Delta Hatters Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $34 (5stars)

29 March 2017By Yvonne

I really enjoy this kind of pinot noir, the kind that packs a punch with a fistful of fruit in a cloud of sexy spices.  Plush cherry and raspberry layers are interwoven with sweet black tea and allspice on the nose and palate, the acidity adds succulence and juiciness to the mouthfeel and the tannins … Read More

Pegasus Bay Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $41 (5stars)

29 March 2017By Yvonne

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

Wine column for week beginning Saturday 18th Feb, 2017

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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

Black Estate Waipara Rose 2016 $24 (4 stars)

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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)

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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)

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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)

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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

28 March 2017By Yvonne

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

24 March 2017By Yvonne

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