Port house Taylor’s have begun releasing Colheita Ports. They label these ‘single harvest’, which is an English way of saying that they are Tawny Ports, matured in wood, from a…
Central Otago (10) Rudi Bauer and Quartz Reef
It was great to spend some time with one of the pioneering figures of Central Otago wine, Rudi Bauer. Fresh off the plane from the UK, I picked up a…
Two from Handford: Schaal Confluence and Garnacha not Guerra
I popped into Handford Wines yesterday to say hello to Greg Sherwood, and have a look round. If there is a merchant in London who has a better array of…
Rathjen Cellars Wine Bunker Red 2016 Vancouver Island
Canada makes some great wines these days. We have the major regions: Niagara and Prince Edward County in Ontario; Nova Scotia; and the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys in BC. But…
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2017: amazingly successful, but how good is it?
I’m in the Star Alliance lounge at LAX, having just showered, getting ready for another 12 h in the air. I check out the lounge wines. On offer, Meiomi Pinot…
The First Date natural wine bar pop-up at Cupple Coffee, Hastings, NZ
On Saturday night, travelling companions Mel Brown, David Brookes and I popped into a natural wine bar pop-up First Date at Cupple Coffee in Hastings, Hawkes Bay. This was billed…
Central Otago (9) Grasshopper Rock
It’s five years since I last visited Grasshopper Rock (see the full profile here), a small vineyard in the Alexandra district of Central Otago. Back in 2014 I commented that…
Central Otago (8) Chard Farm
With just a shade under 100 hectares of their own vineyards, Chard Farm are one of the larger players in the Central Otago region. Their beautifully situated home vineyard, at…
The New Zealand Wine Flight
Yesterday, Air New Zealand and New Zealand Wine Growers collaborated to put on a special wine flight over five of New Zealand’s wine regions. I captured the experience in a…