The Barry Bros. Shiraz Cabernet 2013 $23 ★★★★½ Tom and Sam Barry are the 20-somethings who made this little cracker that scooped the trophy for Champion Shiraz Cabernet blend at the Royal Queensland Show AND took out the Champion Shiraz Cabernet blend trophy at the Melbourne Wine Show last year. It’s a generous and juicy, … Read More
St John’s Road Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2013
St John’s Road Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2013 $20 ★★★½ Produced from fruit grown in the Seppeltsfield, Stonewell, Bethany and Ebeneezer sub-districts of the Barossa Valley, this is a very pretty, vanilla and berry-scented red that carries dusty, leather and cocoa characters alongside sweet, juicy fruit edged with creamy, chocolatey notes and smooth, earthy … Read More
Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2012
Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2012 $22 ★★★★ The inside of the glass is coated in a film of inky magenta-black on the first swirl, while on the nose it has what I can describe only as the smell of a large bowl of ageing plums and berries slowly fermenting inside a carpenter’s workshop – all earthy … Read More
A sense of place
Published NZ Herald Sat 21 Nov 2015 I like it when the name on a bottle gives me some kind of geographic indicator as to the origin or owner’s connection to the wine instead of those awful ghost brands from nowhereville that plague our supermarket shelves. Here are three that shout their sense of … Read More
Wine Stories
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 21 Nov 2015 Homage Returns November 20th sees Trinity Hill release its flagship syrah, Homage 2013 ($120), the first Homage to be released since 2010. Known now as one of the top red wines New Zealand’s ever produced, full-stop, (except I put a comma there) it comes out with … Read More
The Willows Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010
The Willows Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010 $34 ★★★★ Deeply meaty on the nose and palate, this is definitely more on the savoury side for shiraz and way less jammy than most. In fact, there’s a distinct roasting pan, gravy-like richness to this wine that oozes personality and depth. It also has good, solid acidity to … Read More
Lawsons Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2014
Lawsons Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2014 $23 ★★★★½ Tangaliciously tasty quince, crunchy apple, roast pear and spicy, strudel-like flavours make this a definite new favourite for me. Full-flavoured, rich and luxurious to drink – it’s fresh and has a splash of sweetness on the finish. Fantastic with aromatic Indian dishes. www.lawsonsdryhill.co.nz
Matawhero Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2013
Matawhero Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2013 $25.99 ★★★★★ I love the scent of this wine, it’s all toasted croissants, grilled nectarines, custard squares and fresh pinapple in the glass. Deliciously layered with tropical tones, elegant spices and crisp, tangy acidity on the finish. It’s gorgeousness from Gisborne that you definitely should try pronto. www.glengarrywines.co.nz
Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013
Greywacke Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013 $30 ★★★★½ Pinot gris has proved an unstoppable force in this country, particularly over the last decade. It’s now our fourth most-widely-planted variety and our wine producers are now crushing a whopping 24000 tonnes of the stuff. That’s almost 1500 times the quantity they were processing in 2005. Kevin Judd of … Read More
Haha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Hãhã Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $16 ★★★★ Wow! Bursting with intense passionfruit, lime and peach flavours bouncing around in a bucketload of classic grassy, herbaceous notes, this is a juicy, generous sauvignon that finishes tangy and taut. Great value. www.hahawine.com