Glossy and inky in the glass, this shiraz delivers a sweet, plummy, roundhouse kick to your cakehole. Hints of toasted coconut merge with a smorgasbord of spices, buckets of berries and luxurious layers of cocoa-dusted character on the finish. Sip with: Classic lamb moussaka. www.vinofino.co.nz
Current Columns
Macaw Creek Organic Preservative Free Mt Lofty Shiraz 2014 $26
Located in the Gilbert Valley, in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, Macaw Creek are responsible for a rather rare thing, creating a shiraz made without sulphur dioxide or other preservatives and… It’s. Actually. Very. Good*. Pure, fruity and packed solid with raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry characters, its super-fresh, plucky and very pretty. Sip … Read More
Sons Of Eden Remus Eden Valley Old Vine Shiraz 2015 $84.99
This wine scooped the trophy for the Best Shiraz at the recent Winewise Championship, an exclusive show only open to wines that’ve won gold medals at major city wine shows in Australia. It’s a competition to find the best of the best and this wine has done the unheard of – it’s won it twice … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat 26th May 2018
Well tie me kangaroo down, if these three shiraz’s aren’t about as full of flavour as a centipedes sock drawer*… Sons Of Eden Remus Eden Valley Old Vine Shiraz 2015 $84.99 This wine scooped the trophy for the Best Shiraz at the recent Winewise Championship, an exclusive show only open to wines that’ve won gold … Read More
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2017 $17.99 (4 stars)
First things first. The fact that this wine sells for under $20 is baffling to me. It roars with stonefruit and citrus and has just the right amount of roasty toasty, hazelnutty flavours to kick it into ‘must-sip’ territory. Ripe, tropical, round and rumpty – just the way I like my chardonnay. Yum. www.hahawine.co.nz
I Am George Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2016 $22 (4 stars)
George Wyndham is considered the founding father of shiraz in Australia, planting the grape in 1830. Winemaker Steve Meyer wanted to create a wine that was accessible to anyone, but captured the spirit of George – and here it is. Bursting with blackcurrant, plum and all manner of sweet, red fruits, it’s a warming, cuddly … Read More
Mount Brown Barrique Ferment Waipara Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $19 (3.5 stars)
Here’s a sauvignon blanc for chardonnay fans. Roasty, toasty and tropically taut and crisp, it’s bursting with smoked passionfruit punchiness and a lick of lemongrass on the finish. A very drinkable, in fact dangerously drinkable example. www.mountbrown.co.nz
Mount Brown Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $16 (3.5 stars)
There’s something about the North Canterbury soils and the drying, Nor’west winds that create incredibly floral, super-concentrated sauvignon blanc. Lime, lemongrass, elderflower and bruised basil combine with passionfruit and tropical tones, cut grass and sweet pea combine with crunchy acidity to make a zesty, sexy sip indeed. www.mountbrown.co.nz
Te Awa Single Estate Hawke’s Bay Tempranillo 2014 $29.99 (4.5 stars)
Hands up if you even knew tempranillo was being grown in Hawke’s Bay? Not many if any I’ll vouch. The grape responsible for producing the great Rioja’s of Spain has found a happy home smack bang in the middle of the Gimblett Gravels and it’s thriving. Chock full of intense dark berries, intense dark cocoa, … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin wine column for week beginning Sat 19th May 2018
For the last four decades or so, wine producers in Hawke’s Bay have been (in their own understated way) out there trying to convince the world that their Bordeaux-style reds (wines made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot) are just as good, if not better in some cases, as the big … Read More