Mahurangi Estate Matakana Syrah 2010 $45 ★★★★½ There’s not much of this about and it’s easy to see why people have been snapping it up. Packed with raspberry, blackcurrent and plum characters and has a gentle, smooth, chocolatey finish. So drinkable it’s dangerous. www.mahurangiriver.co.nz
Author: Yvonne
Goldie Wines Waiheke Syrah 2010
Goldie Wines Waiheke Syrah 2010 $36 ★★★★ A rich, savoury wine with a lovely layer of ripe fruit sweetness, pomegranate, pepper and plum flavours alongside solid tannins and a warm, smooth finish. I would love to try this wine again in another year or so because I think it’ll be great with some extra time. www.goldiewines.co.nz
I’m up for Summer Love…
If you travel twenty minutes west of Christchurch on the West Coast Road (SH73) you’ll enter the leafy locale known as West Melton which is home to a plucky community of winegrowers including Melton Estate. Previously known as Sherwood Estate, the Melton Estate winery is the brainchild of Philip Caunter, a million-miles-an-hour man who can … Read More
Let’s be Franc…
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
Under $25 Treats…
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
Champagne & Muttonbird? There’s a first time for everything…
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
Syrah Spins My Wheels…
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
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
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
NO SLEEP TIL BLENHEIM
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