Brightwater Vineyards Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $20 ★★★½ Gary and Valley Neale know a thing or three about growing tasty, aromatic white wines in sunny Nelson. This sauvignon is saturated with ripe limes, passionfruit, peach and tangy red capsicum flavours and a (classic for Nelson) round, fleshy, ultra-easy mouthfeel. It’s ultra-friendly, approachable and darn easy … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Quartz Reef Central Otago Methode Traditionnelle 2010
Quartz Reef Central Otago Methode Traditionnelle 2010 $40 ★★★★ Produced organically and biodynamically by Rudi Bauer down in Bendigo, this southern star has soft, smoky, flinty aromas and a rich, nutty, marshmallow-like texture in the mid palate. Very precise and cleansing it is too. www.vinofino.co.nz
Bladen Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2015
Bladen Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2015 $25 ★★★★ Brand new and bursting with all manner of spicy ginger and lychee-laden loveliness, this great little gewürztraminer is definitely on my ‘new favourites’ list. It’s quite high in alcohol (14.5%) so expect a touch of warmth in the mid-palate, but it works with the crisp, mineral notes, tangy peach … Read More
Ti Point ‘Tess’ White Merlot 2015
Ti Point ‘Tess’ White Merlot 2015 $15-$20 ★★★★ If you keep a couple of bottles of this in the fridge over your average spring weekend, you’ll find there’ll be no shortage of people knocking on your door armed with cheese and crackers and wanting desperately to be your friend. Crafted from merlot grown in Matakana … Read More
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Pinot Gris 2015
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Pinot Gris 2015 $19.99 ★★★★½ Crafted by Geoff Wright using organic, biodynamic methods or “chaos” as he calls it, this is about as “hands off” as you can get before basically expecting the grapes to turn themselves into wine. This straw-gold pinot gris shows a lifted, chalky, nutty aroma and a … Read More
Trouble with the Santa list
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 22 December 2015 Why do I do it every year? My offspring, now in their teens, will supply me with a ‘Santa List’ on December 1st. It’s the rules according to them. I go through the lists and secretly cross off all the R18 X-Box games and DVD’s (sorry … Read More
Christmas chardonnay time
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 15 Dec 2015 It’s about this time of year when people ask me what my predictions will be for what we’ll be drinking in the next twelve months. I hate questions like that. I’m about as good at seeing into the future as I am at singing “Our Love … Read More
3 syrah stars
Published NZ Herald Sat 12 Dec 2015 Four weeks ago the 24th Annual Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction collectively raised $141k for Cranford Hospice by auctioning off rare wine lots. Mucho big bucks were dropped on syrah, a rising star from Bridge Pa… Selaks Reserve HB Syrah 2013 $22 Sourced from the Selaks ‘Home’ … Read More
Goodwill & great wine at auction
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 8 Dec 2015 Back on November 14th the Hawke’s Bay wine community achieved something rather incredible. They sold a record $141,000.00 worth of wine and gave every cent to Cranford Hospice in Hastings at the 24th Annual Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction. Cranford is one of the leading palliative care … Read More
A triple treat
Published NZ Herald Sat 5 Dec 2015 Tween television appears obsessed with churning out programs featuring perfect-looking kids striving to become a ‘triple threat’, meaning they need to sing, dance and act better than anyone else in order to be a STAR. In winemaking you need great ground, great fruit and great skills – … Read More