FINE WINES FROM FOREIGN CLIMES Hands up if you’re hankering to shake your same-old same-old wine buying habits and experience some international taste sensations? Then best you book an Airbnb, fuel up the Ford Fiesta and fang it to Auckland for the weekend of May 12th and 13th. Why? Because then you’ll be able to … Read More
Passage Rock Reserve Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2014 $50
This is Passage Rock’s flagship red. Using only the best looking and best behaved berries, the winemaking team have fashioned a deliciously dense and sultry wine, perfumed with bouquet garni herbs, dark cocoa, espresso and smoke. Ribsticking and robust to drink, it has dusty tannins, fresh fruit saturation and marathon-like length of flavour. Sip with: … Read More
Passage Rock Waiheke Island Sisters 2015 $33
What happens when a talented winemaking team blend 48% syrah, 29% cabernet sauvignon, 6% malbec, 6% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 4% petit verdot? A whole heap of joy, that’s what. With plum, boysenberry, a lift of chocolate and salted caramel, this wine is beautifully complex and juicy and dusted with pepper, it’s a stylish … Read More
Passage Rock Waiheke Island Matuku 2017 $65
David and Veronika Evans-Gander have combined chardonnay, pinot gris, viognier and sauvignon blanc and hands down, it’s absolutely one of my favourite things. Ever. An absolute tsunami of flavour, grilled grapefruit, apricot stone, passionfruit and musky florals crash across the tastebuds and smash your palate to pieces in a beautiful collision of complexity. Sip with: … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat March 24th 2018
Rites of Passage… Single varietal purity is nice, but this week I want to shake that cage and scream “blend it baby!” Passage Rock Waiheke Island Matuku 2017 $65 David and Veronika Evans-Gander have combined chardonnay, pinot gris, viognier and sauvignon blanc and hands down, it’s absolutely one of my favourite things. Ever. An absolute … Read More
Peregrine Central Otago Pinot Noir 2015 $42.50
Sometimes people describe pinot noir as being ‘feminine’ and I think the Peregrine could absolutely be that. Feminine insomuch as she’s tall, tanned, has long, sand-dusted hair, listens to Iron Butterfly and refuses to wear a bra-type of woman. A fabulously feral female is what this wine is. Exotic aromatics of spice, pot pourri, pomegranate … Read More
Sacred Hill Helmsman Cabernet Merlot Franc 2015 $80 (5 stars)
My first taste of this wine was a few years before the millennium and back then I was told the name represented something that led the way that stood ahead of the pack and steered you in the right direction. This new vintage lives up to its reputation for focus and drive. A Helmsman is … Read More
Whistling Buoy
I’ve sipped my way through the new Whistling Buoy releases from Canterbury and they’re rather snazzy… Whistling Buoy Kokolo Vineyard Canterbury Pinot Noir 2016 $36 (5 stars) Wow. Here’s one ultra-juicy, exotically-scented, super-charged pinot noir from under the southern sun. Kokolo is a vineyard on a sheltered site at the head of Lyttleton and clearly … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat 17th March 2018
The grapes harvest has kicked in across the land. We, hand on heart, wish our winemakers God speed and good luck in this time of anguish and turmoil… Church Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2017 $16 Crafted from a blend of Hawke’s Bay merlot and syrah by the scarily talented Chris Scott and his winemaking team, … Read More
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2017 $16
Crafted from a blend of Hawke’s Bay merlot and syrah by the scarily talented Chris Scott and his winemaking team, this rosé is generous, juicy and heaving with cherry, berry, creaming soda characters and a finish so long they give you a ‘thank you for participating’ medal. Tangy-fresh and frisky. Sip with: Seared tuna, melon … Read More