This is an absolutely stunning example of a softly, beautifully balanced, barrel fermented style that’s organically and biodynamically produced. I love that it has aromas of fresh pollen, subtle lime, marzipan and lemongrass rather than the traditional passionfruit and cats pee. Deliciously textural and showing soft herbaceousness, nutty notes and a layer of freshy-baled hay-like … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Toño Mas O Menos 2015 $17.95 (3.5 stars)
Crafted by local lad Antony Mackenzie, Toño (Ton Yo) are a new twist on Spanish wines being grown in sunny Hawke’s Bay and it’s also the nickname of ‘Antonio’ in the Spanish language. This blend includes 55% Syrah, 30% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. ‘Mas o Menos’ means ‘More or Less’ which is the case as … Read More
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017 $17.99 (3.5 stars)
Brand spanky and bursting with berries, this merlot is lighter in style than the previous vintage, but has a silky, spice-driven backbone and a warming, cuddly, savoury sippability. It’s a soft, supple, crowd pleaser of a wine with buckets of berries to put smile on everyone’s’ face. Available in supermarkets everywhere.
Black Barn Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2017 $26 (4 stars)
Winemaker Dave McKee showed up on my doorstep recently, clutching a bottle of this shiny new wine looking grinny and proud. Deservedly so. Luxuriously textured, bursting with baked apple and spiced pear, white pepper and naturally juicy citrus characters. A hint of quince and racy acidity to finish shoots this gris into the sip-o-sphere. It … Read More
Quest Farm Grand Central Pinot Noir 2014 $28 (4 stars)
If silky, slippery, spice-saturated pinot noir for under $30 is your jam then get the good glasses out of the cabinet and get ready to pour. Crafted by Mark Mason (one of the founders of Sacred Hill) and viticultural consultant Michelle Crawford, this frisky four year old has buckets of moody, broody cherry and boxwood … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin wine column for week beginning Sat 26 May 2018
It’s that time of the year, when the ducks are quacking and the deer are on the roar. The menfolk shake the spiders out of their swanndri’s and talk in code to each other on the phone, hatching plans to hunt and kill anything with fur or feathers. They leave at dusk or dawn and … Read More
Peter Lehmann The Barossan Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016 $19.99
Glossy and inky in the glass, this shiraz delivers a sweet, plummy, roundhouse kick to your cakehole. Hints of toasted coconut merge with a smorgasbord of spices, buckets of berries and luxurious layers of cocoa-dusted character on the finish. Sip with: Classic lamb moussaka. www.vinofino.co.nz
Macaw Creek Organic Preservative Free Mt Lofty Shiraz 2014 $26
Located in the Gilbert Valley, in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, Macaw Creek are responsible for a rather rare thing, creating a shiraz made without sulphur dioxide or other preservatives and… It’s. Actually. Very. Good*. Pure, fruity and packed solid with raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry characters, its super-fresh, plucky and very pretty. Sip … Read More
Sons Of Eden Remus Eden Valley Old Vine Shiraz 2015 $84.99
This wine scooped the trophy for the Best Shiraz at the recent Winewise Championship, an exclusive show only open to wines that’ve won gold medals at major city wine shows in Australia. It’s a competition to find the best of the best and this wine has done the unheard of – it’s won it twice … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat 26th May 2018
Well tie me kangaroo down, if these three shiraz’s aren’t about as full of flavour as a centipedes sock drawer*… Sons Of Eden Remus Eden Valley Old Vine Shiraz 2015 $84.99 This wine scooped the trophy for the Best Shiraz at the recent Winewise Championship, an exclusive show only open to wines that’ve won gold … Read More