One of the perils with my line of work is that it can be so easy to allow negativity to seep into my writing. I’m strongly convinced that negativity is…
Prophet’s Rock Vin de Paille
This wine deserves a mention, even if few will get to try it. It’s the first vintage of Prophet’s Rock new Vin de Paille, a ‘straw wine’ made from Pinot…
Dona Berta: traditional, restrained, delicious Douro wines
There’s something very traditional about the labelling of these wines from Douro estate Dona Berta: pure and classic. This is reflected in the winemaking style, which shows admirable restraint and…
Interesting Marlborough: Framingham
Framingham is one of the most interesting of Marlborough’s wineries, but they tend to fly under the radar a bit. They are best known for their Rieslings – winemaker Dr…
A case of 2015 reds from the Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Each year, the Gimblett Gravels association – a group in charge of a special terroir in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand – makes a selection of 12 top reds. This is the…
The Hermit Ram Pinot Noir Whole Bunch 2017 North Canterbury, New Zealand
I’ve talked about the wines of Theo Coles here before on this blog. His brand is The Hermit Ram (although he also works on other projects), and the other night…
Air New Zealand lounge wine round up
I’m in the lounge at Auckland airport heading to Hong Kong and then Thailand. Flight delayed by a few hours, so time to try all the lounge wines. Airlines don’t…
Vincent Carême Vouvray Sec 2015
I visited Vincent Carême a year ago, and loved his wines, as well as Vouvray, which makes some of the most compelling Chenin Blancs you could hope for (as well…
An evening of cocktails and fine dining at Arbour with Elemental Distillers
I’m used to going to dinners that match posh food with snazzy wines. But on Saturday night it was time for something different. Arbour restaurant, the top fine dining destination…