Matahiwi Holly Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $25 I can always count on Miles Dineen to craft honkingly stonkingly good wines, and whenever his employer, Matahiwi, release a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, I’m all over it like a trendy, weighted blanket from Briscoes. Showing roast peach and nectarine notes, a tweak of grilled grapefruit and toasted cashew … Read More
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Yvonne Lorkin WineFriend podcast for Entrepreneurial Women With Purpose
I was fortunate to be invited to record a podcast with the dynamo that is Catherine van der Meulen for her organisation Entrepreneurial Women With Purpose. We talked about the foundation of WineFriend and the things that drive our small business forward and also what gives me purpose and direction in my working life. It … Read More
Stonecroft Undressed Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2019
Stonecroft Undressed Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2019 $31 I love how exotically perfumed this organically-grown Gimblett Gravels merlot is, and the fact that it’s made with no added sulphites (hence the ‘undressed’) – so I’m loving what it has, and what it hasn’t. Perky plum, pepper and pomegranate layers set the pace for boatloads of berries … Read More
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $16.99 Created in homage to the year that Marino Selak sold his first vintage of wine, this new range boasts a chardonnay that I’m certain will become a ‘best value classic’. I say that because for sixteen bucks you have a wine that’s absolutely heaving with pineapple, peach, guava … Read More
Zephyr Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
Zephyr Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $27.99 Reviewed for NZ Herald Canvas Magazine March 28 2020 – paired with Annabel Langbein’s Cheesy Vegetable Gratin recipe. Comfort food like this deserves comfort wine, right? Well there’s no reason why that comfortable, cuddly wine can’t also be whipcrack sexy at the same time. That’s all a’happening with the Zephyr … Read More
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Merlot Franc 2018 $30 Well kachango my mango, if this merlot blend isn’t by far the most saucy, seductively-spicy, fruit-soaked thing to sniff and sip, then I’ll be a cross-eyed coyote. I also need to stop watching so many spaghetti Westerns on Netflix. Ahem. In all seriousness however, this wine is … Read More
Matawhero Church House Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2018
Matawhero Church House Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2018 $29.99 It’s a rare thing to see chardonnay that’s been farmed without irrigation in this country, but the Matawhero team reckon it’s the best way to achieve purity of flavour and really stamp the signature of the soils on a wine. It means the vines need to … Read More
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2019
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $23 Its roasted stonefruit and grilled citrus notes on the nose merge like a zip with soft nougat and brulee flavours in the mouth, making it a creamy, silky chardonnay that’ll soothe the throat and clear the nostrils nicely. Not overtly oaky, and definitely soothing, it’s ballerina-balanced and will easily … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2019
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2019 $25 I love this wine! Crafted by the crazy-talented Warren Knudsen, from 100% cabernet franc, this rosé is the real deal. It’s incredibly concentrated, spicy, floral and deliciously dry to drink. Crisp, focused and showing superb purity of flavour, it’s a style that I’d love to see more of from … Read More
Rock & Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Rock & Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $29 Really enjoyed this lush, plush, cherry-driven pinot that’s showing deliciously savoury, forest floor notes on the nose and palate and a really silky-textured finish. Fruit saturated and finely-tuned. I love it! www.southernwines.co.nz