Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022

March 7, 2023By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022 $24.99 Paired with: Spicy Mexican Prawns in NZ Herald CANVAS March 11 2023 Coriander, lime, garlic, chipotle and chilli? Pardon me but I’m about to paradiddle down to pinot gris town with this prawn recipe (shout out to all the percussionists out there). The rocky, high-altitude, free-draining soils of … Read More

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir Rosé 2022

March 3, 2023By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir Rosé 2022 $24.99 Sometimes I make myself do a personal SWOT analysis, and it’s never pleasant. The main reason I force myself through this excruciating exercise is so I can reward-slash-console myself at its conclusion with something delicious made by Emma Lowe at Monowai. Her new rosé brings the grins … Read More

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022

August 21, 2022By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $24.99 Emma Lowe and her husband Marcello are the super-talented duo who craft this crisp, clean, troptastic sauvignon blanc in their small but perfectly formed winery waaay out on Matapiro Road in Hawke’s Bay’s Crownthorpe district. The stones are so big in the vineyards out there, the locals call … Read More

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021

June 29, 2022By Yvonne

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $35 The juicy, multilayered, gentle stonefruit and caramelised spices in this new vintage merge with creamy depth including creme brulee and creme caramel, peachy notes baked nashi and neenish tart – deliciously complex and macadamia creaminess – roasted nuts and exceptional length of flavour been waiting for this … Read More

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2020

June 28, 2022By Yvonne

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2020 $34.99 Upper Reaches refers to Emma Lowe and her husband Marcelo Nunez’s vineyard. It sits high up on the ancient terraces carved out by the mighty Ngaruroro River in the sub-region of Crownthorpe at the foot of the Kaweka Range. Vanilla-dipped cherry and choco-berry aromas lead to … Read More

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021

June 28, 2022By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $24.99 There are three words printed on the back label of this bottle. Stonefruit. Vanilla. Toasty. And if you had to simplify this wine you’d absolutely be on point with those words, yet as soon as you sip you’ll see this wine is bursting with extra complexity. Beautifully balanced acidity … Read More

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021

June 10, 2022By Yvonne

Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $35 This chardonnay — with its caramelised spices, roast peach notes, deliciously complex macadamia-like creaminess, and exceptional length of flavour — is inspiring. I’d only had a sip when this sudden flash of brilliance occurred. If you’re cremated after you die, you could be put into an hourglass … Read More

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2021

October 2, 2021By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $20 Out west of Hastings in a place called Matapiro, high up on the terraces of the Ngaruroro River, some of Hawke’s Bays best sauvignon blanc is being grown. In the rain shadow of the Ruahine range, with roots thriving in the deep, ancient river gravels, the vines that … Read More

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021

October 1, 2021By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021 $24.99 With pear, poached quince and roast peach characters on the nose lead to a softly spiced palate with gentle acidity and a long, creamy finish, it’s a good little sip-in-the-sunshine gris. Don’t over-chill it (that’ll mask the all-important florals and fruit). Nicely made. Monowai Estate

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021

October 1, 2021By Yvonne

Monowai Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021 $24.99 This ultra pretty-in-pink wine bursts with classic bubblegum, rose apple, creaming soda and raspberry aromatics and yet on the palate it’s cleansing, dry and seriously refreshing. The acidity is perky, lending just the right amount of ‘prickle’ to the gums and tongue and it’s got personality to burn. Nicely … Read More