Man O’ War Kulta Chardonnay 2019
From Waiheke Island, this new chardonnay is all about moving on, and up, from their iconic Valhalla. Tasted alongside a couple of French white burgundies, this sits well alongside those …
Read MoreMonth: July 2020
Winemaker series: Rod Easthope
On a beautiful late winter afternoon (post-Covid-19 lockdown), I caught up with Rod Easthope at his family vineyard / winery / homestead overlooking the river. It’s a beautiful spot, and …
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Theory & Practice Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Made by roving winemaker Ant Mackenzie from Hawke’s Bay fruit. A dark ruby with burgundy edges and a lovely savoury bouquet – mocha, blackcurrant and black pudding. Full bodied with …
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Amazing find at Escarpment vineyard
An exciting day recently on the Escarpment Vineyard. With vineyard upgrades in progress, the team knew it was time to set out and find the bottle of sparkling wine planted alongside …
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Kumeu River 2019 Chardonnay releases
Sitting down to taste the brand new releases from “an exceptional Vintage of unsurpassed quality” at Kumeu River this weekend – we’ve been looking forward to the 2019s for well …
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Mahi Single Vineyard ‘Alchemy’ Chardonnay 2018
A single vineyard wine, one of three chardonnays created by Brian Bicknell and team at Mahi in Marlborough. Pale golden with a lemon-yellow glow in the glass. Crisp, fresh aromas …
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A place for us – Helio
One of a slew of new labels to have crossed our paths this year, was a Hawke’s Bay based label – Helio. Kicking things off with a limited availability Chardonnay …
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Winemaker series: Rod McDonald
Heading back to visiting wineries and vineyards after weeks and months of Lockdown restrictions; I found myself on the motorway out of Auckland at 5am one morning. Later that day …
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Quartz Reef Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir 2018
A single vineyard wine from pioneering Bendigo person of note – Rudi Bauer; with fruit from their Demeter-certified biodynamic estate on Loop Road. 2018 was a hot, hot year, and …
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Esk Valley – ‘The Hillside’ 2010 vs ‘The Terraces’ 2016
During a recent visit to Hawke’s Bay, I had the opportunity to put two of the regions iconic red blends together in a head-to-head clash of these two special wines …
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