Nelson offers all sorts of niceness in a sauvignon blanc style that’s got a personality all of its own. Pretty, punchy and prickled with crushed nettles, bruised lemongrass and fresh passionfruit, this certified organic sauvignon erupts with zesty acidity, some sneaky oak notes and mountains of minerality on the finish. www.greenhough.co.nz
Current Columns
Brightwater Lord Rutherford Barrique Fermented Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $30 (4 star)
I’m on a crusade to convert more people over to the barrel fermented side of the sauvignon fence if it’s the last thing I do. Gary and Valley Neale are experts in this field and this eye-poppingly good example is now a firm favourite of mine. Toasty, macadamia, buttered crumpet and roast peach aromatics lead … Read More
Crazy By Nature Cosmo Red 2015 $26 (3.5 star)
Grown biodynamically by James Millton in Gisborne, this ‘field blend’ of Malbec, Syrah and a splash of Viognier is produced using special herbal, mineral and animal preparations and looking to the laws of nature. No herbicide, insecticide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilizer was used, also no cultured yeasts or bacteria came within coo-ee of the … Read More
Wine column week commencing 3rd June, 2017
Lyrical Love “The thing about a challenging vintage” says James Millton of Gisborne’s Millton Vineyards, “is that regardless of weather, if the whole team picking grapes are happy and good and well organised and industrious then the whole thing just works like a hand in a glove”. He was talking about the ‘tricky’ harvest the … Read More
Kumeu River Kumeu Crémant NV $50 (4 star)
For aeons, Michael Brajkovich MW has turned out tasty pinot noir and jawdroppingly good chardonnay at every level. So it was only a matter of time before he opted to marry the two under holy methode traditionelle matrimony. A base of 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir were handpicked, whole bunch pressed and fermented with … Read More
Fairhall Downs Marlborough Pinot Noir 2016 $35 (5 stars)
New favourite alert! This pinot noir is absolutely heaving with ultra-juicy cherry boysenberry, raspberry and masses of spice. It’s generous, plush and silky-smooth to drink. Plus it’s got pluck and personality and that’s exactly why your glass will be almost impossible to put down. www.fairhalldowns.co.nz
Unison Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2015 $55 (4.5stars)
This wine may be from a ‘monster’ vintage, a vintage you’d expect to produce exclusively big, alcoholic, over-extracted wines. Yet here we have elegance ‘wine-on-ified’. Fresh pepper and vibrant plum and boysenberry backstroke through waves of vanilla and dried herbs. The tannins are solid, yet stretchy and supple and it’s a wine that the team … Read More
SOHO Havana Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $38 (5 stars)
This wine won the trophy for Best New Zealand Pinot Noir at the International Wine Challenge in London last week. How appropriate that a pinot named after one of the sexiest capital cities in the world, also has a distinct lift of tobacco leaf and cigar box on the nose and palate. Combine this wine … Read More
Rod McDonald Quarter Acre Syrah 2015 $35 (5stars)
You know how some people say they can hear voices in their head? Well sipping this wine may suddenly give you voices in your gob. I feel it’s ok to say ‘gob’ because in the official tasting notes, accompanying this wine, Rod says it has ‘violets and cassis on the snoz’. I love the pretty … Read More
Wine column week commencing 27th May, 2017
“Holy s**t!” were the exact words Rod McDonald’s wife Jo, when he rang her to tell her his Quarter Acre Hawke’s Bay Syrah had just been awarded the Trophy for the “Best International Syrah” at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London. A clutch of the finest wine judges on the planet decided that his … Read More