It’s the aroma of subtle spices, rain drops on hot stones and creamy stonefruit which seduces you from the get go. Yet don’t be lulled into thinking it’s going to be sweet because there’s a solid seam of acidity which slices across the palate like a samurai sword. The freshness and purity on show in … Read More
Author: Yvonne
La Croix de Maunay Vouvray 2014 $22.50
There’s a lovely slap of tangy, natural sweetness in this apple-packed sensation. Summer flowers, ripe nectarine and homemade lemonade notes leap from the glass and it’s practically impossible to put down once you’ve had that first sip. Tropical, clean, fruit-saturated and stunning. Sip with: blue cheese and herb soufflé www.mvauron.co.nz
Jovly Vouvray 2015 $22.50
I LOVE the aroma of baked granny smith apples, grilled peaches, hints of cinnamon, honeysuckle and a twang of pineapple. All of which instantly osmose onto the palate and leave a juicy, fresh, almost exfoliating texture on the finish. Generous, succulent and intensely satisfying. Sip with: twice cooked, five spice pork belly www.mvauron.co.nz
Canvas column week commencing 19th November, 2016
Tucked away in the Touraine district of France’s Loire Valley is the 2,000-hectare Vouvray appellation. Pronounced ‘Voo-Vray’, it’s the spiritual home of chenin blanc, one of the greatest, most food-friendly white wines around… Jovly Vouvray 2015 $22.50 I LOVE the aroma of baked granny smith apples, grilled peaches, hints of cinnamon, honeysuckle and a twang of pineapple. … Read More
Meyer-Näkel Illusion Blanc de Noir AHR 2015 $49
I LOVE this wine!! A wine I’d never heard of until this month is now one of my favourite things in the world. Located in the Ahr Valley, one of Germany’s oldest, northernmost and smallest wine regions, Näkel are pinot specialists growing on a tiny 18ha site on steep, south-facing slopes of greywacke and weathered … Read More
COS Frappato 2015 $39
This is the very first time I’ve tasted anything made from the Frappato grape, and it’s a revelation. COS, is a fully biodynamic, ‘natural’ wine producer in Sicily, named after the surnames of the three founders, friends Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Pinuccia Strano and launched in 1980. It is “pregno” with plush raspberry, cherry, … Read More
Crown Range Cellar China Girl Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 $64.90
Handpicked fruit from the Chinamans’ Terrace Vineyard in Bendigo has been crafted by pinot-guru Grant Taylor into a delicate and highly floral wine with clove and cherry characters on the nose and a rich, juicy and youthful palate boasting hints of dried herbs and charred tree bark on the finish. Created to celebrate the hardworking … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 26th November, 2016
This week I’m unveiling a seriously tasty trinity hailing from New Zealand, Italy and Germany. So enjoy, salute and prost the weekend away… Crown Range Cellar China Girl Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 $64.90 Handpicked fruit from the Chinamans’ Terrace Vineyard in Bendigo has been crafted by pinot-guru Grant Taylor into a delicate and highly … Read More
Mt. Beautiful Cheviot Hills Pinot Noir 2014 $33
Gorgeous aromas of tamarillo, rooibos tea, craisins and fresh cherry wash across the nose and tastebuds. Cheviot is the sleepy little North Canterbury enclave responsible for this juicy, softly spiced and rather succulent pinot noir, and it even has a hint of red rose and raspberry on the finish. It’s perfumed, plush and seductive. Sip … Read More
Greystone Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $39.00
It’s been 11 years since the Thomas family first put vines in the ground at Greystone and then harvested for this vintage. The chardonnay is now really hitting its straps. Rich and golden in the glass and smelling of, oh lord, just the most delicious melange of almond biscuits rubbed with grapefruit pith and dipped … Read More