Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon 2014 $30 ★★★★½ I love the fragrance of passionfruit curd, lemon blossom and hints of herbaceousness in this wine. Crafted from prime Hawke’s Bay sauvignon blanc, blended with a splash of semillon and sauvignon gris, it’s an out-there kind of style that’s less of a ‘sauvignon’ and more a … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 ★★★★ The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes from the façade of the 14th century Sicilian Santagostino Monastry in Trapani, so yes, the bottle looks good, but it tastes like money too. Liquorice, raspberry, dusty rose and pepper aromatics merge with rosehip and pomegranate flavours, fresh acidity, … Read More
We’ve got Wine Sustainability…
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 1 Mar 2016 You’d be hard pressed these days to pick up a bottle of New Zealand wine and not see a ‘Sustainable New Zealand Winegrowing’ emblem on the back label. It began when NZ Winegrowers launched the ambitious initiative back in 2007 after years of research into holistic … Read More
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012 $27 ★★★★ Sourced from one of the oldest bodega’s in the Llujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza in Argentina, this is a blend of 40% malbec, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot and 10% syrah that’s been aged for 12 months in French oak. I love its black fruit intensity, liquorice … Read More
Three from the length of the country
Published NZ Herald Sat 27 Feb 2016 From the tropical far north, to the dry, dusty heat of Hawke’s Bay, to the coolness of Canterbury and beyond, the vines are thriving under our summer sun with bunches fit to burst come harvest time… Butterfish Bay Pinot Gris 2015 $20 ★★★½ Pinot gris is … Read More
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014 $42 ★★★★ Who would have thought that big, busty, dusty Spanish red grapes like Tempranillo would ever be happy growing in a tiny, 10 acre, sub-tropical pocket of Northland? Not many, if any. But Rod McIvor of Marsden Estate had full faith and this juicy, plush, spicy red … Read More
Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris 2015
Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris 2015 $29 ★★★★ Winemaker Todd Stevens and viticulturist Richard Flatman have done a cracker of a job creating pinot gris that smells like pear and apple strudel served with poached quince and cream. Exotically spicy, chock full of ripe fruit and has a deeply textural mouthfeel that’s fresh and funky. A … Read More
Fox Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Fox Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $18 ★★★½ This is a sweet, sweaty sauvignon crafted by 40-year winemaking veteran John Belsham and his team at Foxes Island Wines, and for the price it’s a darn good drink. Classic passionfruit and basil and even a splash of elderflower followed by a lick of lemongrass and lime. Nicely … Read More
Beach House Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2013
Beach House Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2013 $25 ★★★★★ Outrageously good. So good in fact it was selected a one of just twelve wines to represent the very best of the famous Gimblett Gravels appellation from the much lauded 2013 vintage. That it’s only $25 a bottle is quite staggering because it tastes better than … Read More
Clos Marguerite Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Clos Marguerite Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $27 ★★★★½ For me, sauvignon blanc’s like this absolutely scream their sense of place. From a mile away you can tell it’s from the Awatere Valley because of the gorgeous elderflower, lemon blossom, peach and lime perfume typical of the region that just romp from the glass. Delicate herbaceousnesss, … Read More