If this doesn’t get your Great Gatsby going then I don’t know what will. One of my favourite champagnes, this exceptionally stylish fizz from the Aÿ region has butterscotch and brioche, shortbread and crushed cashew characters on the nose, followed by crisp, lemony layers on the palate, all clad in a cloud of freshly rising … Read More
Current Columns
Sileni Estate’s Art Deco Sparkling NV $32
Created in homage to the rebuild of Napier and Hastings cities after the devastating 7.8 1931 earthquake, this fizz was served last week at Hawke’s Bay’s Tremains Art Deco Festival and went down a treat. I’m not usually a huge sparkling pinot gris fan, however this is dry, clean, perfumed with nashi pear and crushed … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 25th February, 2017
Our first two wines celebrate the collision of simplicity of design and a modern culture of extravagance in the Art Deco years. The third’s a little Aussie cracker for those who like a fizzy red mate! Sileni Estate’s Art Deco Sparkling NV $32 Created in homage to the rebuild of Napier and Hastings cities after … Read More
Clearview Enigma 2015 $55
I’m not one to tease, but in this case I kind of have to because if I don’t give you a heads-up on how good it is, then when it’s released in a couple of months you may miss out, and the wine will remain, an enigma. With its glossy, inky, crimson-black colour, seductive perfume … Read More
Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2015 $129
The March 1 release of Coleraine, New Zealand’s most famous red wine, marked its 35th anniversary. Designed to age not across years, but across generations, it’s an assemblage (‘assom-blarge’ if you’re struggling) of cabernet and merlot from Te Mata’s oldest vineyards in the Havelock North hills. Left for a minute or seven in the glass, … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 4th March, 2017
Yes it’s 2017, yet in wine land the big guns from 2015 are only just being got out. These three are at the top of the tree… Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2015 $129 The March 1 release of Coleraine, New Zealand’s most famous red wine, marked its 35th anniversary. Designed to age … Read More
Haythornthwaite Ursula Martinborough Pinot Gris 2012 $25
Don’t freak out if when you pull the cork (Yes, you’ll need one of those cork-pully-outy things) and you see tiny crystals attached to it. These ‘wine diamonds’ are safe, natural and a sign of a wine made without fining or filtration. Named after Mark Haythornthwaite’s sister, (who adores dry white wines), here’s a richly … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2016 $24.95
Tim Preston and Paul Dawick are like the Batman and Robin, the Han Solo and Chewbacca, the Spongebob and Patrick (modern parent reference there) of winemaking duo’s, leaping into every wine adventure with gusto, and this gris is testament to that. Enjoy its aromas of poached quince, pear and apple followed by a deliciously dry, … Read More
Fairhall Downs Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris 2016 $23.95
Smelling this wine is like walking into an apple packhouse. Intoxicating waves of Golden Delicious, Gala and Rose assail the olfactories, and once they wash across the tastebuds, a ribbon of nashi, nectarine and white pepper wraps them all up and sends them south in a tsunami of dry, softly prickly acidity and powdery textural … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 11th March, 2017
Twenty years ago pinot gris wasn’t even a thing. Today it’s a national obsession. These three lean on the dry side of the fence… Fairhall Downs Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris 2016 $23.95 Smelling this wine is like walking into an apple packhouse. Intoxicating waves of Golden Delicious, Gala and Rose assail the olfactories, … Read More