Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Mushroom Paté – matched in dish magazine Summer 2020 You don’t have to say mushroom paté twice to get me opening a bottle of the Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 ($45). With 75% whole berries in the 100% wild ferment (kickstarted in the … Read More
Kono Nelson Chardonnay 2018
Kono Nelson Chardonnay 2018 $19.99 Sweetcorn fritter Bacon and Avocado burgers (paired for dish magazine Summer 2020) Holy bacon burger batman! A sweetcorn fritter inside a burger has me absolutely in my happy place. But give me a glass of the Kono Nelson Chardonnay 2018 ($19) and the grilled grapefruit and roast peach flavours send … Read More
Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $17 Leek and Greens Frittata (dish magazine Feb Mar 2020) Reading the list of ingredients alone (leek, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chard, spinach, kale, lemon, mint, parsley, dill and shallots etc…) had me instantly reaching for a bottle of Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($17) Why? Because it has … Read More
Redmetal ‘The Merlot’ Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2000
Redmetal ‘The Merlot’ Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2000 $40 (sold out) Closing in on twenty years old, this merlot from the iron-rich, red-metal gravels of Hawke’s Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle district is heading into its twilight years. I remember tasting this wine WAY back in 2004 and it was just a perky little puppy, it’s feet … 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
Redmetal Erinview Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2007
Redmetal Erinview Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2007 $soldout Twelve years. Twelve years is clearly the magic number for this wine. Crafted by Grant Edmonds from fruit sourced from the long-ago sold Erinview vineyard, this merlot-dominant dominatrix is clad in leather and scented with berries and spice and is long and leggy and darn … Read More
Watermark Herringbone Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Watermark Herringbone Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017$28 Stop. Look left. Look right. Look over your shoulder and make sure no one is watching you sip and grin because they’re going to want a piece of the action and believe me – you will be wanting to keep this puppy all to yourself! We have been waiting, … Read More
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Blanc 2019
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Blanc 2019 $27 I love the way it smells. Showing apricots, jasmine, mineral notes and really interesting juicy characters alongside a succulent texture. It’s like very silky very kind of sip, satisfyingly sexy. It’s no wonder that it got a gold medal. That’s because this wine is absolutely stunning and it’s the … Read More
Blackenbrook Nelson Gewürztraminer 2019
Blackenbrook Nelson Gewürztraminer 2019 ($25) Holy buckets of lychee Batman! This wine unleashes a lahar of luscious stonefruit succulence and tropical taste sensations on the nose and palate, alongside a sprinkling of ginger, white pepper and nashi niceness. Crisp, textural and deliciously dry on the finish, it wraps itself around anything tandoori terrifically. www.blackenbrook.co.nz
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