The sixth edition of The Tasting Table was convened this week – at local Asian-Fusion restaurant Big Fish Eatery in Penrose, Auckland. I had a great selection of wines to show to the gathering as I won’t be able to fit one of these into October’s busy schedule. There was even a ‘mystery wine’ for the evening – as we had winemaker Sean Spratt from Destiny Bay at the table, and he was keen to show one of his soon-to-be released wines alongside the other new releases.
We ordered the Big Fish Feast for our dining option, and this proved to be one of the most successful choices that we’ve had for the year. A bustling venue that was both very efficient at looking after us, but also left us to own space as much as we needed. Staff were quite intrigued to see what a wine tasting group had brought along to open! And delighted to have a taste of something out of the ordinary like the Magna Praemia.
We start with edamame beans (how are these so delicious BTW?), ceviche and dumplings to taste alongside the first three wines.
Balvonie Rosé Prosecco 2025
New Zealand’s very first home-grown Prosecco Rosé. Made in Marlborough’s Rapaura region, this unique sparkling wine is handcrafted from a blend of Glera grapes and a finishing touch of 2.5% Pinot Noir – for the blush colour. The wine is Vintage – from a single year – and uses Méthode Traditionnelle. This means it gets its bubbles from a second fermentation inside the bottle, creating a fine, long-lasting fizz.
A very pale just-there salmon pink colour in the glass. The fresh aromas show mandarin, pear, citrus blossom and red berries with a hint of biscuit. In the palate there is a creamy mouthfeel with flavours of strawberries and cream, crunchy red apple, and hint of sweet praline and brioche. A delicate salty acidity, with more rosé flavour than the colour suggests. Finishes clean and nearly-dry. 91pts
Our guests had this to add: “love the light umami which is supported by a light sweetness” • “clean and refreshing” • “the blush colour is so elegant” • “a touch of rose petal”
Villa Maria ‘Woven’ Sauvignon Blanc 2024
A premium, “Icon Collection” white wine from Marlborough. It is a highly structured departure from your typical classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Most standard Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs are made to be drunk fresh right away. “Woven” is crafted from the estate’s oldest vines (planted in 1999) to create a serious, complex bottle that can actually be tucked away in a cellar to age. Hand-picked fruit is whole-bunch pressed and fermented in French oak puncheons and barriques with a small percentage of new oak alongside seasoned 1-to-3-year-old barrels.
A light golden-lime colour in the glass. The perfume is intriguing, with a touch of classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at first – passionfruit, gooseberry and whitecurrant, but then a whole fruit basket of grapefruit, peach and lime comes piling through, alongside a hint of pungent smokiness. The palate has weight and density, balanced with a wave of acidity and flavours of fennel and crushed green herbs. A serious expression, that shows well with food, and could keep for a few years to evolve and smoothen out. 93pts
Our guests had this to add: “more citrus than stone fruit but has nectarine on the finish” • “An Old World style?” • “Yes acidity – but not ‘searing’” • “a textural length to the finish”
Awaroa Pinot Gris 2025
A certified organic estate located at 324 Waiheke Road. They focus strictly on sustainable, minimal-intervention winemaking practices. The vineyards were first planted in 1998 and the name “Awaroa”, means ‘long river’ in Te Reo Māori, and was taken from the name of the stream and valley system surrounding it. An incredibly limited run, with only 600 bottles produced for this vintage. The wine was barrel-fermented in a French oak puncheon, giving it a rich, taut, and beautifully textured finish.
A translucent lemon-green colour in the glass, with a light steeliness to the edges. It carries enticing aromas of white peach, lemon, grapefruit zest, and gentle spice. A fresh, restrained and dry style. The citrus leads in the palate, with added complexity from a little fruit tannin and less. A touch of barrel toast and texture begin to bloom, before a finish of decent length. A nice aperitif style. 88pts
Our guests had this to add: “well made but feels like it is missing some depth” • “Interesting Pinot Grigio style” • “Gentle flow through the palate.”
Around now we get a second wave of food – the karaage chicken goes so well with the Chardonnay, and a plate of Big Fish’ version of pad thai – with house-made udon noodles and a touch of spice.
St. Clair ‘Twin Hills’ Pioneer Block 10 Chardonnay 2023
Part of their “Pioneer Block” series, which highlights exceptional, small batches of grapes from single vineyards. This fruit comes from the Omaka sub-region in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. The vineyard sits in a warm valley right between two matching peaks (“Twin Hills”). The juice is fermented in 100% French oak barrels (with 16% being brand new oak). It is aged for nine months on its lees and stirred regularly to give it a rich, buttery, and smooth texture. It was the Champion Chardonnay trophy winner in 2024 at the Easter Show.
A bright pale green-straw colour in the glass. The fragrance is led with a smoky reductivity with struck match and a little funk. Then lemon curd, stone fruit, baking spices, and toasted brioche. Quite bouncy and vibrant on the palate, with flavours of white peach, grapefruit, and nectarine mix with roasted cashew. It has a creamy, textured mouthfeel balanced by crisp acidity and a chalky, mineral finish with good length. 93pts
Our guest comments were: “Generous and well balanced” • “Classic Chardonnay flavours – absolutely delicious” • “Apple Crumble on nose, lime zest on finish”
Brave Roots Grüner Veltliner 2024
Made by a young winemaking duo – Alina and Masha in Marlborough, as a side hustle from their ‘real’ jobs making wine on much larger scale. Originally from Ukraine, they make the Brave Roots wines at Forrest. Their wines represents a “quiet rebellion” against the region’s traditional Sauvignon Blanc dominance. There’s also a Viognier and Albarino in the range.
A clear, bright silvery-green colour in the glass. A reticent bouquet of red apple, pineapple, pear, lime zest, and kumquat takes a while to awaken – a good swirl is required, and don’t serve this too chilled. Very taut and mouth-watering, with a backbone of crunchy acidity. It features the varietal’s distinctive layer of white pepper, but also a stony minerality. It has a lightly chalky, textural mouthfeel and finishes clean and dry. An excellent example. 94pts
Our guests made these additional notes: “this will be appealing to people – just need to get it in their glasses!” • “a cut above” • “Nice drinking and a great alternative white wine” • “Love the label.”
Blank Canvas Upton Downs Pinot Noir 2023
A single-vineyard red wine from an elevated river terrace 400 metres above sea level in the Upper Awatere Valley – a subregion that is cooler and drier than the nearby Wairau Valley in Marlborough. Made by husband-and-wife winemaking team Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW. Made using 100% Dijon Clone 777, a French grape clone highly prized for its beautiful perfume. They use 40% whole-bunch fermentation with the stems left on. This technique adds complex herbal and floral notes to the aromas, and savoury notes to the palate.
A translucent pale garnet red in the glass. The bouquet shows strawberries, cherry, cranberry, violet petals, and an earthy touch of forest floor or tea leaf. Also, spices like star anise, nutmeg and smoked paprika. A dry, structured and savoury palate has that lift of fruit at the edges, but is more about the long, sandy tannins blending with the toasty spices. It finishes with excellent persistence and elegance. 94pts
Our guests’ notes: “a modern style of Pinot – light, bright and complex” • “lovely length to the tannins” • “bright, pithy acidity”
Our last couple of dishes are a Lamb Mussaman curry, and Sizzling Mongolian beef. Spice levels are muted, but even so, you have to compete wines with a lot of flavour components going on when you’re in a restaurant setting. The Syrah coped well – but in my opinion, the Pinot could have done with something a little simpler alongside.
Dancing Petrel Syrah 2025
Made from their picturesque Vineyard, located on the north-facing coastal slopes of Paewhenua Island in Northland’s Mangonui Harbour. A savoury style featuring 100% whole-cluster fermentation and no residual sugar for a bone-dry finish.
A very dense, inky purple/black in the glass. Aromas of blackberry, plum, dark cherry, and liquorice, laced with woody herbs and white pepper. It is full-bodied and structured – quite mouth-puckeringly dry and with heroic tannin. As savoury as it is juicy, with smoky, vanilla oak notes in support. Again, this is a young wine, that benefitted immensely from decanting a few hours prior to serving – offering a smoother texture and more carry through the palate as it relaxed. 91pts
Our guests’ notes: “a rustic, un-polished gem” • “slight tar/molasses note mid-palate” • “a bold, age-worthy Syrah” • “a touch of astringency – would love to re-visit in a few years time”
Chateau Garage Cabernet Sauvignon 2024
It is crafted by Ollie Powrie, the former Head Viticulturist for Villa Maria, as a small-batch project. He makes the wines in his garage – hence the name. Chateau Garage actually produced three distinct versions of Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2024 vintage, each made using different methods. All 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were sourced from the renowned Cornerstone Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels wine region.
An opaque burgundy colour in the glass, with a smoky complexity to the perfume of cassis, plum and blackberry supported by petrichor, black pepper, eucalypt and mocha. Good varietal typicity and “Old World Bordeaux style”. Quite a young wine to be approaching now – it will benefit from at least a few years in bottle of cellared well. For now, there’s a good balance between structure, youthful fruitiness and also a degree of polished smoothness to it already. 94pts
Some extra comments from around the table: “good Cabernet typicity” • “inky, concentrated and well-extracted” • “anything but a ‘garage wine’ – elegant and well-made” • “ripe but focussed”
Destiny Bay Magna Praemia 2024
The Tasting Table is taking a break for October, so thought we would do something different for the last wine of our September gathering. As Sean was one of the guests, I asked if he would like to show one of his new wines. Magna Praemia is a red wine that certainly meets the standards of The Tasting Table. At the pre-release tasting in May, I did say that the Magna Praemia was ‘very complete’ – so it was interesting to see if there has been any development with the wine having settled in bottle for a while.
73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. A deep claret red colour in the glass. Aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, damson plum and violets show the Cabernet influence. Fruit-led in the palate which is detailed and elegant – that ‘Bordeaux’ character with the pepper and herbals is there but needs more time to come through. Tannin is fine and shows a light granite rasp, but there’s also a lightness of touch here, without too much reliance on concentration or weight. A super length to the finish – especially for such a youthful wine – so much potential here. 96pts (for now)
“inky depths” • “amazing oak and integration of tannin” • “I enjoyed this wine now, but I would love to try in 10, 15 and 20 years time” were a few of the conversation snippets I overheard at the table.
