It’s been a whopper of a week in terms of wine tasting – so why waste time with faff and paff, let’s just get straight to what’s important. This is what I reckon you should be seeking out to sip (and possibly what to avoid) this week: Fairbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 ($34) ★★★★½ … Read More
Yvonne’s Blog
Paritua 21.12 vertical tasting
PARITUA 21.12 VERTICAL TASTING 24TH FEBRUARY 2015 Back in February I was lucky enough to secure a seat at the very first vertical assessment of Paritua’s flagship red, the 21.12 over its five vintage history. Only 5 versions have been made, because not every year will offer the correct conditions for winemaker Jason Stent and … Read More
Twenty Five Years for Alpha Domus
Happy Birthday Alpha Domus “It’s a great time to celebrate 25 years of being in the wine trade,” says a clearly chuffed Paul Ham of Alpha Domus as he introduced a room full of hospitality professionals in Wellington recently. “It’s also the perfect time to introduce you all to the 2013 Aviator and 2013 Navigator. … Read More
Boutique Fests and Biodynamic Events
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 13 Jun 2015 I’ve said before in this very paper, that I’m a sucker for a good wine festival; and coming up over the next few weeks are two real goodies. The first is just days away on June 14th, so if you’re anywhere near Auckland I suggest you scuttle … Read More
Money Wine and Whiskey
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 6 Jun 2015 I tend to daydream a lot about the things I’d do if I suddenly came into money. Overwhelmingly those things involve hiring people who are expert in their chosen fields to do all the hard work for me. I’d hire a cleaner, a gardener, a chef and … Read More
Crafting Genius
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 30 May 2015 I’m typing this whilst sitting at the hairdressers, chin-deep in a billowing black cape. I have a head covered in little tinfoil parcels containing chunks of hair that are slowly sautéing toward a lighter shade of something-or-rather. It’s hardly attractive. There’s something about hairdressers mirrors that make … Read More
The Philistines Wine Group
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 23 May 2015 Once upon a time, back in 2006, four self-confessed “school dad’s from Napier hill” got together to form a club. “It was while we were celebrating my son Max’s 4th birthday,” says founding member Allister Bathgate. “The dads were relaxing on the lawn when the subject of … Read More
If you will be upstanding…
Here’s my dilemma. My job as a writer is making me fat! It’s making me fat because firstly, being self-employed, I obsess about every waking moment being used efficiently, to earn money to keep things ticking over if you will. I’m also a mother of two and wife of one, so if I take time … Read More
Meandering Through Martinborough’s Vineyards
Back in January my husband and I were lucky enough to attend the 10th Annual Martinborough Meandering Vineyard Lunch. This is a coup because tickets tend to disappear with alarming speed as soon as the date is announced. Why? Because it’s one of the best darn wine events this side of the Ruamahanga River that’s … Read More
Mead and Millton
I’d like to start this column with a pun. It’s one of a collection of puns that won comedian David Kearse (a ‘Kearse on humanity’ as he calls himself) the Rubber Chicken award for Britain’s Top Pun Artist at Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival held last week. It goes “Marvin Gaye kept a sheep in my … Read More