If you can catch a whiff of struck match on your first sniff then welcome to the world of sulphide complexity, something I love o see a little bit of in my chardonnay. With smoked pineapple, grapefruit and grilled peach characters zigzagging across the palate and erupting on the finish – it’s a super stylish … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Wine column for week beginning Saturday 18th Feb, 2017
Earlier in the week I celebrated a birthday which landed me firmly on the wrong side of 40 but I’ve decided to not give any figs because I still feel like a 20 year old. I’m also secretly happy each time I notch up another birthday because it means I’ve had another year of getting … Read More
Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2016 375ml ($35) (4 stars)
I’ve loved Stonecroft gewürztraminer since aeons ago, yet this is the first time I’ve tried it made in a dessert style and I’ve got to say, it’s a real treat. I love the tangy, musky, ginger and lychee flavours, all wrapped up in a layer of manuka honey and spice. The acidity is super-refreshing and … Read More
Black Estate Waipara Rose 2016 $24 (4 stars)
Sweet cranberry, rhubarb and cherry notes on the nose, it’s ultra fruity-fragrant and has instant wham bam appeal. Bursting with cherry and raspberry intensity in the mouth, here’s a rose you won’t forget in a hurry. There’s even a peppery, slightly dense, meaty note which gives it real strength and presence. Sip with warm, spicy, … Read More
Mionetto Prestige Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut ($19.99) (3.5stars)
I love the subtle, seashell and wild flowers on the nose and the immediate juicy-dry spectrum of flavours in the mid palate. Clean, precise and packing some punch, it’s just absolutely delicious and beautifully balanced. Traditionally made using a grape called glera, this little Italian bottle of awesome will have your gums tingling and your … Read More
Mahurangi River Winery Field of Grace Reserve Chardonnay 2014 $54 (5stars)
Oh wow! I love the seductive aromas of panetone, roast fig, grapefruit and buttered crumpets that erupt from this wine and the waves of grilled peach and butterscotch that wash across the palate are rather drool-inducing too. Ultra-fresh and bursting with textural goodness, it’s a gorgeous, super-lengthy example of an old-school, multi-layered chardonnay that’s worth … Read More
Black Estate Circuit Chardonnay 2016 $24 (4 stars)
If you’re looking for a chardonnay bursting with hazelnut, citrus and hints of toast and smoke then this is for you. North Canterbury has real talent for producing chardonnay that shows sensational minerality and combine that with a skilled winemaker who can create creamy, nutty notes in the palate spectrum – then you’ve got a … Read More
Wine column for week beginning Saturday 25th Feb 2017
For a very long time I’ve been moonlighting as a wine tour guide. I do it for several reasons. The first being (and this may surprise you) the wage one receives writing a small weekly wine column is not enough to keep me in the Manolo Blahniks and Gucci clutch purses to which I was … Read More
Nevis Bluff Merrils Block Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2015 $35
Nevis Bluff Merrils Block Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2015 $35 4stars I bet if I’d popped round to your place before now, there is no way you’d have any pinot blanc stashed away. It’s one of those rarely grown grapes that I harbour a lot of love for, so when I come across one, especially … Read More
NZME Regional Newspapers Column Saturday March 18 2017
Despite the semi-glamourous image that the wine industry has around its edges, winemakers are essentially farmers. They can only harvest their crop once a year, during a tiny window of optimum fruit ripeness (between March and May) in order to extract the best possible quality juice with which to make the best quality wine they … Read More