Crafted from a blend of 52% pinot gris, 36% pinot noir and 12% chardonnay, this fast became a new favourite of mine. With just 2500 bottles being made, you’ll need to be in quick because winemaker Lance Redgwell and his wife Bridie are on to a total winner here. Produced using organic and biodynamic techniques, … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Wine column week commencing 14 May, 2016
Cambridge Road Martinborough Papillon Rosé 2015 $25 ★★★★½ Crafted from a blend of 52% pinot gris, 36% pinot noir and 12% chardonnay, this fast became a new favourite of mine. With just 2500 bottles being made, you’ll need to be in quick because winemaker Lance Redgwell and his wife Bridie are on to a total … Read More
Amisfield Lowburn Terrace Central Otago Riesling 2014 $25 ★★★★★
This is an absolute cracker of a riesling. I’m loving the super-clean, super-citrusy, lime, lemon curd and Pacific Queen apple characters. At a positively demure 8.5% alcohol, it certainly wont send you sideways and there’s a hefty splash of mandarin and nectarine-like sweetness in the mid-palate to keep you buoyant. Winemaker Dr Stephanie Lambert is … Read More
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Chardonnay 2015 $19 ★★★½
Toast and roast peach characters on the nose lead to a biscuity, complex, dry style of chardonnay on the palate. There’s a squeak of grilled apricot and honey on the finish alongside a seam of clean acidity running it’s entire length. Fans of toasty, oaky chardonnays will enjoy this wine. Sip with creamy smoked chicken … Read More
Duca Di Castelmonte Diantha 2013 $22 ★★★★
Made from a blend of Malvasia and Grecanico, this delicious wine has the most alluring, musky-sweet, nashi pear and lemon blossom perfume and it’s so fresh and crisp and delicately fruity on the palate that it’s perfect for seafood dishes that feature a splash of chilli and spice. The shiny, new, state-of-the-art winery is located … Read More
Spade Oak Gisborne Rosé 2015 $18.50 ★★★½
Most rose styles in New Zealand are made from pinot noir or various combos of merlot, syrah and the like. However, Steve and Eileen Voysey at Spade Oak have chosen to go with saucy, Spanish tempranillo for theirs – and it works a treat. Dry, spicy and packed with red apple, raspberry, spiced watermelon, hints … Read More
Tohu Mugwi Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $25 ★★★½
Prepare to have your perceptions of sauvignon blanc altered immediately! With intense aromas of watercress, freshly-baled pea hay and smoked jalapenos, this is a seriously funky, complex style style that’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Named in honour of Mugwi MacDonald, the late treasured Kaumatua of Maori-owned and operated Tohu Wines, it’s a wine crafted … Read More
Wine column week commencing May 21st, 2016
I had one of those sit-bolt-upright-and-gasp moments the other day when I suddenly realised that I’d actually been working in wine for eighteen years! It seems like only yesterday that I rocked into Glengarry’s on Ponsonby Road, approached the cool kids at the counter and announced that I was there to do an instore wine … Read More
Pegasus Bay Encore Noble Riesling 2014 $39 ★★★★★
Ancient glacial stones and mineral-rich gravels pervade the soils that this riesling grows upon, and during warm, moist days those berries succumb to botrytis infection with renders the juice golden and honeyed. Expect glorious honeyed citrus and toffee-coated stonefruit alongside tangy, lip-puckering acidity and a deeply complex, flavourful finish. Outstanding. Sweet and succulently indulgent. www.pegasusbay.com
Pegasus Bay Waipara Merlot Cabernet 2013 $31.50 ★★★½
Southern-style Bordeaux blends might not have been on your radar before, but a sip of this will have you honing in on it pronto. Deeply savoury aromas of soy, black olive, dark berries, dusty cocoa characters and dried bay and thyme all cuddle around plump, ripe plum and bold spicy fruity flavours. Caramelised oak and … Read More