Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 28 Nov 2015 When Kim and Erica Crawford sold the Kim Crawford brand back in 2003, it was fair to say the New Zealand wine industry stood back, scratched it’s collective scalp and wondered what on earth these two vin-trepreneureal powerhouses would do next. The silence stretched for years … Read More
Columns
A sense of place
Published NZ Herald Sat 21 Nov 2015 I like it when the name on a bottle gives me some kind of geographic indicator as to the origin or owner’s connection to the wine instead of those awful ghost brands from nowhereville that plague our supermarket shelves. Here are three that shout their sense of … Read More
Wine Stories
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 21 Nov 2015 Homage Returns November 20th sees Trinity Hill release its flagship syrah, Homage 2013 ($120), the first Homage to be released since 2010. Known now as one of the top red wines New Zealand’s ever produced, full-stop, (except I put a comma there) it comes out with … Read More
Relax with a chardonnay
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 14 Nov 2015 I don’t know about you, but I’ve just had one of those weeks where anxiety rendered my shoulders permanently riveted up around my earlobes, my lips were locked in a pinched, “be careful Yvonne, don’t-speak-or-something-ridiculous-will-fall-out” expression and my breath seemed to live in this dry, ever-tightening … Read More
Lessons from a wine column
Published NZ Herald Sat 14 Nov 2015 Hobby horses, Austrian natives and the dangers of ride-on lawnmowers – don’t say you’ll never learn anything from a wine column… Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Shiraz Cabernet Petit Verdot 2013 $18 When the Rugby World Cup final was broadcast, there’s a high chance the crew … Read More
Three drops to begin November
Published NZ Herald Sat 7 Nov 2015 “Whaat? Is it November already?” I shrieked at my 15 year old. “Yip. For realz” she mumbled from the couch. “Really?” I said. “Legit as” was her reply. “Forget November I sighed, I need a good wine with which to grieve the English language…” Brancott … Read More
Sileni Success
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 31 Oct 2015 Every now and again I’m asked to take visitors to Hawke’s Bay on wine tours and I enjoy these for reasons aplenty. The first is that I’ll leap at any opportunity to show off the spectacular place where I was born, raised and live to anyone. … Read More
Supermarket wine made easy
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 31 Oct 2015 When you turn your trolley around the end of the chippie and cracker aisle in the supermarket and launch yourself into the wine department, it’s almost an automatic response, to slow down, re-group and try to focus on finding something that’s going to taste good. The sheer … Read More
Cider Satisfaction
Published NZME Regional Newspapers 24 Oct 2015 My name is Yvonne Lorkin and I am a cider nut. While wine is my core business (see what I did there), at least a couple of times a week I’ll treat myself to a glass something amazing made from our old friend the apple. One of … Read More
New Meaning to Old Vines
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 17 Oct So you’re looking over at the fence at the back of your section at that gnarly old grapevine that’s been there since WAY before you bought the house and it occurs to you (again) “I wonder whether we could make wine from the grapes that grow on that?” … Read More