There’s a great story behind Waipara winery Pegasus Bay, which was the second visit of my New Zealand tour. Back in 1976, Christchurch neurologist Ivan Donaldson had caught the wine…
Some thoughts on Central Otago and the sense of place in wine
As I write I am flying from Queenstown to Christchurch after less than a full day spent in Central Otago, one of the most visually striking wine regions on the…
In New Zealand, day 1, Central Otago
It was hard to get my head round the contrast. One day I’m shivering in a snowy, dark-skied London. The next, I’m sitting on an internal flight crossing the dividing…
Two cracking Marlborough Sauvignons
These are two lovely Kiwi Sauvignons from the 2012 vintage. Both are from the Wine Society, and while they are priced above the entry level, the fact that the entry…
Three New Zealand Syrahs from the Gimblett Gravels
There isn’t a lot of Syrah in New Zealand. But it’s a grape that does very well here, when it is grown. I’ve had great examples from Waiheke Island, Martinborough,…
Riesling focus, 1: Neudorf Brightwater Riesling 2007 Nelson, New Zealand
It’s the grape variety that wine trade peeps and wine geeks love, but which is (apparently) impossible to sell. So it’s just my sort of thing. I’m going to focus on…
Greywacke Chardonnay 2010
Kiwi Chardonnay can be great. It is relatively neglected, but when it’s good, it’s really good, and this is one of the gooduns. It is from Greywacke, whose 2012 Sauvignon…
A brilliantly elegant, drinkable red from New Zealand
There’s something special about this utterly drinkable Kiwi red from biodynamic pioneer James Millton. It’s from Gisborne, which is predominantly a white wine region, but James’ reds suggest this should…
Some nice wine at the cricket
Great day out at the Oval yesterday, to watch the one day international between South Africa and England. I was with Justin Howard Sneyd of Laithwaites, and we were sitting…