Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2018 NZ$24.95 Paul Dawick and Tim Preston are the crack team of talent behind Mills Reef, and Merlot is their monster truck when it comes to wines that plough across your tastebuds and leave…
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 (NZ $24.95) Green peppercorn, violet and blueberry aromatics stand shoulder to shoulder with bright plum and cherry flavours and then they hold hands and do the Gay Gordons (remember primary school folk-dancing?) with…
New Zealand is well-known for Sauvignon Blanc, but are there any other grape varieties we should know about? Yes! I attended a webinar with David Keck MS (USA), John Szabo MS (Canada), Ronan Sayburn MS (UK) and Cameron Douglas MS…
The first wine you probably tasted from New Zealand was probably Sauvignon Blanc, and probably it was from Cloudy Bay from the Marlborough region. People know this wine style and recognize it as being from New Zealand. But are consumer…
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019 (NZ$29) Returning to his dry-style roots not seen since 2013, winemaker Gordon Russell has taken fruit for the first time from Ian and Linda Quinn’s Two Terraces Vineyard located west of…
What is greywacke, and why would a winery in New Zealand give itself that name? First, greywacke is a sandstone that contains a significant amount of silt and/or clay. According to the University of Auckland in New Zealand, greywacke “…comprises…
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 (NZ $16.99) Created in homage to the year that Marino Selak sold his first vintage of wine, this new range boasts a chardonnay that I’m certain will become a ‘best value classic’. I say…
Hunter’s Wines Home Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (NZ$30) They might be one of Marlborough (nay, New Zealand’s) oldest and most successful wine companies, but it’s taken them until now to declare an ‘icon’ release Sauvignon Blanc. Their young winemaker,…
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 NZ$21.99 Word on the street is that 2019 was a cracker of a year in Hawke’s Bay for chardonnay and this little Rod McDonald creation definitely doesn’t let the side down. It’s…
Spy Valley Echelon Marlborough Methodé Traditionnelle 2012 NZ$36.99 I was completely seduced by the tiny, fine bead inside the glass, white gold, glossy, aromas of rising dough, crusty bread, caramelised character and richly structured. Full, generous, incredibly elegant and finely…