Mills Reef Bespoke Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $34.95 I LOVE the burst of grilled grapefruit, poached peach, hints of struck match and tangy, smoky notes on the nose and a lovely complex, juicy, cashew and bacony loveliness. Fresh and fabulously funky, it’s a lipsmackingly good example. The team at Mills Reef are chardonnay nuts and it … Read More
Crossroads Milestone Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $17.50
Crossroads Milestone Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $17.50 A tangy, taut, trop-fest is about to hurl itself across your tastebuds. Think pineapple, mango, a lick of lemon and a grapefruity kick brings the citrus into gear which holds all the flavours buoyant in the mouth. A layer of toasted crumpet character indicates nicely managed oak … Read More
Silver Wing Nada Preservative Free Pinot Noir Rosé 2017 $27.99
Silver Wing Nada Preservative Free Pinot Noir Rosé 2017 $27.99 Produced without SO2 in the most natural way possible by winemaker Andrew Fox. Wild fermented and unfiltered (hence the strawberry juice haze in the glass), this rosé has a snappy, spritzig texture and super-fresh acidity and length. Organically produced and one of the freshest, friskiest, fruitiest … Read More
Tiki Estate Waipara Pinot Gris 2016
Tiki Estate Waipara Pinot Gris 2016 $14.99 (2.5 stars) There’s a brisk burst of beeswax and manuka honey on the nose and palate indicating some botrytis infection in the wine, but that adds complexity to the wine. Dry and spicy, it boasts the ususal suspects of pear and quince, but fails to deliver generosity in the … Read More
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014 $50
Glossy and gorgeous in the glass, this syrah is exactly the style that made wine pundits prick up their palates when it came to how good the Gimblett Gravels really is for this variety. The nose hits that beautiful balance of red berries, cherry, peppercorn, red rose, and violets, and the palate is ridiculously succulent … Read More
The Regent of Tantallon Limited Edition Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2013 $40
From what was hailed as the red wine vintage of the century for Hawke’s Bay comes this silky, slinky, berry- and spice-saturated blend from fruit sourced from the Tantallon vineyard in Bridge Pa. The deep, iron-rich ‘red gravels’ inject depth and minerality to the fruit, and the wine shows vanilla, smoke, olive, and sweet cocoa … Read More
Huia Marlborough Pinot Gris 2017 $30
Get ready for a total quince-fest in every mouthful! Direct from one of New Zealand’s top organic wine producers comes a dry, texturally rich pinot gris, jam-packed with poached pear and spicy peach flavours. The first sip brings on layers of fine, grainy, tongue-tingly senses that keep you dipping back into the glass. Fresh as … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column June 16 2018
Think about the last thing you spent $30, $40 or even $50 on. I bet it wasn’t half as tasty as these gloriously gluggable, grape-derived delights… Huia Marlborough Pinot Gris 2017 $30 Get ready for a total quince-fest in every mouthful! Direct from one of New Zealand’s top organic wine producers comes a dry, texturally … Read More
Alpha Domus Barnstormer Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2016 $34
Syrah has been one of the Ham family’s show-off wines pretty much ever since they set up shop in the iron-rich, red gravels of the Bridge Pa Triangle, just a skip and a hop from Hastings city. The Barnstormer has a list of medals and trophies that should justify it being a bit of a … Read More
Pegasus Bay Encore Noble Riesling 2016 $40 (5 stars)
This succulent, incredibly sexy sip firmly sits top of the tree on the Classic Wines of New Zealand list insofar as sweet wines are concerned. Crafted only in years when the conditions are perfect for botrytis to take hold of the grapes and turn them into tiny lumps of magical nectar, this is an absolute … Read More