Excruciatingly gorgeous to drink in that it’s torture knowing that your glass will eventually end. I love the lift of vanilla, pepper, dark chocolate and intense boysenberry layers in this merlot syrah malbec blend by the talented team over at Soho. Dense, dark berries, smoke, cured meats and solid, dusty oak creates supreme definition of … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Wine column week commencing 15th July, 2017
Can this winter just go take a flying leap into see-you-laterville please? My back lawn is no better than a bog right now, and it’s so soggy there’s no chance of getting the lawnmower across it before spring I reckon. Even the worms are lining up at the back door to get inside to where … Read More
Pask Small Batch Wild Yeast Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $25
Kate Radburnd and her team at Pask decided to get jiggy on it with the wild yeasts during the 2016 harvest and this snazzy little sip is the result. People often think if indigenous yeasts are used, the wine is going to smell and taste a tad funky, however this is a dangerously drinkable, clean, … Read More
Domaine Bernard Defaix Cuvee Vielle Vigne Chablis 2014 $53
Get ready, get set and go to a happy place of intense lemony, chalky notes that sit up and shout “Oi! I’m a Chablis!” Made from clean, concentrated chardonnay fruit, the result of 100% tank fermentation is a wine bursting with buckets of smashed quartz, grapefruit pith and minerality to burn. Punchy, peach-driven and deliciously … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 8th July, 2017
Lionel Ritchie once sang “You’re once, twice; three times a chardonnay…and I luuuuuurve you”. In my happy place they’re the right lyrics ok… Domaine Bernard Defaix Cuvee Vielle Vigne Chablis 2014 $53 Get ready, get set and go to a happy place of intense lemony, chalky notes that sit up and shout “Oi! I’m … Read More
Ake Ake Preservative Free Northland Merlot 2016 $30
“We basically just guide the wine from grape to bottle with as little interference as possible” says Ake Ake’s winemaker, John Clarke. Totally inexperienced when he bought the property in 2004, he went to the library and borrowed some books on how to grow grapes and make wine. Many medals later, he owns Northland’s only … Read More
The Family Company Gisborne Viognier 2015 $25
When art dealer Gene Walker married Gisborne-based clothes designer and café owner Chelsea Thorpe, little did he know that soon he’d be in business making wine with her dad. The Family Company are now one of Gisborne’s most exciting producers, crafting viognier (vee-yon-yay) perfumed with apricots, cardamom, jasmine and orange oil and showing ripe peach … Read More
Fox by John Belsham Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $26
This is a classic ‘berries and cream’ pinot noir, packed with pomegranate, red cherry and raspberry on the nose and palate. However there’s also this really curious aroma of roasting pan juices and savoury, spicy notes in the background, all followed by a wave of super-fruitiness again on the finish. It’s a lithe, luscious pinot … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 1st July, 2017
At Wine-a-Palooza, these quirky performers would definitely be tucked away on the Lilypad stage next to people playing with fire pois, devil sticks and hacky-sacks… Fox by John Belsham Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $26 This is a classic ‘berries and cream’ pinot noir, packed with pomegranate, red cherry and raspberry on the nose and … Read More
Ka Tahi Rangatira Gimblett Gravels Three Barrel Reserve Malbec 2015 $30
Glossy, inky dark and saturated with buckets of berries, vanilla, soft smoky notes and juicy, fleshy, savoury layers make this wine a contender for ribsticking rock star of the week for me. Gentle, textural tannins and attractive tension between the acidity and alcohol (only 13.1% btw) make this Hawke’s Bay version of the Argentinean classic … Read More