Allan Scott Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2015 $19 ★★★½ Just in case you needed a refresher, it’s pronounced (gah-werts-tra-meener) and it translates to ‘spicy wine’ in German, it’s spiritual homeland. Fans of Turkish Delight will want to do a little dance as soon as they sip this, because with its alluring rose petal, ginger and musky-sweet lychee-like … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Clearview Two Pinnacles Malbec Cabernet Franc 2013
Clearview Two Pinnacles Malbec Cabernet Franc 2013 $29 ★★★★ Named after the two jagged rocky pinnacles clinging to life against the relentless Cape Kidnappers surf down the road from Clearview on the southern tip of Hawke’s Bay – this wine has real ‘edge’ and complexity. Unfiltered and oozing deep damson plum, pepper and smoky tones … Read More
McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah 2014
McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah 2014 $24 ★★★★ If two of your favourite scents are berries and vanilla then you’ll probably be tempted to dab this behind your ears before you even sip it. Vibrant, exciting and despite being soft and silky on the palate, it’s absolutely loaded with flavour. Petite Sirah is known as … Read More
Amisfield Central Otago Dry Riesling 2014
Amisfield Central Otago Dry Riesling 2014 $25 ★★★★½ Winemaker Dr Stephanie Lambert and her team have absolutely cracked it with this ultra-clean, dry riesling that bursts with crunchy granny smith apple, juicy lime and flinty, wet stone minerality. It’s intensely vibrant, mouthwatering even, and I love the gum-tingling texture on the finish. www.amisfield.co.nz
Spade Oak Voysey Gisborne Syrah Tempranillo 2013
Spade Oak Voysey Gisborne Syrah Tempranillo 2013 $23 ★★★½ Tempranillo might be the signature red grape in the Spanish Rioja wines, yet over in Gisborne, Steve Voysey has had a crack at blending it with syrah which has its h0me in France’s Southern Rhone region. It’s resulted in a wine with sweet, almost medicinal aromas … Read More
Nikau Point Select Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Nikau Point Select Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 $13.99 ★★½ The Nikau Point brand has recently been given a spruce up, meaning it looks a tad more stylish on the table, which is always a good thing with a sub-$15 bottle. This is a lightweight red that has layers of dried herb, berry and spice … Read More
Cristina Ascheri Gavi de Gavi DOCG 2014
Cristina Ascheri Gavi de Gavi DOCG 2014 $29 ★★★★★ Straight off the bat, I LOVE this wine! Crafted from Cortese grapes (how cool is that for a grape name), this is a supremely classy, dry white wine with alluring aromas of crunchy green apple, freshly bruised basil, white pepper and wet stones. It’s generously proportioned in … Read More
Santa Sofia Lugana Veneto 2014
Santa Sofia Lugana Veneto 2014 $22 ★★★½ This super-dry Italian white wine is made from 100% trebbiano grapes grown in the Lugana DOC area of Lombardy in the northern part of the country. With deliciously complex aromas of almond meal, oats, lime and sea breezes, it’ll definitely appeal to anyone who likes to explore whites … Read More
Three reasons we should toast today
Published NZ Herald Sat 19 Mar 2016 Reasons to be cheerful. On this day in 1932 the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, on the same day in 1957 Elvis Presley bought Graceland and today in 1984, the TV show ‘Kate & Allie’ premiered. Let’s raise a toast to random trivia… Amisfield Central Otago … Read More
Wine Talk: Spicy Reds
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 15 Mar 2016 One of the most common questions I’m asked next to “Mum where are my socks?” and “Do you know where the toilets are? (I must have one of those ‘she-knows-where-the-toilets-are faces)?” Is “Yvonne why must I pay so much money to buy a bottle of wine … Read More