This is our fourth iteration of ‘The Tasting Table’ where I will be bringing a bag full of wines that I’m due to review – over to dinner with a few guests. Tonight we’re in the busy environs of Normandy Road, Auckland at Sen Restaurant and it is a crisp, cold Wednesday. The idea is to have the sessions at a revolving range of restaurants, perhaps once a month, but certainly on a regular basis. The restaurant serves Vietnamese style food, and we were allocated a gorgeous long table in its own space that felt very appropriate for the night. We were a little apart from the main room, so couldn’t tell what the overall vibe was – but we had our own menu and wines to concentrate on.
The wines are 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’ve curated the range of styles so that there’s a balance and flow to the evening. I try to have food landing on the table every thirty minutes or so – sometimes just a two-bite morsel, and other times a bigger dish to share. To start there’s a couple of things that I just love – Crispy Spring rolls and Summer Rolls with Lemongrass chicken. Also a dish that was zingy, fresh and with plenty of bite – Pomelo Prawn salad, with that spicy dressing that vietnamese salads have.
The wines are 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’ve curated the range of styles so that there’s a balance and flow to the evening. I try to have food landing on the table every thirty minutes or so – sometimes just a two-bite morsel, and other times a bigger dish to share. To start there’s a couple of things that I just love – Crispy Spring rolls and Summer Rolls with Lemongrass chicken. Also a dish that was zingy, fresh and with plenty of bite – Pomelo Prawn salad, with that spicy dressing that vietnamese salads have.
Delta Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025
At the International Wine Challenge in 2026, this wine won not only Champion International Sauvignon Blanc, but also the top awards for both New Zealand White Wine and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. We saw in the WineFolio Top 10 Tasting of Sauvignon Blanc just how important sub-regions were – with Dillons Point supplying 4 of the top 6 wines. This one is selected from two sites within Dillons Point subregion in the Lower Wairau Valley.
Dry, bright and fresh – filled with aromas and flavours of whitecurrant, gooseberry, apple, jalapeno and pineapple fruits, plus a crunchy line of green herbs and tomato leaf. “Green, in a pleasant way” was one comment. The acidity is striking – “Classic, acid zing” was noted, with distinctive salinity to it that suits the expression. There is plenty of minerality too, with the palate’s austerity saved by the plushness of the fruits and a softer texture – both adding weight and filling things out. The finish is crisp and mouth-watering. 91pts
Tupari Pinot Gris 2025
Crafted from fruit grown in the Upper Awatere Valley. A pale, steely green colour in the glass. Excellent varietal typicity. Fresh nashi pear, apple danish, ginger, lychee, chamomile and nutmeg mix in the perfume. There’s 4 g/L of residual sugar, but tastes drier than that – bolstered by refreshing acidity. Elegant and well-balanced, it’s not a ‘shouty’ wine – rather with a quiet elegance – “simple, easy drinking” said one guest. Smoothly textural with “a lovely follow through” – it was a good foil to the fresh entrées – “the pear and ginger pairs well with the lemongrass in the food”. 90pts
Albariño Bros ‘Bell Vineyard’ Albariño 2025
The Albariño Brothers are three friends from different backgrounds in wine. Ollie, Shaye and Ant are passionate about the variety. This is from Doug Bell’s vineyard in Gisborne. These are the very first 18 rows planted in Australasia! Planted in 2009 with a mass selection of Albariño vine plantings and dry-farmed on clay loam soils. Starts with mouth-watering aromas of mandarin, lime juice, green apple, nectarine and orange blossom. The palate shows a tightness, with a sharp prickle of salty acidity. “I love the punch on the first taste” wrote one attendeee. Texture is important in wines made from this varietal, and it is here, lined with a wet-stone minerality. Surges to a pure finish with “subtle spiciness” and good length. “An interesting take on a spanish varietal” we thought. 89pts
The next pair of wines get a dish that’s a favourite of mine – Chargrilled chicken with spicy peanut butter sauce – it’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back here to eat! We also had Slow cooked beef cheek curry that was creamy and not too spicy. There was sriracha sauce on the table for those who wanted to add some heat.
Nevis Bluff Pinot Blanc 2024
Their single vineyard wines are sourced from the L’Attitude Vineyard, in the Pisa sub-region of the Cromwell basin. Pale straw-green colour, with a chalky, fine nose. A complex perfume shows melon, satsuma, lemon curd, red apple, white peach, baking spice and jasmine. Somewhere between Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, it is silky, smooth and “quite fleshy”. “Subtle and attractive” was also in the comments. “Refreshing acidity with balanced sweetness”, and a touch of smoky phenolics adds texture and character. Easy to like and a great wine with food, standing up to spice and acidity. 88pts
Tony Bish Egg #3 Chardonnay 2024
They filled 6 concrete egg fermenters with whole-bunch pressed ‘Mendoza’ clone Chardonnay juice from Two Terraces. From the outset, one vessel shone above the rest, with searing intense aromas and flavours, harmonic power and laser-like precision – EGG No.3. Pale gold in the glass, with a kiss of smoky minerality leading the perfume. Notes of lemon flesh and rind, peach, pear, cashew, tarragon appear in the bouquet. A mouth-filling palate but with a laser line of direct acidity. There is a line of fine phenolic at the back of the palate – adding personality and complexity. Amazing length to the finish. “Definitely age-worthy” and “Love the energy in the palate” showed how well received this wine was around the table. 95pts
Johanneshof ‘Maybern’ Pinot Noir 2024
Koromiko Valley, between the towns of Blenheim and Picton, in New Zealand’s largest wine region – Marlborough. The estate vineyard “Maybern” stretches up behind the Johanneshof winery, on a 30 degree slope, overlooking the winery and cellar below. One guest said “the old vines give the wine complexity and depth”. A very pale ruby colour – translucent and brilliant in the glass. “Looks good in the glass” was one comment. Savoury meets ripe on the nose. Peat, forest floor, chestnut and tobacco mix with cherry, bramble and rosehip fruits. A touch of wild floral notes too, with lilac and hibiscus lingering. A gentle spice and white pepper is layered through the palate, where the backbone of supple tannin and acidity give plenty of structure. A dry, elegant finish with super length. Steven thought this was “great value for money” too. 93pts
For our last couple of wines – bigger reds – we move onto Crispy duck, bok choy, sweet and savoury sauce and a plate of steaming Wok-tossed Shaking Beef.
Awaroa ‘Adamo’ 2022
Since 2008 Awaroa has only produced 10 Reserve Syrah vintages – made when the quality is exceptional. These wines are released under the Melba Peach label or, if especially high quality as “Adamo”. The winery has declared this ‘Our best Syrah yet’. Aged in 40% new oak. A shining ruby-red colour in the glass. Ripe aromas of plum, boysenberry, blackcurrant and cherry, with dark, toasty spice and pepper. It has hold in the mouth, where a firm tannins add power and spine. One fan of this said “The sweetness of the concentrated fruit blended into the final tannin backbone”. Medium-weight at most, with good concentration and flow “not a blockbuster – quite elegant”. A spicy, persistent finish to a wine that “was just gorgeous”. 94pts
Church Road 1 Merlot 2021
From the Redstone vineyard in Hawke’s Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle. Named after the deep, free-draining alluvial gravel soils that also nave a touch of iron-rich volcanic ash and loess. Hawke’s Bay is one of only a few places in the world that produces really good Merlot. Too cold and it becomes an insipid, green Cabernet, and too hot it is just a brown, jammy mediocrity. A great Merlot can outlast Cabernets.
The perfume is joyfully varietal – Black plum, raspberry, dark chocolate, thyme and graphite – unfurling aromatic red and black fruits. The palate is as elegant and complex as it is plush and “quite brooding”. A grip of fine, supple tannin and elements of iron-earth minerality weaves through it. Oak and acidity are in the sidelines, supporting and not intrusive. The finish is ripe and persistent. “In its youth still – needs lots of time” said one pundit. 95pts
With suitable venues a little tricky to find – I don’t yet have a plan for the next adventure, but we’ll be back next month with another collection of wines to test out our palates and report back on. Stay tuned.
