Loss, Learning and Looking Ahead by Yvonne LorkinMay 16, 2023 Photo: Florence Charvin [As published in May/June BayBuzz magazine.] It’s a generalisation, but even before Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke’s Bay, things out in the vineyards weren’t fabulous. The 2022 harvest was hobbled by Spring frosts and unsettled weather through flowering and fruit set, followed by a … Read More
Current Columns
Saved by the Decibel
Saved by the Decibel by Yvonne LorkinMarch 31, 2023 Daniel Brennan. Photo: Florence Charvin [As published in March/April BayBuzz magazine.] Daniel Brennan was born in New York and grew up in a part of Philadelphia known as Southern New Jersey, or as the locals say, South Jersey. He’d been living in the city, right near the … Read More
Zero to Hero – Zero Alcohol Wines by Stone Pony & Fourth Wave
The great thing about reviewing zero alcohol wines is I don’t have to spit them out – yay!! It’s also handy to remember that de-alcoholised wines can be very floral and fruity and enjoyable, they will have a taste and texture that’s slightly different to full-strength wines. Yet the quality of zero-alc wines is improving … Read More
Baybuzz Magazine Profile – Monowai Estate
Monowai Estate Published September 20th 2022 BayBuzz Magazine Monowai rocks! by Yvonne LorkinSeptember 20, 2022 Photo: Tom Allan Things don’t happen slow with Emma Lowe. “I said to Marcelo, if you come to New Zealand and decide you like it and want to stay, then we’re going to have to get married,” she shrugs. “So he … Read More
Canvas Drinks matches Sept 11th 2021
Canvas Drinks matches Sept 11th 2021 Frittata muffins Now I know Annabel says these frittata muffins are a great way to get veg into kids, but they’re also a great way to get the Hunting Lodge Expressions Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 ($23.99) into grownups. The sweetness of the kumara, cheesiness of the cheese and … Read More
Canvas Drinks Matches Saturday 10th July 2021
Yvonne’s picks … (Tuna Nicoise sandwich) Pinot noir and tuna are like love and marriage even when they’re in a sandwich. So treat yourself to a large goblet of Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 ($48) to celebrate its spectacular compatibility with salty, oily, Nicoise niceness. Slippery-smooth, spice-saturated and wildly aromatic, Kevin Judd’s new pinot noir is stacked … Read More
Canvas Drinks Matches Saturday 17th July 2021
Yvonne’s picks … (Seafood Sambal) As a child, I was certain that quicksand was going to be a bigger issue in my life than it actually is. Who’d have thought that the thing that’d save me from many a sludgy situation would be gewurztraminer? I’m loving the Linden Estate Hawke’s Bay Gewurztraminer 2020 ($20) because it’s one … Read More
Canvas Drinks Matches Saturday 24th July 2021
Yvonne’s picks … (Lemongrass and Chilli Beef) When beef is boosted by a whack of chilli and lashings of lemongrass, step away from the cabernet and pick up a bottle of the shiny new and ludicrously lush Church Road Grand Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 ($37) instead. Winemaker Chris Scott was finally let loose on some … Read More
Drinks List Review Botswana Butchery July 15 2021
BOTSWANA BUTCHERY DRINKS LIST If you can’t find something to slake your thirst in the 24-page-long list at Botswana Butchery, then that’s a headscratcher. Of the 10 cocktail options, I’m all over the Cobra Kai (12yo Chivas, lemon, strawberry and rosemary) but Dry July-ers should investigate the three stylish-sounding mocktails, for sure. There’s also 0 … Read More
Top wine and beer picks for Queen’s Birthday Weekend 2021
Yvonne Lorkin’s top wine and beer picks for Queen’s Birthday Weekend 2021 5 Jun, 2021 By: Yvonne Lorkin Ah, we’ve reached the Queen’s Birthday side of the year. The ducks are quacking, the stags are on the roar, mushrooms are mushrooming and the days of foraging for figs and feijoas are finished. Daylight saving is also long … Read More