Garage Days Revisited by Yvonne LorkinAugust 1, 2023 Photo: Florence Charvin [As published in July/August BayBuzz magazine.] “Bruno, our schnauzer, may greet you with a bark,” was the text from Ollie Powrie a few minutes before I pulled up for our interview. So I was prepared, as I noodled up the driveway of his 1920s … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2021
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2021 $18 Super-fresh and frisky, this wine has a tweak of smoke and soy on the tongue in amongst a jungle of berries, cherries and black plum punchiness. Bright, breezy, and showing gently chewy, gum-fuzzing tannins, it’s a crowd-pleaser for sure. Black Cottage
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $18 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Celebration Salmon pie in the NZ Herald July 15th 2023 Chardonnay is 100% my go-to for anything salmony. There’s just something about the clean, peachy, citrus-laced characters in chardonnay which snuggle up to salmon sensationally well. This new release from Black Cottage has classic … Read More
Pask Gimblett Gravels Declaration Chardonnay 2020
Pask Gimblett Gravels Declaration Chardonnay 2020 $40 Paired with: Annabel Langbein’s Leeks with Honey Mustard dressing in the NZ Herald Sat July 8th 2023 Now you may ask, why would I drop fourty dollars on something that I’m only going to sip with some dressed leeks? And I would answer that these aren’t just any … Read More
Villa Maria Braided Gravels Hawke’s Bay Albariño 2021
Villa Maria Braided Gravels Hawke’s Bay Albariño 2021 $29 Incredibly cleansing, this local version of a Spanish classic roars with green apple, pear, quince, lemon, lime and summer flowers on the nose and erupts with zesty citrus complexity on the palate. Fermented very gently as a single parcel in a concrete egg vat, the result … Read More
Chateau Garage Lyons Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Chateau Garage Lyons Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $50 Many winemakers call themselves ‘garagistes’ these days because they do things on a small scale. However I’ve been inside Ollie Powrie’s tiny, old-as-the-hills garden shed, where he makes his wines, and there is literally no room to swing, well anything really. Arms could almost stretch from … Read More
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021 $24 A strong silver medal winner in the recent 2023 dish Magazine Syrah Tasting Panel, this wine is a rockstar because it roars with fresh, juicy spice-saturated layers on the nose and palate and boasts fine, earthy tannins and stylish, savoury firmness. I really like the pure blackcurrant and … Read More
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022 $22 Paired with: Hot Smoked Salmon and Goat’s Cheese Omelette in dish Magazine Issue 109 ‘Dinner for Two’ Pair the rich, oily texture of this hot smoked salmon and the soft, saltiness of the goat’s cheese with this deliciously dry pinot gris. Grown in the sun-baked Ohiti sub-region, … Read More
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021 $39 2021 was a sensational year for Gimblett Gravels syrah due to it being cool, even and dry. Remember dry summers? Ah the memories. Each sniff erupts with classic florals and defined blueberry and black pepper notes which provide a ladder climbing down to a spice-saturated palate edged with … Read More
Loss, Learning and Looking Ahead – A post-cyclone wine capital
Loss, Learning and Looking Ahead by Yvonne LorkinMay 16, 2023 Photo: Florence Charvin [As published in May/June BayBuzz magazine.] It’s a generalisation, but even before Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke’s Bay, things out in the vineyards weren’t fabulous. The 2022 harvest was hobbled by Spring frosts and unsettled weather through flowering and fruit set, followed by a … Read More