Joelle Thomson

Wine writer and award winning wine author


What I am drinking, reading and savouring each week

Cranford HospiceWine for hospiceAugust 2024Tutored tastingMasterclassClosing the gapPalliser Estate Pinot NoirChillable redsMasters of WineWine booksReadingGreat booksThe Oxford Companion to WineRemovalZero alcoholBubblyAlcohol removed wineGamayBeaujolaisBlenheimRangitaneWaghornTe Muna ValleyProducer profileSmall wine regionsPinot pioneersRias BaixasMoraMarsanneRhoneAustriaHiedlerRene MureCellaring winesAged ReleasesBarolo DOCUnfilteredOakBarberaDay two winesChildren make you rich and poorCognacStudyRoscoe JohansonFriday drinks withVavasourTe KairangaMartinborough VineyardsGrove MillRockburnGhost TownFuderLouis VavasourJohanneshofEmmiMéthode MarlboroughJoelle Thomson WinetopiaWellingtonTastingWinetopia 2023Lloyd HowesBaths and bubblySouth IslandSparkling wineTohu WinesYealandsNew ZealandSpainMarlborough wineDave CloustonTwo Rivers WinesSir Ian BothamShane WarneWomen in wineKate RadburndGemstone RieslingInternational Women's DayAustraliaBordeauxDogsRapaura SpringsMike BannMartinborough in MarchTastingsWine tastingsEsk ValleyCyclone relief fundAlbarinoVintage 2023Clayvin Pinot NoirViticultureRebuildingWinegrowers Charitable TrustJenny DobsonFianoCyclone GabrielleRWTBarossaKeeperPenfoldsDouroAlexandraChasing HarvestMike KushShaky BridgeSemillonBarrel fermentArchitectureDave Sutton winemakerKowhaiThe seedTe KanoAtaahuaRouteburnSouth AfricaPinotageBig SkyOutdoor wineViperChard FarmHunter's WinesBollingerNo 1 Family EstateAstrolabeClayvinPalliserLunaBen McNabMK IIVergenceZenHammock wineClare ValleyShirazCabernet SauvignonMerlotMore-ishTaylors WinesBiggest Chardonnay tastingFestivalWIne and foodTrinity HillHomageRoger ParkinsonMike KershawNga WakaNorth CanterburyRothschildSir Clifford SkeggsAkaruaJoel WatsonWilco LamCharlie ZhengLuna EstateDry River WinesAusssiesBubblesMiruMiruDry RiverNew Zealand SyrahGimblett Gravels Winegrowers AssociationGimblett GravelsLe Sol SyrahWairarapaHuntressWaitakiDry farmed grapesSkeetfieldWine reviewsWillpowerPot luck dinnerJules TaylorSweet and drySkin contactPink wineTom McDonaldSyrahTom125 years Church RoadChurch RoadUnreliableNatural fitMoodyThin skinnedTemperamentalCool climateSideways filmRoséWairau ValleyBull PaddockTriptychOlder oakNew Zealand Pinot Noir regionsSupermarket wine aislesNew Zealand Pinot NoirBen DugdaleDry RieslingBel CantoGastro pubBurgundyBillecart SalmonDhall & NashHand pickedKerruishFolding HillBendigoFishingWaihopaiDreamMariscoBrent MarrisDistributingImportingBertrand SoalhatChablisMorgonFranceFamily lifeChianti ClassicoTim BourneTe RehuaPahiKiwaKupeSingle vineyardOrganic Pinot NoirCarrick Pinot NoirCoffeeFriday drinksProust interviewTim SeverneHeartwoodFat n SassyKing of Kiwi ChardonnayTony BishThe Urban WineryDamien PignoletCheese souffleHawke's BayChampagneMary-Jeanne HutchinsonCraggy RangeHigh priced Pinot NoirCoal Pit wineryDolphinsMartinborough VineyardThe Escarpment VineyardLarry McKennaNegociants roadshowWIne tastingSauvignon BlancBen GloverZephyr WinesGreat whitesDog Point VineyardsMarlboroughPinot GrisFamilyLa TacheDRCDate changeWinetopia AucklandWine definitionRieslingGiesenZero percent wineFleetwood MacJames BondLemon meringue pieSohoFitnessPegasus Bay Pinot NoirFastingReyouvenateWellnessHealthLife mantrasGuitarAurumMatt ConnellSwitzerlandWine of the weekItalyPetite ArvineMartinboroughAta RangiGeographic IndicationGIMasterclassesWine optionsWInetopiaJudy & Tim FinnNeudorfUkraineAged winesWild EarthFelton RoadOpen mindednessCatsPegasus BayGolden EggUrban WineryChardonnayBannockburnDoctors FlatPinot NoirCentral OtagoNZ wine
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Homage to a friend

It’s a bittersweet day. Thankful for the warmth of the sun’s rays and chilled by the wind, I am reminded by both of a friend who chose to say goodbye this week. He kept popping in to work to say hi and suggest a catch up. We used to catch up often but life gets in the way. I moved. He had plans to buy a house nearby at one stage. I kept meaning to touch base and earlier this week I planned to call and finally arrange that catch up. Turns out I was too late. I can’t help but feel sad for anyone who arrives at the point where they want to end things. I’d like to have been able to make it better and different, as a loving friend but we can’t save people, I know, much as my mind wants to.

Instead, I feel incredibly lucky to have had this friend in my life. He was so much fun, so warm and so giving. He had so much going for him from his cheeky sense of humour, intelligence and loving nature to his great cooking skills, love of wine and  incredible affection for dogs. So here’s to you, Nick, here’s a wine I know you’d have loved.

2020  Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Chardonnay RRP $24.99

This outstanding new addition to the much loved Esk Valley stable successfully straddles the big buttery Chardonnay style with all the subtleties that wine fans adore about the Chardonnay grape too – namely, crisp freshness. It’s one of the new Esk Valley Artisanal Collection wines, which were launched this year and made from grapes fermented in French oak with wild yeasts, which provides nutty, full bodied richness and creamy smooth textures.

A wine full of personality. Like my greatest friends. Carpe diem.