El Burro Kickass Garnacha 2013

14 August 2015By Yvonne

El Burro Kickass Garnacha 2013 $16.95 ★★★½ Kickass by name and kickass by nature (if ‘by nature’ means you’re looking for a bright, vibrantly fruity, berry-driven red that also has a sniff of cocoa and cured beef and boasts a plush, toasty finish)  According to the importer, it gets its name from the donkeys or … Read More

Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria 2012

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria 2012 $29 ★★★★½ Inside this bottle is 100% Grenache crafted from 100 year old vines grown in Spain’s Campo de Borja region – and it’s darn lovely. This wine oozes exotic earthiness, where clove and caramel characters merge with prune, cherry, vanilla and pepper.  I really like the gum-tingling grip … Read More

Sam Hunt Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2014

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Sam Hunt Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2014 $24.95 ★★★ “Winter is a warm hearth…” is a line from Hunt’s poem Rainbows and that’s exactly where I’d imagine you should enjoy this wine; either that, or with juicy, fatty snarlers sizzled and oh-so-slightly charred on the BBQ.  Dark magenta-black in the glass and showing pepper, prune, … Read More

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $39 ★★★★ This’ll probably sound really weird, but I love that this pinot smells like moss-covered tree trunks in the rain, lush and earthy, with a layer of black tea, cherry and baking spices.  Fresh and juicy to drink, with pleasantly drying tannins, this well-crafted pinot has lovely fruit … Read More

Real Compania De Vinos Tempranillo 2013

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Real Compania De Vinos Tempranillo 2013 $16 ★★★½ Super-fruity and packed with dark berries, cocoa nib and smoky, coconut and coffee notes, there’s a gentle, spicy, velvety mouthfeel in this Spanish sip which finishes with solid, chewy tannins.  www.winesale.co.nz

Fantini Farnese Sangiovese 2013

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Fantini Farnese Sangiovese 2013 $19 ★★★½ Prepare yourself for really unusual aromas of smoky ham hock, vanilla, nutmeg and pepper, which all merge into a rich, leathery palate.  Smooth and savoury, it’s an interesting, meaty sip sourced from Italy.  www.atouchofitaly.co.nz

Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot 2012

14 August 2015By Yvonne

Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot 2012 $32 ★★★★ Petit Verdot is one of just six permitted varieties allowed in Bordeaux, but it’s a rare find outside of France, and even more so as a single example.  With aromas of dusty tobacco leaf, white pepper, cherry and dried herbs, followed by blueberry and fruitcake spice flavours … Read More

Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2012

14 July 2015By Yvonne

Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2012 $32 ★★★★½ Even if you were somehow blind to the bling on the label (gold medals for Africa here) you’d know as soon as you took the first sip that this wine is astonishingly tasty.  It’s scented with red rose, dried herbs, cocoa and ripe black fruits, … Read More

RojoMojo Tempranillo 2013

14 July 2015By Yvonne

RojoMojo Tempranillo 2013 $12.95 ★★★½ Here you’ve got a rich, heady, spicy, plum-driven 100% Tempranillo from the Campo de Cariñena that’s dangerously easy to drink.  Tangy berries, cherries and savoury, leathery notes on the finish should make this a no brainer with burgers. www.moorewilson.co.nz

Mas Buscados Tempranillo Petit Verdot 2013

14 July 2015By Yvonne

Mas Buscados Tempranillo Petit Verdot 2013 $16.95 ★★★½ The grapes are grown by three hombres called ‘Paco’ and the winemaker is Brent King, a gringo kiwi.  With a grippy, grizzly mouthfeel awash with cherry, berry and pepper flavours, make sure you feed it with meat. For stockists contact importer Bennett & Deller 09 3789463 info@bdwine.co.nz