Brian Bicknell has made wine in the Marlborough region since 1989, so he knows the region pretty well. But he’s also had spells abroad, providing much needed context. Most significantly,…
Burgundy 2016: the full line-up from Drouhin (47 wines)
In late November I popped over to Burgundy for a few days to taste the 2016 vintage in situ. One of the best tastings was at Maison Joseph Drouhin, both…
Two superb Kiwi Chardonnays: Black Estate Home and Tony Bish Golden Egg
Just been for a short break in Akaroa, and tried a couple of very nice Chardonnays. One was from Tony Bish, long-time Hawke’s Bay winemaker with Sacred Hill who has…
Highlights from Norman Hardie: some of Canada’s best wines yet
I’ve written extensively about Norman Hardie’s wines before. But on this recent trip I tried some of his wines that astonished me, and are really next-level. These have to be…
Video: in Elgin for the Chardonnay Colloquium
Here’s a film from my recent visit to South Africa’s Egin wine region for the Chardonnay Colloquium:
Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium: Elgin versus the rest of the world, a blind tasting
This was very interesting: as part of the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium, we did a blind tasting with 21 different wines, pitching Elgin’s finest against some international benchmarks. Michael Fridjhon and…
Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium: tasting 16 Chardonnays from 2016
This weekend is the second instalment of the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium, and as part of yesterday’s proceedings, we tried 16 different wines from the 2016 vintage. This is a warmer,…
Three lovely Hawke’s Bay Chardonnays
Hawke’s Bay is becoming quite well known for its Chardonnay. It’s a grape that New Zealand hasn’t really owned in the same way as it has for Sauvignon Blanc and…
New releases from Neudorf, Nelson, New Zealand
Just tried a lovely set of new releases from leading Nelson winery Neudorf. Neudorf Rosie’s Block Chardonnay 2016 Nelson, New Zealand 13.5% alcohol. This has lovely richness, but because it’s…