This is a written version of a talk I’m giving today at the Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir celebration. Pinot Noir is the grape variety that seems to inspire the most…
Forage North Canterbury, an amazing food and wine event, with a film
Where does our food come from? I was recently in the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury, to take part in a remarkable event called Forage. There’s a film of…
Some interesting alternative wines from the Waipara: Hermit Ram and Ekleipsis
Tried these interesting Waipara Valley wines over the last few days. The Hermit Ram is made by Theo Coles, who also makes wines for Kalex in Central Otago and Mountford…
Video: flying in a Tiger Moth biplane over the Bridge Pa Triangle vineyards, Hawke’s Bay, NZ
Yesterday was spent in the two main subdistricts of Hawke’s Bay. The afternoon was spent in the famous Gimblett Gravels, but the morning was in the Bridge Pa Triangle Wine…
Bordeaux varieties and blends from New Zealand, with some benchmarks
The second part of the Classic Reds Symposium in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, looked at Bordeaux varieties and blends. There were 12 wines, served blind, and as well as the…
New Zealand Syrah masterclass, with four imposters
These are my notes from the first tasting At the Hawke’s Bay Symposium on Classic Reds, held at Trinity Hill, Hawke’s Bay, 4 February 2017. This flight looked at New…
The New Zealand Wine Flight, over four wine regions
Yesterday we had a great experience, courtesy of New Zealand Wine Growers and Air New Zealand. It was a specially chartered flight over four wine regions, beginning in Wellington and…
What is greatness in a wine?
What is greatness in a wine? This was the subject of a session at the Pinot Noir symposium, where we were encouraged to discuss this question among ourselves. These are…
New Zealand Gewurztraminer
This masterclass was led by Nick Nobilo, who is the expert on this variety, and one with some experience: he’s now completed 56 vintages. He began making wine when his…