I’ve just published the first of two reports on New Zealand Pinot Noir, based on my visit there earlier this year, when I tried a lot of different Pinots. You…
Seresin 2009 Pinot Noirs
These are lovely. They are the six different Pinot Noirs released each year by biodynamic Marlborough (New Zealand) winegrower Seresin. I love the wines of Seresin: they’re consistently among the best…
A couple from Greywacke
Kevin Judd’s Greywacke wines are up there with the best from Marlborough, now New Zealand’s biggest wine region, and one that’s beginning to show a number of talents – not…
Pinot Noir 2013: video and some thoughts in retrospect
Amid excessive travel and a few tight deadlines, I have steadily been writing up my notes from the Pinot Noir 2013 conference in Wellington, New Zealand this January. Over the…
Great lunchtime wines: Kumeu River and Raymond Lafon
Didn’t want to waste some fine white Burgundy samples that I opened, so headed over to brother-in-law Beavington’s house for some Sunday lunch today en famille. More on the Burgundies…
Three lovely wines: Burgundy, Martinborough and Tasmania
It was a beautiful pre-spring day today in London. I was doing some staff wine training for Hakkasan, the brilliant Chinese-inspired restaurant chain with two London outposts. The first session…
Sam Neill’s keynote at Pinot Noir 2013
The second keynote at the recent Pinot Noir 2013 conference was given by actor Sam Neill, who has a vineyard – Two Paddocks – in Central Otago. This was a…
Lunch wines: Dog Point, Boillot, Talbot
Popped into my sister’s for a quick lunch today, picking up our boys who had been staying over while we were at a wedding. Ended up being served three very…
In Auckland with Kumeu River
The final visit of my New Zealand adventure was at Kumeu River, a family-run estate a short drive from Auckland. This is close to where the New Zealand wine industry began in…