Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014 $22 ★★★½ Bright peppery aromatics, fresh plum and hints of dark cherry merge with a faint medicinal hit on the nose. Punchy and vibrantly structured in the mouth, it’s a talented teenager ready to hit his straps. Spicy, lively and could actually give some of the Hawke’s Bay syrah’s a run for … Read More
Italian Invasion
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 8 Mar 2016 I’m hugely fortunate to be the wine writer for Dish, an absolutely fantastic food and wine magazine that launched back in 2004. A new issue hits the stands every two months and the April-May issue is traditionally when we focus on all things Italian. This will … Read More
A wine pick for Madonna
Published NZ Herald Sat 5 Mar 2016 Tonight, after a 32 year wait, I finally get to see Madonna perform live. Madonna. Fizzing doesn’t begin to describe the feeling. How does that relate to my wine picks this week? Well I suppose one of them also happens to be white and Italian… Cento … Read More
Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon 2014
Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon 2014 $30 ★★★★½ I love the fragrance of passionfruit curd, lemon blossom and hints of herbaceousness in this wine. Crafted from prime Hawke’s Bay sauvignon blanc, blended with a splash of semillon and sauvignon gris, it’s an out-there kind of style that’s less of a ‘sauvignon’ and more a … Read More
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 ★★★★ The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes from the façade of the 14th century Sicilian Santagostino Monastry in Trapani, so yes, the bottle looks good, but it tastes like money too. Liquorice, raspberry, dusty rose and pepper aromatics merge with rosehip and pomegranate flavours, fresh acidity, … Read More
We’ve got Wine Sustainability…
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 1 Mar 2016 You’d be hard pressed these days to pick up a bottle of New Zealand wine and not see a ‘Sustainable New Zealand Winegrowing’ emblem on the back label. It began when NZ Winegrowers launched the ambitious initiative back in 2007 after years of research into holistic … Read More
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012 $27 ★★★★ Sourced from one of the oldest bodega’s in the Llujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza in Argentina, this is a blend of 40% malbec, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot and 10% syrah that’s been aged for 12 months in French oak. I love its black fruit intensity, liquorice … Read More
Three from the length of the country
Published NZ Herald Sat 27 Feb 2016 From the tropical far north, to the dry, dusty heat of Hawke’s Bay, to the coolness of Canterbury and beyond, the vines are thriving under our summer sun with bunches fit to burst come harvest time… Butterfish Bay Pinot Gris 2015 $20 ★★★½ Pinot gris is … Read More
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014 $42 ★★★★ Who would have thought that big, busty, dusty Spanish red grapes like Tempranillo would ever be happy growing in a tiny, 10 acre, sub-tropical pocket of Northland? Not many, if any. But Rod McIvor of Marsden Estate had full faith and this juicy, plush, spicy red … Read More
Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris 2015
Neudorf Moutere Pinot Gris 2015 $29 ★★★★ Winemaker Todd Stevens and viticulturist Richard Flatman have done a cracker of a job creating pinot gris that smells like pear and apple strudel served with poached quince and cream. Exotically spicy, chock full of ripe fruit and has a deeply textural mouthfeel that’s fresh and funky. A … Read More