted to contain a balance of creamy complexity, it deftly works nougat notes with flinty, struck-match magic, and super-sippable, oaky, … Read More
Rapaura Springs Bull Paddock Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Rapaura Springs Bull Paddock Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 $27.99 Grown in the Dillons Point sub-region of Marlborough, this new vintage is laced with jalapeno, green olive, and green capsicum crunchiness. Hints of tomato leaf, bruised basil, lemon, grapefruit and a splash of smoked passionfruit make for a pretty darn delicious sip. It opens up … Read More
Balvonie Marlborough Prosecco Methode Traditionnelle 2023
Balvonie Marlborough Prosecco Methode Traditionnelle 2023 $35 New Zealand’s first Prosecco (despite the Italians not being happy about it, we can keep calling it that for the foreseeable future) is being made by the McLauchlan family from their vineyard in Rapaura, Blenheim. They’ve been growing Glera grapes on their family farm for a few years … Read More
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Pinot Blanc 2024
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Pinot Blanc 2024 $42 So here are a couple of cool things to know about Pinot Blanc from the good folks at Wikipedia (whom you should donate to btw). It’s also known as Pinot Bianco in Italy, Beli Pinot in Slovenia), Rulandské Biele in Slovakia and Weisser Burgunder in Germany and Austria and … Read More
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Pinot Gris 2024
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Pinot Gris 2024 $32 Wild fermented in a combo of stainless steel tanks and old, seasoned French oak barriques, the tank proportion ferment was stopped to conserve a splash of 6% residual sugar, and the wine that was in the barrels was left on its skins for a month before being fermented … Read More
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Le Pét Nat 2024
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Le Pét Nat 2024 $45 Featuring label art from Wanaka-based artist Sierra Roberts from her ‘Frida’ collection, this fresh new, natural sparkler is apricot-hued and prepare for it to become very cloudy once you pop the cap and the resting yeast lees are forced by the CO2 to blend with the wine. … Read More
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Riesling 2024
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Riesling 2024 $32 With a splash of citrus sweetness merging with classic Granny Smith apple, mandarin and layers of lemon and lime, this riesling is youthfully fresh and satisfying. A touch hollow in the mid-palate, but highly textural upfront, it’s a taut, style that would work brilliantly with spicy Thai fish cakes. … Read More