Seifried Sweet Agnes Riesling 2011 $32 ★★★★★ I’d happily roll up my sleeves and launch into fisticuffs with anyone who disputed that this wine was one of the most consistently successful sweet wines from our shores. With international trophies and stacks of gold medals in the trophy cabinet, the Sweet Agnes is a star. With … Read More
Rimu Grove Pinot Gris 2010
Rimu Grove Pinot Gris 2010 $31 ★★★★½ Exotic confection and sweet, strudel-like aromas make way for a wave of luxuriously slick spices, succulent stonefruit and zesty acidity which creates a platform for excellent persistence of flavour. Not a pinot gris for the fragile or faint-hearted. www.rimugrove.co.nz
Waimea Classic Riesling 2011
Waimea Classic Riesling 2011 $19 ★★★★★ An incredible value-for-money Riesling which oozes lime and tangelo tanginess, a beautifully taut, concentrated mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish which is edged with hints of mango. Lovely stuff. www.waimeaestates.co.nz
Sea Level Home Block Pinot Gris 2011
Sea Level Home Block Pinot Gris 2011 $19 ★★★★½ I love the aromas of frangipane, nashi and crème caramel while in the mouth there are layers of gingerbread, quince, pear and prickly, textural acidity. Created from fruit grown in their Mariri vineyard by talented winemaker Sam Smail, this flavourful pinot gris finishes dry and delicious. … Read More
Kaimira Brightwater Gewurztraminer 2009
Kaimira Brightwater Gewurztraminer 2009 $23 ★★★★★ At 14.5% alc I was expecting this wine to have a hot, stringy, slightly resinous character but this wine delivers quite the opposite. It hits the sweet spot between musky floral notes, rich, ripe, peachy characters and a long, elegantly spicy finish. It’s exotically perfumed with a seam of sweetness … Read More
Nelson on my mind…
I’ve just spent three days in stunning Nelson filming at Woollaston Estate and a bunch of boutique breweries for my show Thirsty Work. Shane Munn and his team at Woollaston Estate produce a veritable smorgasbord of certified organic wines from their four-level, gravity fed winery in Mahana, and despite loving their floral sauvignon blanc, red-fruited, … Read More
St Andrews Sparkling Cider
St Andrews Sparkling Cider 750ml $15 Restaurants and bars across Hawke’s Bay have been enjoying sole custody of this cracking new cider – but that’s all changed now that the nation can buy it from their snazzy new website. Deeply golden and boasting subtle, fruit-wax and pure apple aromas, it’s produced from apples grown on … Read More
Brancott Estate Special Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Gris 2012
Brancott Estate Special Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Gris 2012 $28 ★★★★ Wild passionfruit, elderflower, white peach, basil, white pepper, nectarine and lime – it’s all in here. Brancott have been doing interesting things with sauvignon gris (a singular grape variety, not a blend of sauvignon blanc and pinot gris) recently and the results get better every … Read More
Gladstone Estate 12,000 miles Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Gladstone Vineyard 12,000 miles Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc 2012 $19 ★★★½ A superb sauvignon showing peach fuzz, passionfruit and citrus aromas that lead to punchy, cheek-sucking acidity, blackcurrant leaf, pineapple and herbaceous flavours and an intense, lime-laden finish. I’d love to taste this again in 12 months time when it’s had a chance to soften slightly. … Read More
Isabel Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris 2012
Isabel Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris 2012 $22 ★★★★ This is one of my new favourite pinot gris styles because I love the juicy, marmalade, peach and quince flavours and the rich, deeply textural mouthfeel. It hits that balance between mid-palate generosity and dryness, cleansing crispness and long, luxurious length of flavour. www.glengarry.co.nz