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Wine Writers of NZ on tour : Day 1
One of our aims, when establishing up Wine Writers of NZ, was to ask if regional bodies would put on tastings, thereby allowing us to get an overall snapshot of the wines without necessarily being beholden to one particular producer. So hats off to Wines from Martinborough (WfM) who stepped forward and hosted the inaugural […]
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Georgetown Wines, Central Otago
Standing on the side of the Kawarau River, it crossed my mind that you really have to think the pioneering spirit of old is still alive and well in Central Otago. Only these days its in the form of boutique vineyard owners rather than gold prospectors
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2013 BusHHawke Vineyard Fiano
When a package arrived from Hawke’s Bay, I was surprised to unwrap a bottle of Fiano. I wasn’t aware there was any planted in NZ but remembered the words of advice given to me when I moved here, ‘everything’s available, you just have to know where to look’.
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Ellero, Central Otago
Leaving the sanctuary of the warm Maude Wines tasting room, we made the short drive down State Highway 6 to meet John Montero, owner of Ellero Wines.
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2013 Bacardi Legacy NZ Competition
No-one was more surprised than me when I was asked to judge the NZ Bacardi Legacy competition. Spirits are an integral part of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications, but cocktails are not.
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TOSQ Wines, Central Otago
Artisan Winegrowers of Central Otago, a group of six tiny (2000 or fewer cases) committed producers who have banded together to promote their common interest of ‘small batch, high-quality viticulture and winemaking’.
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Artisan Winegrowers of Central Otago
This week Emma and I spent a few days in Central Otago as guests of the AWCO group, Artisan Winegrowers of Central Otago.
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2011 Doctors Flat Pinot Noir
Steve Davies makes one of Central’s loveliest pinots. Never overblown, he manages to keep the fruit in the red spectrum; cherry, raspberry and red plum without ever veering into the dark, super extracted end of things.
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The Chosen One?
That Marlborough sauvignon blanc is the engine room of the country’s wine is a given. But in a typically New Zealand fashion, we seem to both be extremely proud and incredibly dismissive of the grape and style.