Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 5 Jan 2016 Bubbles causes a real raquet… For the next fortnight, fans of backhands, forehands, faults and aces, loves, deuces, advantages, serves, volley’s, outs and on-court tantrums will be going bats and balls over the ASB Classic in Auckland. Usuallly tennis is the domain of pimms and cucumber … Read More
Big Sky ‘Provenance’ Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013
Big Sky ‘Provenance’ Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013 $54 ★★★★★ The ancient Te Muna Terraces are home to some of New Zealand’s most prestigious pinot noir vineyards. There’s something about those soils which impart such huge depth of character into the wines – so prepare yourself for masses of sweet black tea, baked cherry, fresh … Read More
Giesen The Brothers Marlborough Chardonnay 2014
Giesen The Brothers Marlborough Chardonnay 2014 $30 ★★★★ If you’re a fan of funky, full-bodied, stonefruit-soaked chardonnay that has a healthy vein of spice and smoke then this is definitely one to pop away in the cellar. With lovely layers of grapefruit and grilled pineapple, this wild-yeast fermented wine from Marlborough’s Wairau and Southern valley’s … Read More
Two Rivers L’ile De Beaute Rose 2015
Two Rivers L’ile De Beaute Rose 2015 $25 ★★★★ Here’s a rosé with great freshness and drive through the mid-palate and joined by herbaceous, spicy intensity, hints of musky red fruits fruit. It’s a really smart wine, tangy, vibrant and nicely balanced. Drink super-chilled and preferably with a heaving plate of sizzling garlic and chilli … Read More
Tiki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Tiki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $15-$19 ★★★★½ This is a cracker of a new release sauvignon that bursts with tangy lemon, lime and passionfruit all bound up in crushed basil and lemon verbena. It has a core of intense tropical fruit cloaked in vibrant, gum-tingling acidity followed by a finely textured finish. Darn lovely. www.blackmarket.co.nz … Read More
Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014
Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014 $20 ★★★★½ When Tony promises more fat and more sass than the last release, he’s not wrong. Ultra-vibrant aromas of tangy pineapple and grapefruit, toasty roast pineapple, spicy biscuit characters and buckets of stonefruit. It’s a bold, biscuity and nicely balanced chardonnay that has a long, … Read More
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Rosé 2015
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Rosé 2015 $19.99 ★★★½ Geoff Wright is the craftsman behind this wine which is grown and made according to organic and biodynamic principles. Super-herbal and spicy on the nose, with smoky, earthy characters and resinous complexity happening, yet in the mouth there are clean berry, melon and blackboy peach flavours. … Read More
New taste for the sav gurus
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 29 December 2015 Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the fuel that drives the engine room of our wine industry. So it stands to reason that the home of the world’s first International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration should be Marlborough, New Zealand’s largest wine region. That’s right, between Feb 1-3 2016, the movers … Read More
Wild South Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014
Wild South Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014 $18 ★★★ This super-soft, lightly structured pinot has berries-and-cream characters on the nose alongside a sniff of smoke, sweet cherry and a hint of plum. If you’re looking for a beginners guide to pinot noir (or even to red wine) then this could be just the thing to swing … Read More
Rod McDonald ‘One Off’ Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2014
Rod McDonald ‘One Off’ Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2014 $31 ★★★★ If you’re someone who gets weak at the knees when they see a beautiful colour, then strap yourself into your support-hose because this wine has the most gorgeous garnet, ruby hue. It also boasts tobacco leaf, dried herbs, cocoa, blueberry and a gentle meaty character … Read More