Library Tasting of 2001 Sauternes Here’s your chance to be one of the privileged few to taste 12 of the greatest sweet wines (including Ch. D’Yquem) from “Perhaps the greatest Sauternes vintage in modern times” according to Jancis Robinson MW. Held in Wellington, at the Tasting Room at Regional Wines & Spirits at 6pm, Thursday … Read More
An Isabel Experience
Brad Tiller and his dog, Rhombus. It was a Wednesday, what was I thinking? “Come out for dinner with us,” said my friend Michael. “Brad Tiller from Isabel Vineyard is bringing a bunch of his wines over and the team at Cook ‘n’ With Gas on Worcester Boulevard has designed a menu to match. It’ll … Read More
Go Go Greystone!
If you thought great New Zealand pinot noir only poured out of Central Otago, then here’s a nugget of knowledge for you. Waipara is fast becoming where it’s at. Well, this week it was anyway, with the announcement that the Greystone ‘Brothers Reserve’ 2012 ($69) scooped the prestigious International Pinot Noir Trophy at the Decanter … Read More
MATAWHERO MAGIC
Has it been six years? Really? When I first met Kirsten and Richard Searle they were a fresh-faced young couple bursting with nervous excitement having just taken possession of the iconic Matawhero Wines in Gisborne. It was 2008, they had three babies, a whopping mortgage, a rundown, rambling wine estate and wide-eyed dreams for the … Read More
New Zealand’s First 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Released Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Hawke’s Bay releases the nation’s first 2014 “Sauvy” Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand – April 1st 2014 – Marlborough may be the home of Sauvignon Blanc but this year Hawke’s Bay is its home-away-from-home, as the first Sauvignon Blanc of the season hits the market today care of local winery Moana Park. The “Crush … Read More
On the Spice Trail
The team at Lake Chalice Wines love spicy food. So much so, that it has created an entire range of wines designed specifically to serve with dishes of all chilli levels. The wines are classed into four distinct “flavour” categories. The first, Spice Trail Hot, is a blend of riesling, gruner veltliner and a splash … Read More
Al Fresco Wines
As soon as the temperature climbs into the 20s, Kiwis abandon the confines of the kitchen table and turn to the art of eating outdoors. Ah, the joys of picnicking. I mean, what’s not to love? The inevitable sand that finds its way on to your food, sticky-footed flies hovering doggedly just out of swatting … Read More
NZ winery first in southern hemisphere to trade with bitcoin
I don’t usually post press releases verbatim – but this just came through and I think it’s rather cool… 27 November 2013 MEDIA RELEASE – PYRAMID VALLEY VINEYARDS A small high-end winery in North Canterbury is set to become the first wine business in the southern hemisphere to accept bitcoin payment to make transactions easier … Read More
Six Decent Wines for Under Sixty Dollars – Can we do it?
This week I set myself a challenge to see if I could find six decent wines for under $60. There’s deep discounting going on left right and sideways out there in supermarketland at the moment, so it shouldn’t be too hard I thought. Because of the nature of my job, I do get to taste … Read More
Sweet and Low..
Scarred by memories of clinging to the toilet bowl after one too many Marque Vues in the sun one troublesome, teenage summer, I thought my taste for sweet, fizzy wine had died a dreary death in recent decades. But the warming of the soil and the blossoming of spring flowers has sparked a desire deep … Read More