Tony Bish made his reputation as winemaker for Sacred Hill in Hawke’s Bay. While he remains a consultant and a shareholder in the company, his interests have moved away from…
Cape Wine (4) some more very exciting wines: Rall, Leeu Passant, Loggerenberg, Kanonkop, Badenhorst
Some more thrilling wines tasted at Cape Wine. For me, these are very high ratings indeed! Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2016 Stellenbosch, South Africa Andrea Mullineux is trying to make this…
A weekend of Chardonnay in Niagara: the i4C 2018 edition
I first came to Canada in 2013 for the i4C, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Conference (here’s my blog post on it). My trip then was to make a lasting…
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 Adelaide Hills, Australia
Brian Croser is one of Australia’s most well known winemakers. Brian was a very influential consultant winemaker who started his own brand, Petaluma, back in 1976. This grew and was…
Dinner at Arbour with lovely wines: Felton Road, Vieux Telegraphe, Kumeu River and Quartz Reef
Arbour is widely regarded to be the best fine dining option in the Marlborough region. I visited with friends yesterday evening and we had a really good time. The kitchen…
A top Canadian Chardonnay: Bachelder Wismer Foxcroft 2013
Thomas Bachelder is one of the leading producers in Canada’s Niagara region, and he’s doing very good things with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He also works in Burgundy and Oregon,…
Crystallum: some of South Africa’s most compelling Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Crystallum is the wine label of Peter-Allan Finlayson (above), who set up in partnership with his brother (Andrew, a Hermanus-based architect) and his Dad (Peter, who was the first winemaker…
Some lovely South African whites: Crystallum, Gabrielskloof, Momento, Thorne and Daughters
My first night in South Africa began well. I’m staying here 11 days, working vintage in the cellar at Gabrielskloof, a space shared by four of South Africa’s most interesting…
Interesting Marlborough: Corofin, with Mike Paterson
Mike Paterson used to be the winemaker at Jackson Estate, but now he’s making his own wines, along with his wife Anna, under the Corofin label. The idea behind Corofin…