The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz NV $29 ★★★★ Despite being recent converts to the sparkling shiraz, Kiwis are loving it; one sip of this tongue-pumpingly sweet sparkler and you’ll see why. Dark black-currant and cherry flavours merge with a blast of mocha, bitter chocolate and baking spices on the palate, plus there’s a lick of zingy … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Byrne Vineyard Northland Chardonnay 2014
Byrne Vineyard Northland Chardonnay 2014 $29 ★★★★½ I really like the creamy, honeyed toast aromas in this wine, they merge with the youthful oak, and ripe nectarine and grilled pineapple punch in the mid palate. This is lovely stuff indeed from winemaker Ben Byrne – a definite Northland star producer. www.byrnewine.com
Chocolate Box Cherry Chocolate GSM 2013
Chocolate Box Cherry Chocolate GSM 2013 $23 ★★★★ If you prefer your reds to be sweet, plummy, plush and velvety-smooth, then this will definitely spin your wheels because it’s all of the above and more. Juicy, generous dark fruit, loads of spice and chocka with chocolate, this blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre is fleshy, … Read More
Tohu Rewa Methode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blanc 2012
Tohu Rewa Methode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blanc 2012 $32 ★★★★ A couple of years in the bottle has seen this impressive Marlborough-grown, 100% chardonnay-based bubbles mature very nicely indeed. Deep straw-yellow colour and showing delicate beading and smooth cashew nut and creamy lemon characters on the nose and palate give this sparkling good complexity and … Read More
The Barry Bros. Shiraz Cabernet 2013
The Barry Bros. Shiraz Cabernet 2013 $23 ★★★★½ Tom and Sam Barry are the 20-somethings who made this little cracker that scooped the trophy for Champion Shiraz Cabernet blend at the Royal Queensland Show AND took out the Champion Shiraz Cabernet blend trophy at the Melbourne Wine Show last year. It’s a generous and juicy, … Read More
St John’s Road Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2013
St John’s Road Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2013 $20 ★★★½ Produced from fruit grown in the Seppeltsfield, Stonewell, Bethany and Ebeneezer sub-districts of the Barossa Valley, this is a very pretty, vanilla and berry-scented red that carries dusty, leather and cocoa characters alongside sweet, juicy fruit edged with creamy, chocolatey notes and smooth, earthy … Read More
Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2012
Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2012 $22 ★★★★ The inside of the glass is coated in a film of inky magenta-black on the first swirl, while on the nose it has what I can describe only as the smell of a large bowl of ageing plums and berries slowly fermenting inside a carpenter’s workshop – all earthy … Read More
A sense of place
Published NZ Herald Sat 21 Nov 2015 I like it when the name on a bottle gives me some kind of geographic indicator as to the origin or owner’s connection to the wine instead of those awful ghost brands from nowhereville that plague our supermarket shelves. Here are three that shout their sense of … Read More
Wine Stories
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 21 Nov 2015 Homage Returns November 20th sees Trinity Hill release its flagship syrah, Homage 2013 ($120), the first Homage to be released since 2010. Known now as one of the top red wines New Zealand’s ever produced, full-stop, (except I put a comma there) it comes out with … Read More
The Willows Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010
The Willows Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010 $34 ★★★★ Deeply meaty on the nose and palate, this is definitely more on the savoury side for shiraz and way less jammy than most. In fact, there’s a distinct roasting pan, gravy-like richness to this wine that oozes personality and depth. It also has good, solid acidity to … Read More