Certified organic, this wine is one huge high-five as to why Nelson is considered New Zealand’s spiritual home of the aromatic white wines. ‘Kaimira’ is named after an old flour mill built near the site of the original winery, but today it’s all about the grapes. Perfumed with nectarine and jasmine and sultry, dusky, musky … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Gewurztraminer 2015 $17.99
This is about as natural as it gets for gewurztraminer production. Nicola and Geoff Wright are organic pioneers in Gisborne and alongside not adding any herbicides, insecticides or fungicides, they’re also not adding any yeast, opting instead for wild, ‘natural’ yeasts to conduct the ferment. Here’s a funkier, smokier, drier style, laced with lychee and … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat August 19th 2017
In New Zealand and France, we call the syrah grape ‘syrah’. In Australia they call the exact same grape ‘shiraz’. Why? No one has any idea mate… Redmetal Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2015 $22 As far as red wine guru’s go in this country, Grant Edmonds has got to be one of the most revered. … Read More
Langmeil Valley Floor Barossa Shiraz 2013 $37
On the property at Langmeil grow some of the world’s oldest shiraz vines, yet the winemaking team are always on the scout for great fruit from independent growers around the Barossa to inject diversity into their wines. This wine is crafted from a smorgasbord of stunning shiraz sites and simply erupts with blackcurrant, boysenberry and … Read More
Redmetal Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2015 $22
As far as red wine guru’s go in this country, Grant Edmonds has got to be one of the most revered. He leads a double life as the chief winemaker for Sileni Estates while also nurturing his own fruit into the bottle. This is a pure, perfumed, peppery example grown in the famous, iron-rich gravels … Read More
Baron de Badassière Syrah Pays D’OC 2014 $26
Badassière by name and badass by nature, this spicy, roundhouse kick of a syrah is produced in the Languedoc region in the south of France and is named after Baron Charles Emmanuel, the illegitimate son of King Louis XV. Plump plummy characters are buttoned up with pepper and dusty notes and a lick of leather. … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column Saturday August 12 2017
So you’re 40-something, female and finding whiskers in weird places on your face? Fret not. Sip these and forget the horror. Vidal Legacy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $59.99 Oh lordy, what a wine! With its alluring aromas of grilled grapefruit, roast peach, toasted almonds and a hint of smoke, I struggled to peel the glass … Read More
Akarua Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2016 $43
Crafted from fruit sourced from their Felton Road and Cairnmuir vineyards, after all the medals this wine has hauled in, it deserves to be given ‘national treasure’ status surely. Clove, mace, baked cherry, anise and buckets of bouncy, plush acidity and cuddly, furry tannins make this a ‘must try before you die’ wine. It’s darn … Read More
Gladstone Vineyard Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $27
Throwing themselves headlong into organic viticulture, Christine Kernohan and her team of sauvignon sensei’s are reaping the rewards right here. Softly, softly is how this super-floral example plays out, with hints of fresh lawn clippings, basil, sweet pea and some plucky, preserved lemon layers give it lusciousness, length and complexity. Sip with: steamed snapper with … Read More
Vidal Legacy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $59.99
Oh lordy, what a wine! With its alluring aromas of grilled grapefruit, roast peach, toasted almonds and a hint of smoke, I struggled to peel the glass away from my nose for long enough to actually put any in my gob! Thankfully I persisted, because it’s ultra-fresh, beautifully layered with banging citrus and succulent stonefruit … Read More