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New release 2024 Wild Earth Rosé

New release18/202024 Wild Earth Rosé RRP $32This new dry rosé from Wild Earth Wines in Central Otago is fresh off the bottling line and approachably lush and appealing to drink right now with vibrant flavours of fresh strawberries, rose petal and a zesty crisp finish. There's even a hint of Turkish delight in the aromatic spectrum, which is supported beautifully with zingy acidity that adds structure and length to every lingering sip.wildearth.co.nz ...

Toasting the new Toast Martinborough

Today is the day before the long awaited new incarnation of Toast Martinborough, one of the longest running wine festivals in Aotearoa New Zealand.The new version of Toast will take place on Sunday 19 January along a 2.2 kilometre stretch of walkable festival road, which will see six wineries open their doors, their bottles and their gates to wine lovers, musicians and chefs. Those six wineries are Ata Rangi, Luna Estate, Moy Hall, Palliser Estate, Runholder and Tirohana Estate. The tr...

Central Otago far more than a one trick (wine) pony

It's been said that people who talk about the weather are actually referring to something else entirely and don't want to name it but where wine is concerned, the weather really is an ongoing conversation because it plays one of the biggest roles in winemaking. The newest wines from one of the coolest climate wine regions on Earth prove the point as they come from Central Otago. It's usually home to the hottest temperatures and the coldest ones each year, both of which give it a relatively narro...

New releases from Jules Taylor

Jules Taylor needs little introduction to wine lovers in Aotearoa New Zealand and for readers who may not be as familiar, Jules is one of the most experienced winemakers in Marlborough. She's as famous for experimenting with quirky wines such as Gruner Veltliner and late harvest Sauvignon Blanc and barrel influenced Sauvignon, to name just a few, as for mainstream ones. This new trio represent the first wines off the bottling line this year, 2025.Here are my reviews.17.5/202024 Jules Taylor...

Five minutes with... Tom Kriegshauser of Tope

If Tope wines have yet to cross your path, here's the place to get better acquainted with a new brand from two highly experienced wine professionals whose aim is to over deliver a great glass of wine. "Our aim is to make wines that we call 'end-of-a-rough=day-wines' says Pete Warr, co-owner and co-founder of the Tope wine brand. "We want to make wines that lift you up because they deliver more than people expect when they drink them but they are affordable and drinkable when released - rath...

Best 10 wines of 2024 (plus more)

Innovative, maverick, walking to the beat of their own drums... these wines and their makers stand on their own extremely strong merits as my best wines of the year. It has been a privilege to taste all of them (and more) and as I write this column on the eve of a new year, it is with a sense of both awe and dismay. The awe is at the adventurously innovative integrity and insightfulness that have gone into making these wines. The dismay is the fact that many people on the planet don't have any w...

Best buys under $25 for New Year

The image in this story is of judges at the 2024 New World Wine AwardsNew is coming in thick and fast of people reselling their Xmas presents and scouring the shelves for half price bargains in the Boxing Day sales, which began before Xmas had taken place this year and still seem to be in full swing for many retailers around the motu.Here are my top five bargain buys under $25 for 2024, four of them also place getters in this year's New World Wine Awards Top 50 Under $25. The following wines als...

Wines of the week - from Bolly, Beaujolais and Bluff to Marlborough

What I've been (and will be) drinking this weekSo many wines, so little time and in rounding up a small number of excellent bottles to share with family and friends over the next couple of days, this trio are undoubtedly my current highlights. There will be more but these are the current créme de la créme of what has been and will be poured into my glass over the next 24 hours. There are other champagnes and the  outstanding No 1 Family Estate Reserve Blanc de Blancs chilling in the fridg...

Bon anniversaire and mere kirihimete No 1

If you are looking for top quality sparkling wine at prices that are within relative reach, here is a great range to choose from for this festive season from the Le Brun family in Marlborough. They celebrated a quarter century in business this year, marking the 25th since Adele and Daniel Le Brun first launched their Cuvée No 1 on Bastille Day on 14 June 1999. A quarter century is a great milestone, by any stretch, even if marked during a somewhat tricky year in wine and hospitality in Ao...

A for Astrolabe - new 2024 Sauvignon Blancs

A friend, a bottle of eight year old Rioja and a chat about some of our favourite wines was a good way to unwind last Saturday afternoon as the sun shone its dappled light through the branches of my favourite tree; an old and productive plum tree at the far end of the garden. It's a good place to clear the mind and the conversation made me think about fame versus greatness. The wine we were drinking was Spain's most famous red offering to the wine world - Rioja.What is New Zealand's most famous ...

In the can - riding a new wave plus three new examples

Uncommon is a good word for how likely it would have been for many wine drinkers to even contemplate consuming wine in a can five years ago, let alone embrace the growing trend for it today. But as more tinned versions of vinous offerings appear, things are moving into a whole new world where portion control meets the desire for less alcohol, light weight packaging for taking on long walks into the mountains or other adventures when one or two drinks are all that's wanted. Affordability also has...

Top 10 best bubbles to buy

If Champagne is the king of sparkling wine, then its queen must be those exceptional bottles that contain the same core ingredients (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with the inclusion of Pinot Meunier, on occasion) that are made the same way but come from different places. Enter Aotearoa New Zealand. It sounds like a good marketing line but there is no doubt that this country's cool climate, openminded willingness to learn from the Champagne region and its European winemakers have all combined to pro...

First Marlborough Prosecco for Xmas

Marlborough's first Prosecco was released this year, just in time for the festive season and made entirely from the Glera grape, only in this case it was given bottle fermentation which adds depth of flavour and sets it aside from most commercial prosecco on the market. This also raises the cost of production and of the new wine, 2023 Balvonie Prosecco, which has an RRP of $34.99. The new wine is the result of a three year project for brand owners Ben and Helen McLauchlan, who planted Glera grap...

Craggy Sauvignon Blanc wins top spot

Image above: Lyre trellising on a small portion of Craggy Range's vast vineyard in the Te Muna Valley, MartinboroughCraggy Range Winery has won a top spot in Wine Spectator magazine's Top 100 Wines of 2024 with its 2023 Te Muna, Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc being awarded 11th spot."The inclusion of our Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc in Wine Spectator's Top 100 is a testament to our team's dedication to expressing the unique character of our Martinborough terroir," says Craggy Range's new Executive Dir...

Fresh new white from Marlborough

Whitehaven Wines of Marlborough has come a long way from its early days when founders, Sue and (the late) Greg White decided to say goodbye to a life spent living on board their yacht and hello to winemaking in Marlborough.From those fledgling beginnings, Whitehaven Wines has grown to become an impressively large wine producer, still owned by Sue White and now with second generation, Samantha White, both at the helm. This is their latest Riesling - the driest I have tasted and an excellent ...

Alchemy Wines brings old and new together

An old brand with a new lease of life sounds like something of a cliche but in the case of Alchemy Wines, its new owners have been the saviours of this brand, which could have bitten the proverbial dust following from the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. The new owners are winemakers Cairn and Rebecca Coghill, who opened their four current wines in the dappled late afternoon sun on the eve of Harvest Hawke's Bay in November this year. The couple purchased the brand in April this ye...

A for Askerne in Hawke's Bay

A sunny half day's drive brings me to Hawke's Bay for Harvest Hawke's Bay but first, a tasting at Askerne Winery with John Loughlin followed by a look (a euphemism for tasting) at Alchemy wines, now owned by Cairn and Rebecca Coghill, who purchased the brand from founder Neal Cave.First up, John Loughlin, owner of Askerne, hosted an excellent tasting of his wines, all of which offer exceptional value for money. The Viognier is a great example of this because it over delivers on flavour and, dare...

Wine of the week from The Huntress

The Huntress is the woman behind the evocative label on this wine of the week, which pays homage to the native flora and fauna in Aotearoa New Zealand. As gorgeous as I find the label, the wines inside the Huntress bottles are also highly appealing, as much for their excellence in production as for their courage in adhering as much as possible to using certified organic grapes and as few inputs to the wine as possible. Here is my review of Huntress winemaker Jannine Rickards latest Chardonn...

Staking its name on Chardonnay - Neudorf

One of New Zealand's oldest wineries has released three new wines made from the grape that first put it on the map. That grape is Chardonnay and the winery is Neudorf Vineyards, tucked in a sunny enclave in the Upper Moutere hills of Nelson. "It's the first time that Neudorf Vineyards has released these Chardonnays at the same time, marking a significant milestone in the winery's evolution," says Rosie Finn, who is the second generation family member of the winery's founders.She is kee...

Cuvar named Champion Wine of Hawke's Bay

One of Hawke's Bay's newest wines has won three awards and been named Hawkes Bay’s Top Wine of the Year at the Bayley’s Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards.The wine is the 2021 Čuvar Guardians Chardonnay, which won Best Chardonnay, Best Single Vineyard Wine, and the ultimate title, Champion Wine of the Show. Čuvar Winery is the vision of legendary wine entrepreneur Sir George Fistonich, founder of Villa Maria, who launched the brand in late 2023. The winning wine was made from grapes grown on the Ri...

Ben Tombs talks about Craggy Range top wines

For a winery that has staked so much of its identity (four of its five Prestige Collection wines and its Giant's Winery) on Hawke's Bay, Craggy Range has a surprisingly strong focus on Martinborough these days.The winery's evolution has seen its impressive wines have taken many turns over the years, including approximately three quarters of its vineyards now being situated in the majestic, often windswept Te Muna Valley, Martinborough.This is home to more Sauvignon Blanc than any other variety, ...

Meet German Pinot Noir from Claus Bischoff

The photograph on this post is Spatburgunder in the Mosel. Image taken by Joelle Thomson.Two new German wines arrived in New Zealand this year from Weingut Claus Bischoff. Both are sealed with screw caps, which is good news for their travel-ability and reliability in terms of freshness because the variables of cork, such as taint and random oxidation, are gone. Germany is best known for white wines but move over Riesling, Sylvaner and even Grauerburgunder (Pinot Gris) because here come...

Preview tasting of the long awaited Oraterra

Wilco Lam is fresh back in Martinborough from hosting a tasting to unveil the much awaited name, wines and brand that he has been working on for the past two years. “We wanted a name that we could own rather than the previous name (On Giant’s Shoulders) and one of the things that kept popping up was to focus on wines that were textural and related to Martinborough as a place rather than looking at its specific geographic features," says Lam, who brought a team of wine professionals with...

Happy 30th birthday Wither Hills

Two new wines have been added to Wither Hills already extensive stable of wines this year to mark the winery's 30th birthday. "Three decades of experience means we know the Marlborough area like an old friend, with its quirks and interesting habits. We believe the best wines capture that character - a reflection of where they’ve come from," says Matt Large, head winemaker at Wither Hills. Two new Wither Hills wines17.5/202018 Wither Hills Méthode Traditionelle RRP $54.99This ye...

Happy 30th birthday Wither Hills

Two new wines have been added to Wither Hills already extensive stable of wines this year to mark the winery's 30th birthday. "Three decades of experience means we know the Marlborough area like an old friend, with its quirks and interesting habits. We believe the best wines capture that character - a reflection of where they’ve come from," says Matt Large, head winemaker at Wither Hills. Two new Wither Hills wines17.5/202018 Wither Hills Méthode Traditionelle RRP $54.99This ye...