Villa Maria Braided Gravels Hawke’s Bay Albariño 2019 $29 Reviewed in dish Magazine July/Aug 2020 and paired with Chicken, leek and thyme pie Hand on heart, if you do not do everything you can to nab yourself a bottle of the Villa Maria Braided Gravels Hawke’s Bay Albariño 2019 ($29) to sip and swirl with … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Ash Ridge Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Ash Ridge Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $22 Reviewed for dish Magazine July/Aug 2020 – Paired with Lamb Shank Pie Combining two of my absolute favourite things, lamb shanks and pies, this meal is given a leg up (shank, leg, ahem) by the delicious Ash Ridge Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 ($22). With its vibrant, plummy perfume, … Read More
Brookfields Barrique Fermented Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2018
Brookfields Barrique Fermented Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2018 $27 While the winery is already on to the 2019 vintage of this wine if you’re able to find any bottles of this 2018 around the traps, snap it up! This multi-award winning style is a masterclass in how viognier should be crafted. Boasting all the classic apricot, … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Wildsong Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling Cuvée 2018
Te Awanga Estate Wildsong Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling Cuvée 2018 ($poa) Truth be told, I’ve not been a big fan of the sparkling sauvignon blanc style, but this little export-only lovely from Te Awanga Estate in Hawke’s Bay has more personality packed into it than a high school drama troupe (and we all know how OTT … Read More
Stonecroft Undressed Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2019
Stonecroft Undressed Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2019 $31 I love how exotically perfumed this organically-grown Gimblett Gravels merlot is, and the fact that it’s made with no added sulphites (hence the ‘undressed’) – so I’m loving what it has, and what it hasn’t. Perky plum, pepper and pomegranate layers set the pace for boatloads of berries … Read More
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2019
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2019 $16.99 Reviewed in Canvas Magazine in the NZ Herald April 4 2020 and paired with Annabel Langbein’s Lamb and Chickpea Curry Well I’ll be fragrantly footstomped! Here we have a supertasty smorgasbord of 67% merlot, 29.5% sauvignon blanc, 1.3% pinot gris, 1.2% malbec, 0.7% cabernet sauvignon and 0.3% cabernet … Read More
Goshawk Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Goshawk Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018$poa Well well well. If I haven’t just managed to snaffle a bottle of the top-secret solo project from Mills Reef’s long-time, legendary winemaker, Paul Dawick. The name is taken from his mum’s maiden name (Drummond) and there happened to be a Goshawk bird attached to the coat of … Read More
Cypress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Cypress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $26 The 2018 vintage of what’s become a huge favourite of mine, is absolutely saturated with ripe plum, blackberry, blueberry and that all-important, syrah-staple, buckets of cracked pepper. There’s a lovely layer of charred oak, black olive and a sniff of soy, meaning its everything I’m looking for in great … Read More
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $16.99 Created in homage to the year that Marino Selak sold his first vintage of wine, this new range boasts a chardonnay that I’m certain will become a ‘best value classic’. I say that because for sixteen bucks you have a wine that’s absolutely heaving with pineapple, peach, guava … Read More
Tony Bish Skeetfield Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Tony Bish Skeetfield Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $59.99 I got an email recently from Tony Bish, (who in my opinion should be given a knighthood for his services to chardonnay) saying “We are very pleased to announce the release of the 2018 Skeetfield. This is a great follow on from 2017, and from a better … Read More