Giesen Clayvin Vineyard Marlborough Syrah 2021 $55 This is one of those young red wines that tastes great on the first pour but tastes amazing the next day. Erupting with dark berries on the nose, blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry notes, alongside a vein of pepper and dark cocoa and smoky oak, this organically-grown wine is … Read More
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Rosé 2022
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Rosé 2022 $25 I love how this rosé sits up and starts singing from the moment you pour the first glass. Bright pink and bursting with ripe cherry, redcurrant and watermelon notes on the nose and palate, it’s fresh, squeaky-clean and roaring with personality. It’s also got decent weight and presence in … Read More
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Gris 2022
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Gris 2022 $23 Forget about the common description of ‘pear’ for pinot gris, because this wine is the whole darn orchard! Nashi, Golden Delicious apples, quince, yellow pears and hints of peach all feature in this new release grown in the mineral-rich Moutere Clays of Nelson. Dry, deliciously textural and nicely balanced, … Read More
Te Kano Central Otago Rosé 2021
Te Kano Central Otago Rosé 2021 $30 This is a lipsmacker of a rosé if ever there was. Coral-coloured and crafted from pinot noir grapes grown in the schist-rock soils of their Northburn vineyard, it’s perfumed with red apple, raspberry and pink peppercorn and shows zesty redcurrant, pomegranate and spicy-dry characters on the palate. Deeply … Read More
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Hieronymus 2019
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Hieronymus 2019 $125 A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, (clone 10), 29% cabernet franc (clone 326) and 11% merlot (clone 181) sourced from predominantly their ‘Stone’ Gimblett Gravels vineyard, this wine is the epitome of what the Elephant Hill team can achieve from an excellent vintage. Inky-dark and glossy, this wine … Read More
Elephant Hill Airavata Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2019
Elephant Hill Airavata Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2019 $125 From what’s fast becoming known as the holy trinity of Hawke’s Bay vintages (19.20,21) Airavata is the absolute pinnacle of what the Elephant Hill winemaking team can achieve with syrah. And I’ll tell you right now, it’s so gorgeously, garnet-hued, glossy and inky-dark, it wins stars on … Read More
Brown Brothers Origins Series Victoria Prosecco NV
Brown Brothers Origins Series Victoria Prosecco NV $19.99 Brown Brothers rarely disappoint when it comes to crafting great value wines packed with personality and this new prosecco is no exception. Ultra-clean, bright, apple and white peach notes on the nose and palate merge with a hint of honeysuckle and persimmon to create a gently juicy, … Read More
NEW WINE FESTIVAL LAUNCHES IN HAWKE’S BAY APRIL 1 2023
PRESS RELEASE – NEW WINE FESTIVAL LAUNCHES IN HAWKE’S BAY – TICKETS ON SALE NOW Tickets are on sale for New Zealand’s newest food and wine festival – Harvest Hawke’s Bay. The inaugural event will take place on April 1, 2023, in a spectacular riverside location, nestled beneath Te Mata Peak in the Tukituki Valley. … Read More
Swift Wines Whole Bunch Bridge Pa Triangle Syrah 2019 – retaste
Swift Wines Whole Bunch Bridge Pa Triangle Syrah 2019 $40 – re-taste 30 Oct 2022 I first tasted this wine back in October 2021 (see notes below) 2019 will always be known as belonging in the Holy Trinity of vintages (2019, 2020, 2021) and three years on, this syrah is really starting to knit together … Read More
Swift Wines Maraekakaho Whole Bunch Gamay Noir 2022
Swift Wines Maraekakaho Whole Bunch Gamay Noir 2022 $36 The Lucknow Vineyard out west of Hastings in the Maraekakaho sub-region, has some of the oldest gamay noir vines in the country, and Lauren Swift’s taken advantage of those heritage vines for her shiny new vintage. Once harvested the bunches and any loose berries were sealed … Read More