When it comes to popular wine varieties cabernet franc is the bridesmaid of the Bordeaux family. Essential in that everyone expects it to be there, (to make up the numbers and keep the feng shui of all the flavours in balance) but it never seems to be singled out for much attention. I absolutely love … Read More
Like most people who enjoy a glass of wine or two on a daily basis, I really have to watch my wallet when it comes to buying bottles during the week. $15 is my ballpark budget most days, but when the weekend rolls around I can always find an excuse to squeeze an extra ten … Read More
If there’s one thing I hate more than that jelly stuff that develops on the bottom of cooked chicken when you put it in the fridge, it’s being told that I’m too old and too unfit to try something new. So the other day when I was Queenstown I decided that rather than sitting around … Read More
I’m writing this column the morning after having done my first spin class. If you’re a squeamish sort then hop up now and go and move the cat or phone a horoscope hotline for the next few minutes because this won’t be pretty. I’m not talking about channelling my inner rumplestiltskin with a bag of … Read More
Vinoptima Noble Gisborne Gewürztraminer 2007 $250 375ml Could this wine be the most delectable thing ever? (I think that’s the first and only time I’ve ever used the word ‘delectable’) Yes, it is an indulgence, and one of the most expensive things I’ve ever tasted, but its aromas of rose-caramel, toffee, candied mandarin and golden syrup … Read More
NEW LOVE ON THE BLOCK Years ago, when I was just starting out in this business, I remember attending a snazzy wine tasting event in Auckland. I was desperately trying (and failing) to look professional while struggling to hold my laughably large handbag, my pen, my notebook, my dictaphone and my wine glass. I was … Read More
If you’re planning to spend any time in a hotel on either of Blenheim’s main strip over the next few weeks then take it from me, you’ll need to pack a set of industrial-strength earplugs and renew your sleeping pill prescription. Why? Because it’s harvest time and every truck this side of the black stump … Read More
Aorangi Road Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $18 With a stack of shiny medals to its name including a gold medal at the San Francisco International Wine Awards, this is one super-tasty sauvignon. Grown on the Mangatahi Terraces, 30kms inland west of Hastings by a specialist sauvignon blanc producer, it has delicious sugar-snap … Read More
I’m writing this column from the comfort of a cloth-covered trestle table upstairs in the Wellington Town Hall in what has been dubbed the “Media Centre”. I’ve worked in loads of “media centres” around the traps in the past but this would take the cake for no-frills. Although at least here there’s one of those … Read More
The 2013 Summer of Riesling kicks off this February and on the 16th, the , to celebrate the good folk at Black Estate, Pegasus Bay and Tongue n Groove Wines are hosting a , “Rolling Riesling Day” at C1 Espresso on the corner of Tuam and High St in Christchurch. Between 11am and 4pm they’ll be pouring … Read More