I recently had the chance to try a series of utterly remarkable New Zealand wines. They’re from Framingham in Marlborough, a producer whose points of difference are that they are…
A really good Kiwi fizz: Huia Blanc de Blancs 2004
New World sparkling wine isn’t my happiest hunting ground. But this is really good: full flavoured, complex, intense. I can’t find any UK stockists, but I reckon it will come…
The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2011
I’ve really liked a lot of the 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs that I’ve tried. And here’s another good one. It’s from Brent Maris’ new venture in the Waihopai subdistrict of…
A seductive New Zealand Red: Kaituna Hills Cabernet Merlot 2010
I’m enjoying this wine. It’s superbly polished and sleek, with a seductive personality, fusing lush, ripe ‘New World’ fruit with the freshness and definition of the ‘Old World’. It’s not…
Mountford Estate Chardonnay 2008, one of the highlights of today’s NZ tasting
Spent a few hours at the New Zealand Wine Growers tasting today in London. It was great to see so many winemakers and punters there, but it did make it…
Greywacke Pinot Noir
Very impressed with this. Kevin Judd is well known for his Sauvignons, but this Pinot Noir is one of a growing band of serious expressions of this grape from New…
Syrah and Pinot Noir, and why I love them
Two wines tonight, shared with friends, which really worked. The first, a northern Rhone Syrah from the Cornas appellation, but bottled as Vin de Pays. It’s the Les Collines de…
Video: Brancott Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand
A short film from my visit to the Marlborough wine region this week, including the famous tipping tanks.
Red wines from Marlborough
On my last evening in Blenheim, the buzzing metropolis at the heart of the Marlborough wine region, I dined with Jim Robertson (Pernod Ricard’s wine ambassador) and Jeremy Oliver (one…