For Richard Riddiford of Martinborough’s Palliser Estate “there are some occasions where only bubbles will do” and I agree with him wholeheartedly. Over the last twelve months I’ve immersed myself in surfeit of sensational New Zealand sauvignon blanc at the Wine Marlborough Weekend, tantalised my tastebuds with lashings of luscious, lime-laden rieslings at the Summer … Read More
Yvonne’s Blog
Be a Herzog Winemaker for a Day April 2012
Kemp Rare Wines presents Herzog Winemaker For A Day – Harvest 2012 Come join Hans & Therese in their beautiful vineyard and get dirty for a weekend vintage stint! Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th April 2012 DAY 1 – Saturday. Early morning session from 8am – Vineyard & Winery Harvest is on – get a … Read More
A Summer Riesling Riot…
view pdf of newspaper article… “Are you going to ask me about politics and religion?” asks goatee-bearded New York-based bar owner, riesling aficionado and founder of the ‘Summer of Riesling’ concept Paul Grieco. God no, I thought. Having just sipped and spat my way through 67 rieslings from around the country at Tipapa Homestead … Read More
Hens, Chickens and Frost…
You’d expect at the end of January things out there in winery land would be all go. With harvest just weeks away surely there’d be no end of things to do; tanks to clean, barrels to wash, equipment to sterilise and loads of general endeavour by everyone concerned. So on a sneaky little trip to … Read More
Pinot Noir 2013 is Good to Go!
In a year’s time the Wellington waterfront will be awash with New Zealand’s best Pinot Noirs, the world’s leading wine media and wine lovers and traders, makers and viticulturists. It is Pinot Noir NZ 2013 – New Zealand’s premier wine event. It starts 28th of January and wraps up on the 31st. This is the fourth … Read More
Dramfest Is On!
Dramfest ‘12 brings wealth of whisky to Christchurch and if you’ve got tickets from last year’s event which was scuppered by the earthquake fret not – they’re still valid! This popular biennial event, organised by Michael Fraser Milne of Christchurch whisky specialist store, Whisky Galore, takes place in Christchurch from 24-26 February 2012. The expo … Read More
Classy new Glass
If you lamented the loss of the old style of champagne saucer, or ‘coupe’ then you’ll be pleased to know that its usurper, the ‘flute’, may also soon be turfed into untrendy territory. For umpteen years the coupe was rumoured to have been modelled on the breasts of a well known female French aristocrat and … Read More
Ash Ridge gets busy…
It is exactly one year since Ash Ridge Wines opened their tiny, tin shed cellar door on State Highway 50, ten minutes drive southeast of Hastings. Offering a handful of wines, coffee, tea and good old gap-fillers like antipasto, cheese platters and lasagne, they’re perfectly poised to snare parched and peckish people speeding north from … Read More
Shiraz with a bit of Sparkle…
If there’s one thing surer than death and taxes, it’s that by now you’re probably wondering what on earth to do with all that excess Christmas chocolate, the boxes of crystallised ginger that grandad keeps forgetting to take home with him, all the uneaten Round Wine’s or Krispie’s left in the Griffins Sampler tin and … Read More
Sweet As For Summer!
“We will NEVER do nine stickies in one year ever again” says a worn-out Dr Andrew Hedley. 2011 is Andrew’s tenth year at Framingham Wines, and to celebrate he and his team thought it might be clever to have a crack at making every style of sweet white wine under the sun. Yet having been … Read More