Tukipo River Estate Fat Duck Pinot Noir 2009 $48 In a word, jaw-dropping. Roland Norman has created a wine exotically perfumed with cherrywood smoke, hedgerow fruits, lush, forest leaf litter and japonica. I love the wild strawberry and rhubarb flavours and its silky, slippery mouthfeel. It’s an absolutely sensational example and one I desperately wish … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Babich Hawke’s Bay Irongate Chardonnay 2008
Babich Hawke’s Bay Irongate Chardonnay 2008 $35 “Babich’s flagship Chardonnay is a power-packed whopper of a wine bursting with juicy peach and grapefruit flavours while showing taut acidity, elegant oak and sublime, mouthfilling, textural length of flavour. I’m certain it will cellar comfortably until 2014 and it’s a no-brainer as to how this came to … Read More
Register for Burgundy Tasting at Pinot Celebration 2012
BURGUNDY TASTING TO EXPLORE THE ‘CRU’ QUESTION Pinot Noir – that wonderful heady variety generates such passion in people – it inevitably leads to posing more questions than it does answers. The 2012 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration – being held in Queenstown 26-28th January not only includes tastings of Central Otago pinot noir, Winery … Read More
Kim Crawford First Pick Lo-Cal Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Kim Crawford First Pick Lo-Cal Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $17 I can see this being a sure-fire hit for summer with its delicate aromas of white peach, elderflower and soft citrus. At only 9% alc and with 25% less calories than it’s classic First Pick cousin it’s extremely crisp, clean and lightweight but has a delicious … Read More
te Pa Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
te Pā Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $19 This debut sauvignon from the MacDonald family is a little cracker. Aromatic green herbs and soft, limey notes are punctured by passionfruit and followed by grassy, tangy tropical fruit and lingering minerality on the finish. Fabulous with steamed Cloudy Bay clams. For where to buy email scott@tepawines.com te Pa … Read More
Yealands Marlborough Pinot Noir Rose 2011
Yealands Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé 2011 $19 Soft strawberry and redcurrant aromas open the door to a crisp, rhubarb-like tang on the tongue and a long, slightly herbaceous finish. Available from www.yealands.com Yealands Pinot Noir Rose 2011
Naturale Skor Premium Lager
Naturale Skor Premium Lager ($6 x 340ml) Created by Tony Dapson from BrewMoreBeers Ltd, this is a fantastic little lager that I discovered at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Show recently. Vibrantly hoppy with flavoursome, mouthfilling malt and a refreshingly rich finish it’s a good drop from this small brewery. Even my truck driver dad pronounced … Read More
Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $25 If you’re thinking sauvignon from these seriously southern climes would be lean and green, think again. Amisfield’s has pungent, ripe, tropical pineapple, lime and passionfruit aromas with basil and peapod notes. It’s vibrant, refreshingly zesty, ultra-tangy and has a lovely, satisfying mouthfeel and superb, clean length of flavour. Great … Read More
14 November 2011 Wine Guide’s 20th Anniversary & New Winery on the Wairau
It’s been called ‘the absolute bible of New Zealand wines’ and ‘totally indispensable’ by critics and consumers alike, and over the last 20 years I’ve watched Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines grow from a dainty, pocket-sized paperback to a tome so heavy SAS troops are made to complete torturous 10km training runs with volumes … Read More
Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime Cider
Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime Cider 500ml 4% $6.50 This Swedish cider was launched ten years ago by the 155 year old Åbro Bryggeri Brewery in Vimmerby. It’s a combination I’d never considered for cider and despite it being very sweet and strawberryish initially, the lime kicks in quickly and injects a tangy, cleansing citrus burst … Read More