Ever tried beer made with wine? Here’s your chance with this white ale that the Yeastie’s have added to their 2014 ‘Spoonbender’ series. Taking a small portion of Gladstone Vineyard’s ‘Pushmi’ white wine (sauvignon and viognier) to create a candy-sugar to use alongside the malts and hops in the brew, the ‘Pullyu’ is a strong, … Read More
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Soljans Estate Gisborne Gewurztraminer 2016 $19.90
You’ll be wanting to move the Monaro and the Commodore to get to the Cortina so you can take this little bottle from West Auckland out to the local BYO Thai. With classic musky notes on the nose, ginger, lychee and all that gewürztraminer good stuff, stylistically it’s grown on the East coast, schooled out … Read More
Kaimira Estate Brightwater Nelson Gewurztraminer 2016 $25
Certified organic, this wine is one huge high-five as to why Nelson is considered New Zealand’s spiritual home of the aromatic white wines. ‘Kaimira’ is named after an old flour mill built near the site of the original winery, but today it’s all about the grapes. Perfumed with nectarine and jasmine and sultry, dusky, musky … Read More
Natural Wine Co. Organic Gisborne Gewurztraminer 2015 $17.99
This is about as natural as it gets for gewurztraminer production. Nicola and Geoff Wright are organic pioneers in Gisborne and alongside not adding any herbicides, insecticides or fungicides, they’re also not adding any yeast, opting instead for wild, ‘natural’ yeasts to conduct the ferment. Here’s a funkier, smokier, drier style, laced with lychee and … Read More
Gladstone Vineyard Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $27
Throwing themselves headlong into organic viticulture, Christine Kernohan and her team of sauvignon sensei’s are reaping the rewards right here. Softly, softly is how this super-floral example plays out, with hints of fresh lawn clippings, basil, sweet pea and some plucky, preserved lemon layers give it lusciousness, length and complexity. Sip with: steamed snapper with … Read More
Vidal Legacy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $59.99
Oh lordy, what a wine! With its alluring aromas of grilled grapefruit, roast peach, toasted almonds and a hint of smoke, I struggled to peel the glass away from my nose for long enough to actually put any in my gob! Thankfully I persisted, because it’s ultra-fresh, beautifully layered with banging citrus and succulent stonefruit … Read More
Melton Estate Canterbury Pinot Gris 2013 $23
Twenty minutes from Christchurch on the West Coast Road (SH73) is a leafy locale known as West Melton, home to a plucky community of winegrowers, including Philip Caunter, a million-miles-an-hour man who doubles as ‘software entrepreneur’ and ‘ardent fan of the West Melton RFC’. His vines grow on free-draining, greywacke-littered soils gifted by ancient braided … Read More
Tua Marina Marlborough Arneis 2015 $28
How brilliant to finally find an Arneis specialist here in New Zealand. Franzi Grab is obsessed with this tricky little Italian number that has the nickname ‘Little Rascal’ due to it regularly having hissy fits in the vineyard and not playing by the rules. Franzi’s version is chalky, bone dry and limey on both the … Read More
Tyrell’s Single Vineyard Steven’s Hunter Semillon 2009 $45
Aged semillon from the Hunter Valley is one of the world’s greatest things in my opinion. I love the straw, watercress, pepper, lemongrass, almond and biscotti aromatics which combine with nougat and summer flowers, green melon, baked apple, dried basil and almonds in this awesome 8 year old example. Extra for experts: The Tyrell’s can … Read More
Huia Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2015 $32
This is a wine that I hanker for each year. Apart from being one of Marlborough’s most dedicated pioneers of organic and biodynamic winegrowing, Mike and Claire Allan of Huia Vineyards are gewürztraminer nuts, which means they’re my kind of people. With lashings of white pepper, lychee, musky, honeysuckle notes and gingery goodness on the … Read More