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Felton's highly anticipated releases

Felton Road wines... This winery's production represents the pinnacle of Pinot Noir in Aotearoa, New Zealand, along with a handful of other wineries, but there's more to Felton Road winery, which also makes Riesling and Chardonnay. All Felton Road wines are estate grown, which means that all grapes were grown on land owned by the winery. The attention to detail, long term devotion of both the viticultural team as well as the winemaking one and the unwavering focus on certified organics all ...

An ancient Greek inspired meal

Gina Salapata was born and bred in Greece, which led her to host a Greek banquet to mark the 50th anniversary of Classical Studies at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University. Gina is an Associate Professor of the Classical Studies Programme in the School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication at Massey University. The ancient Greek banquet that she hosted was held at Wharerata restaurant at Massey University's Manawatū campus in late 2024. It was attended by over 70 diner...

Hawke's Bay announces 12 top Chardonnays

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers has announced its new top 12 Chardonnays for the fifth year in a row of independently evaluated wines. The wines are selected in a blind tasting where the identity is concealed of a far larger range of wines. The analysis is done by wine consultant Cameron Douglas, who holds the Master Sommelier qualification. The top 12 Chardonnays represent the wine that flies the flag for Hawke's Bay as its flagship varietal. It also cements Hawke’s Bay reputation as one of the wor...

Central Otago blazes certified organic wine trail

Central Otago Winegrowers Association reached a new milestone this week of 30% organic certification for its vineyard area, which is the highest proportion in Aotearoa New Zealand. "We would like to reshape how people value the connection between the wine they drink and the land it comes from," says Carolyn Murray, General Manager of Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA). “This achievement stems from over a decade of dedication and collaboration, beginning with COWA’s 2009 g...

Top 2023 Pinot Noirs from Felton Road

One of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant wine events of the past five years kicks off this week on Tuesday 11 February for three precious Pinot Noir devoted days. The event is Pinot Noir NZ 2025 and it is to be held in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. It makes sense to dedicate an entire event to Pinot Noir, which is the most planted red grape in New Zealand (5,613 hectares nationwide, second only to the vast plantings of Sauvignon Blanc) and this attracts vast international attention due to ...

Rosé Day in Aotearoa New Zealand

Today is New Zealand Rosé Day, which just goes to show that this is not only the first country in the world to see the sun (the Chatham Islands excepted) but also the first to promote its soaring production of pink wine each year.Rosé is on a roll and wine lovers are putting their money where their mouths are to buy it, even in these rather tough financial times. Wine retail sales reveal a continuous rise in rosé sales globally, including in New Zealand where production has risen alongside th...

Slow but steady wins... Albarino in Aotearoa

Albarino grew from 64 to 75 hectares across Aotearoa New Zealand between 2023 and 2024. This is impressive in percentage terms but is absolutely dwarfed by the country's leading aromatic white wine grape, Sauvignon Blanc's 28,753 hectares. So, is Albarino worth watching for future success?It's relatively early days with Albarino,, which came into New Zealand due to young winemakers, such as Beth Forrest of Forrest Estate in Nelson. She worked vintage in Rias Biaxas in Spain, falling for the arom...

On the rock... Pinot Noir from the edge 2022 Grasshopper Rock

When an owner of one of the world's southernmost vineyards camped out in the centre of one of the world's northernmost wine regions, he saw differences as well as similarities. Those vineyards are, respectively, in Alexandra in Central Otago and along vineyards on the hill from Aloxe-Corton in the Côte de Beaune north to Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy. The regions of Central Otago and Burgundy are best known for their Pinot Noir and, in Burgundy also for Chardonnay. So it makes sense that there ...

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...