Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 10 Oct 2015 In 1985 about this time, I was sitting in a movie theatre watching Michael J Fox as Marty McFly travel via his silver DeLorean thirty years into the future, to 2015. 1985 was when our family moved from Takapau to the big smoke of Hastings and … Read More
Wine Roulette
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat Oct 3 2015 A text message arrives from my friend Jen. She’s given up on trying to pin me down for coffee, or for a proper, well-behaved, big girls glass of wine at a reputable establishment to ‘catch up’. To say I’ve had a busy two months is a bit … Read More
Northern Hemisphere Niceness
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 26 Sep 2015 There’s a place in Italy called Salento. It’s located in the Puglia peninsula region of southern Italy, the one that looks like the heel of a boot, and it’s exceptionally good at growing a red grape that I’m fast becoming a serious fan of. That grape is … Read More
Exercising the palate
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 19 Sep 2015 I’m writing this column during breaks whilst judging at the New Zealand International Wine Show at QBE Stadium in Auckland. It’s the home of the North Harbour rugby team and I would have thought that after their 48v32 loss to Hawke’s Bay two days beforehand, that the … Read More
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Gimblett Gravels Grenache 2014
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Gimblett Gravels Grenache 2014 $24 ★★★★ Grenache is super-rare in this country, and Villa Maria have just one solitary hectare of vines planted smack bang in the middle of New Zealand’s most prestigious red wine region. This is also the only New Zealand grenache made on it’s own, not blended with … Read More
Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 $19 ★★★★½ The gold medals are already swinging off the neck of this wine crafted by the ridiculously talented Hugh Crichton. A blend of 57 % merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 7% malbec and 1% cabernet franc, this wine hits that sweet spot between delivering muscular, meaty, dark … Read More
Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2014
Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2014 $19 ★★★★★ Super-glossy and garnet-black in the glass, this seriously-overdelivers-for-the-price wine has racked up an impressive pedigree of awards at major wine shows in recent years. I love the aroma of soy, blackcurrant leaf, dried herbs and carob. Black plum, biscuit oak and a backbone of … Read More
Falua Terciua Touriga Nacional 2011
Falua Terciua Touriga Nacional 2011 $22 ★★★★ “I reckon it’s an absolute star, and is my go-to red wine right now.” Says Richard Sherriff of Wellington’s Regional Wines & Spirits – who isn’t easy to impress. “Dollar for dollar there isn’t much that comes close to it” – and I’d have to agree. This excellent … Read More
Cantine Menhir ‘Il Mardorlo’ Negroamaro 2014
Cantine Menhir ‘Il Mardorlo’ Negroamaro 2014 $16.95 ★★★½ Sniffing this wine for the first time is like walking into a delicatessen where every available piece of ceiling space has a hunk of drying meat or salami hanging from it. Rich, meaty and spicy, this superb-value sip is sourced from the Salento region in Puglia, Italy, … Read More
Luna Argenta Appassimento Negroamaro Primitivo 2013
Luna Argenta Appassimento Negroamaro Primitivo 2013 $24 ★★★★ The ‘Appassimento’ style is made from grapes that are partially dried or ‘raisining on the vine’ That dessicating fruit produces a rich, spicy-sweet spectrum of flavours and textures that are incredibly approachable and dangerously easy to enjoy. It’s a Puglia-grown blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo, otherwise known … Read More