Church Road Gwen Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2020 $21 Paired with: Zucchini Noodles with Corn and Tomatoes by Annabel Langbein in Canvas Magazine Saturday 15th Jan 2022 in the NZ Herald All that punchy pesto and creamy, avocado indulgence screams out for this crunchy-crisp, deliciously dry, cheek-slappingly sippable wine. Named in homage to the wife of … Read More
Church Road
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Syrah 2019
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Syrah 2019 $120 The ‘treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen philosophy applied by winemaker Chris Scott to these vines, is pretty hardcore. I mean dropping the crop by 60%-70%? That’s practically abuse! And yet this Bridge Pa-grown wine tastes like its long, loose bunches have been lovingly cuddled and … Read More
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2020
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2020 $120 Cropped to just one bunch per shoot, a very meagre amount equating to roughly 1.2 – 1.3kg of fruit per 1m of canopy, it’s no wonder the wine smells and tastes so densely concentrated. Soft, suede-like tannins cloak a core of seasoned leather, graphite, smoky … Read More
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 $120 For a wine that hasn’t been fined or filtered, it’s deeply inky and glossy in the glass and the floral aspect is super-pretty. In addition to red rose, plum and boysenberry aromatics, classic Bridge Pa graphite and iron filings also unveil on the nose … Read More
Church Road One Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $120 According to winemaker Chris Scott, cabernet sauvignon is an optimistic variety. “It’ll deal with stress in the vineyard calmly, just assuming things will improve, so it kind of sailed through the vagaries of the 2019 vintage easily,” he says. Clearly, the cabernet’s positive attitude paid … Read More
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Terraces Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $100 Word on the street is that 2019 was a blistering blinder of a year for chardonnay in Hawke’s Bay and that the fruit was set to flourish into something more fabulous than ever before. The word on the street is entirely accurate. Immensely powerful … Read More
Church Road Grand Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Church Road Grand Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 Paired with Lemongrass and Chilli Beef – NZ Herald Canvas Magazine 23.7.2021 When beef is boosted by a whack of chilli and lashings of lemongrass, step away from the cabernet and pick up a bottle of the shiny new and ludicrously lush Church Road Grand Reserve … Read More
Church Road TOM release 2019
In a new move, the release of arguably one of New Zealand’s most aristocratic range of wines has taken on a new timeframe. Church Road TOM is a tribute to Tom McDonald (1907-1987), a visionary winemaker who devoted his life to producing outstanding wines at Church Road Winery (formerly known as McWilliams Wines) in Hawke’s … Read More
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013 $20 ★★★★★ I really, really, really, really like this wine for loads of reasons. It’s not just its elegant aromas of peppercorn, plum, violet and red fruits freshly dusted with cocoa powder, or its buoyant acidity and ethereal texture or even its sandy, emery-like tannins with just the right … 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