I get sent a decent number of bottles of wine to review in any week, or month. And I was thinking of ways to get beyond the usual scenario where I sit at my desk at 9am, opening wine and tasting it for review. What if I could share some of those, around a table, with food – the way that wine is meant to be? So – I’m starting an evening called ‘The Tasting Table’ where I will be bringing a set of wines that I’m due to review – over to dinner with a few guests.
The wines will generally be new releases – things I would have been sent to taste as a matter of course – so those attending get to try some new wines. I imagine there will be up to ten bottles per night and I’ll curate the styles for a balanced range. The hope is that everyone will have a fun night. Plus the venue gets a couple of full tables on a midweek evening, and will be trying out some new dishes on us – matched to some of the wines.
I started off with an event at The Strand Wine Bar in Takapuna on Wednesday, but I am keen to have the sessions at a revolving range of restaurants. And even to expand to ‘The Tasting Table on Tour’ with something like a day out (Waiheke anyone?). Perhaps once a month, but certainly on a regular basis.
Each pair of wines has a food item to accompany it – sometimes just a two-bite morsel, and other times a bigger dish to share. To start there’s Cured tuna, coconut, grapefruit, chilli.
Saint Clair Family Estate ‘Wairau Reserve’ Sauvignon Blanc 2025
A pale, silvery green colour in the glass. Pungent bouquet of classic Marlborough expression. Gooseberry, passionfruit, tomato leaf, sage, capsicum and blackcurrant. Leaps from the glass, with a direct attack of acidity. Very energetic and linear, but with roundness and richness in the palate. Some exotic notes of pineapple, apricot and lemongrass add broadness. Nice finish that has a peppery length. Well made with good persistence through into the finish. 92pts
Dicey Bros #6 Muscat 2024
A bright, medium golden colour in the glass. A delightfully full and aromatic nose. Smells sweet, tastes dry (just). The perfume has honeydew melon, icing sugar, apricot, white peach, candy apple and a lift of rose petal. Clean, broad, weighty palate, with lower acidity and good concentration – developing notes of baking spices, white pepper and dried pineapple. Lots of slippery texture offset with a grainy talcum powder feel. The finish is quartzy minerals, a pleasant bitterness and plenty of length. 92pts
The next pair of wines get something with a little spice – Tempura kūmara, gram masala, lemon and a touch of fried curry leaf.
Forrest Arneis 2024
A light lemon-green colour. The nose is quite shy – almond, green apple, lemon peel, grapefruit, nashi pear, elderflower. Herbal – basil, kaffir lime leaf and thyme. Elegant, tight and tangy with a vibrant acidity and a slatey minerality through the palate. Rounded, approachable, juicy and crisp. “Handled the spice in the food well” was one comment. 91pts
Misha’s Vineyard ‘The Gallery’ Gewürztraminer 2025
A rich gold colour, with just a touch of green at the edges. Excellent varietal typicity in the exotic bouquet – mandarin, lychee, lime, ginger, cardamom and pot pourri/rose petals. Full-bodied and with a viscose texture. Low acidity adds to the rounded shape in the palate and it is off-dry – at 11g/l residual sugar. Nougat + barrel spices. One of our guests noted that it is “A sophisticated example”. 92pts
For the next two, the food match is that wine bar/bistro classic – Chicken liver pate, with sourdough toast.
Matawhero Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2024
A medium density straw-green colour. An elegant bouquet of orange peel, grapefruit, red apple, apricot, pear, white pepper and allspice. Well-balanced in palate – very pretty and seamless. Acidity is crisply saline and the juice is quite bold. Fruit-forward but with a hint of toast and buttery texture. The finish has a distinctive note of tonic/bergamot. “Incredible value” and “the find of the night” were two comments. 93pts
Villa Maria Keltern Chardonnay 2024
A green-gold colour. Varietal perfume – you know it is Chardonnay. Big, juicy and full-on. Toasty oak – vanilla and baguette, golden peach, pear, brioche, apricot danish. Oak is evident on palate – butterscotch, and a bit out of whack. Decent salty acid. Packs some heat of alcohol on its youthful, broad shoulders. Slightly angular – but it is a wine that historically a late bloomer – just needs time in your cellar. Long finish. 93pts
A steaming plate of fried chicken, spicy tomato, padron pepper appears to snack our way through the first of the red wines.
Easthope Family Winegrowers Gamay-Pinot Noir 2025
Slightly opaque burgundy red in the glass. Bramble, cherry, raspberry, mulberry fruits, with woody herbs, mint, baked earth, smoky incense and root beer aromas. Led by juicy acidity, there is also a grip of supple, black tea-like tannin. Not much oak showing. Fresh, ripe red fruits and a little spicy textural quality. 93pts
Schubert Marion’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024
Clear ruby red colour. Sour cherry, cranberry, rhubarb, plum, slightly reductive, forest floor, bloody steak, and rosehip on the nose. Very young and punchy with a breezy acidity. Much more pinosity to taste and those tannins creep forward, rasping across the tongue. Savoury notes of dried herb, mushroom and salami. This wine takes its time – with a flow through the palate that is in no hurry. “A fine Pinot” according to one guest. 95pts
Another bistro classic dish has been chosen for the last pair of reds (we still have one to go after this though) – beef tartare is served with truffle chips and there’s a grating of cured egg yolk on top. Certainly a twist on the usual.
The Landing Madré Syrah 2022
Opaque deep ruby-purple colour in the glass. Very Syrah – plums, boysenberry, black cherry and blueberry muffin, with mint, smoky peat, bitter chocolate, leather and violet florals. Bruising and dense, this packs a punch. “Reserve” style with toasty oak clear and upfront. Concentrated fruit meets pliant tannin and there’s enough acidity to keep things turning over. A smooth, plush finish with good length. “Syrah made in my favourite style” featured in the notes. 95pts
Waiheke Road Reserve 2022
A blend using Merlot 55% / Cabernet Franc 20% / Petit Verdot 16% and Cabernet Sauvignon 9%. A medium-depth brick red/claret colour. ‘European’ on the nose – well-balanced and savoury. Jubey fruits – blackcurrant, plum, redcurrant, blueberry, dried sage, rosemary, five spice mix and a hint of geranium floral. A touch of wood smoke that follows through to the palate. Seems very approachable even at this young age. Quite dry – lip-puckeringly so, with plenty of grainy tannin taking the lead. A spicy, peppery finish. 92pts
The last plate contains a whole smoky eggplant that has been marinated in maple and dashi, and comes with more smokiness in the form of enoki and porcini mushrooms.
Topsy Turvey Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
A deep dark red colour in the glass. Obviously Cabernet on the nose – eucalypt, cassis, mint, mocha, damson, blackberry, peppercorn, green herbs, fresh tobacco. Unctuously plush and broad shouldered. A wave of acidity meets toasty oak that has been soaked up by the ripe fruits. Very fine tannin – again, there is a note of tea – and there is a soft texture that builds and is beautifully mouth-filling. Great length on the finish. 94pts
