A collection of writing about New Zealand Wine
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 …
Man O’ War Kulta Chardonnay 2019 Read More
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 …
Winemaker series: Rod Easthope Read More
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 …
Theory & Practice Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 Read More
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 …
Amazing find at Escarpment vineyard Read More
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 …
Kumeu River 2019 Chardonnay releases Read More
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 …
Mahi Single Vineyard ‘Alchemy’ Chardonnay 2018 Read More
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 …
A place for us – Helio Read More
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 …
Winemaker series: Rod McDonald Read More
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 …
Quartz Reef Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir 2018 Read More
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 …
Esk Valley – ‘The Hillside’ 2010 vs ‘The Terraces’ 2016 Read More