Oak Estate Hawke’s Bay Methode Traditionelle NV

8 September 2021By Yvonne

Oak Estate Hawke’s Bay Méthode Traditionnelle $45 If you’re a fan of fizz scented with shortbread, rising dough, bright lemony layers and smooth, creamy, cashew characters, then this blend of  60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay is for you. Sourced from fruit grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle, it’s rested on its yeast lees for … Read More

Forrest Estate Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021

8 September 2021By Yvonne

Forrest Estate Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021 $28 This classic Austrian grape has clearly found a happy home with the good folk at Forrest in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Perfumed with apple blossom, lemon pith, peach and pepper and packed with refreshing nashi and lime and laced with elderflower, it’s a cleansing, textural, deliciously dry wine with … Read More

The Hunting Lodge Expressions Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020

7 September 2021By Yvonne

The Hunting Lodge Expressions Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $23 Paired with: Frittata muffins Canvas Drinks matches Sept 11th 2021 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. … Read More

Two Rivers Isle of Beauty Marlborough Rosé

6 September 2021By Yvonne

Two Rivers Isle of Beauty Marlborough Rosé $21 Paired with: Chicken and Ginger Dumpling Bowl in NZ Herald CANVAS Sept 4 2021 Crafted from a smorgasbord of red and white grapes grown in four different vineyards across Marlborough’s Southern Valley’s sub-region, this ridiculously pretty, peachy pink, morganite-coloured rosé is snappy-dry and saturated in watermelon, wild … Read More

Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020

3 September 2021By Yvonne

Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 $35 From Southern Valley’s fruit comes this ultra-fresh, earthy, tamarillo and cherry-centric pinot noir from Jules Taylor, winemaker extraordinaire and maker of seriously good chutney. It’s true. Her gift for harnessing just the right amount of spice, acidity, fruit concentration and texture is plainly evident in this new release … Read More

Bushmere Estate Gisborne Malbec 2020

28 August 2021By Yvonne

Bushmere Estate Gisborne Malbec 2020 $25 This Gisborne malbec has deliciously meaty, leathery layers and a core of redcurrant and deep spice that roars across the mouth. Inky magenta-black colour and glossy in the glass and loaded with bay, dark cherry and pepper notes, it’s a rich, beautifully structured example. Bushmere.com

Greystone Erin’s Reserve Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2019

26 August 2021By Yvonne

Greystone Erin’s Reserve Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2019 $120 The 2018 vintage of this wine absolutely sent me sideways with joy (see here) so I was understandably fizzing to taste the new release and also nervous as heck to see if stylistically it kept to its direction or if it was a different beast.  What is … Read More

I taste the 2018 Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection

26 August 2021By Yvonne

It’s one heck of an exciting feeling cracking open the box containing the newest Gimblett Gravels selection wines. Twelve of the greatest red wines to come from New Zealand’s most famous red wine region, selected independently by Andrew Caillard MW. They’re also selected from a talent pool consisting of dozens of hopefuls from dozens of … Read More

Te Mania Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020

26 August 2021By Yvonne

Te Mania Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 $27.99 While the team at Te Mania have kept us copasetic with their bottles of Nelsonian niceness, this time they’ve journeyed north to the syrah capital of the country to hunt out fruit that’ll not only curl your lashes and epilate your limbs, it’ll also expand your nostrils with … Read More

Jules Taylor Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021

26 August 2021By Yvonne

Jules Taylor Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021 $23 Paired with: Leek Risotto with Peas and Mint in dish Magazine Issue 99 Peas, mint and leeks just scream out for something rich yet herbaceous, so I’m gunning for the Jules Taylor Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021 ($23). Its face-punch of florals, avalanche of apple, sackloads of citrus, layers … Read More