Michael Brajkovich is not a man given to hyperbole. So when, at the launch of the Kumeu River 2018s last year, he said ‘wait for the 2019s’ and accompanied this statement with a very slight raising of his eyebrows, I took that to mean he thought the ‘19s would be something special.
Author: jane
Must try harder
Given the choice and budget, most of her friends prefer to buy one of the hard seltzers such as White Rhino instead of wine. However whilst tidying up some magazines and press releases she read out a tasting note for a newly released wine and was incredulous that a paragraph of flowery prose seemed to be the only information offered to entice a consumer to purchase.
Judging in Blois
We saw and learnt a fair bit in such a short time (not only does Touraine have around 5000 hectares of vines and is home to 650 wine producers but Mick Jagger has a home there).
Fenavin – Spain’s Wine Fair
Spain has 975,000 hectares of vineyards, making it 24 times bigger than New Zealand’s plantings and over 200 indigenous grape varieties (not counting all the international ones. It is a complex, fascinating country.
Te Mata Alma Pinot Noir
Anyone who spent time with Peter Cowley, Te Mata’s recently retired Technical Director, would have been left in little doubt where his loyalties lay.
Fromm : 2015 Pinot Noir
There can’t have been a single delegate at Pinot17 who wasn’t charmed by Hatsch Kalberer’s gentle speech praising Central Otago’s wines and its winemakers. But though he mentioned being envious of his more southerly brethren, surely there is no better advocate for Marlborough than this talented Swiss born winemaker who has steered the ship at Fromm for over 25 years.
FAWC : Aged and Rare
Food and Wine Classic Hawke’s Bay (FAWC) was started in 2012 and has grown from an event that was held annually to one that has two full months of activities in both November and June.
Craggy Range Te Muna Four
If Charlie Thompson, a confectionary salesman, hadn’t (purportedly) dropped his tray of samples in front of a potential customer, thereby jumbling up all the sweets, liquorice allsorts would not have been invented.
Central Muster
“Don’t worry, they won’t ask many questions” said Natalie Potts, NZ Winegrowers Asia Marketing Manager. I was in Beijing teaching NZW wine education courses and was getting used to students who focussed intently on learning but whom were quite shy about speaking up. So I was taken aback when one sommelier asked me to rank…
Kumeu River 2007 New Releases
Kumeu River winery invites wine writers to taste its latest releases each November and the tasting and accompanying lunch is a highly sought after ticket. It is an opportunity not to be missed as I discovered, not just for the chance to taste through one of NZ’s best winery’s offerings but also to enjoy Melba…
TinPot Hut
On a flight to London last month, I sat next to a lady who told me her favourite Sauvignon Blanc was from Marlborough and called Tinpot Hut. (It was a bit embarrassing to admit that I had never heard of it). Fast forward three weeks and I am back in Auckland catching up on my…
2015 Trinity Hill Homage
When Warren Gibson said he thought the 2015 was a Goldilocks wine I thought it meant the best food match was porridge. In my defence I’m blaming my stupidity on the stress of running a WSET Level 3 exam that morning and a blistering hot day in Hawkes Bay.En route back to the airport it…