The famous view from Rippon, Wanaka Chard Farm’s Gibbston Vineyard and its spectacular setting Apparently this scene features in Lord of the Rings View of Wanaka from the top of…
Central Otago Pinot Noir masterclass, focusing on structure
Lucie Lawrence of Aurum and Grant Taylor of Valli led this masterclass, which was held at Aurum. Also present were Matt Dicey (Mount Difficulty and Ceres), Paul Pujol (Prophet’s Rock)…
Some highlights from a Central Otago Pinot Noir tasting
I arrived in Queenstown to a good English winter: rain showers, low cloud, and a temperature of 8 C. There was snow on top of the hills. This is summer…
The stunning Te Mata Peak
On Saturday morning, Craggy Range’s Brand Manager Hannah Burns took me up Te Mata Peak. It was supposed to be a run, but this is incredibly steep, so we walked…
Tasting the range at Craggy Range
For the last couple of days I’ve been hanging out at Craggy Range, in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. I was last at Craggy in 2007, on my first visit to…
Four affordable Kiwi Pinot Noirs
As I write, I’m at the departure gate waiting to embark on a rather long journey to Kiwi land. So a chance to write up four affordable New Zealand Pinot…
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Marlborough
Off to New Zealand on Wednesday, so in preparation I thought it would be good to drink some Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 2016 was a good vintage in the region, with…
Wines of the year (6) some top New Zealand wines
Another post rounding up some of the star wines that I tasted and drank in 2016. And I drank and tasted a lot last year. Many of these bottles were…
Canada versus New Zealand: two top Pinot Noirs from 2011 compared, and a lesson learned
Three nights ago I opened this pair of Pinots, both from the 2011 vintage. They’re wines that I’d cellared. The first is the Te Muna Road Pinot from Craggy Range,…