The title of this blog post – ‘wines from here will be come world famous’ – were the prophetic words uttered by Montana’s Frank Yukich as he put the first…
Meeting the Prime Minister at the opening of the Brancott Estate Heritage Centre
Last night was fun. It was the official opening of the new Brancott Estate Heritage Centre, which has recently been completed. The centre has been built on a small hill…
More Rugby and some very nice Gosset
A big day yesterday. It began with a stroll down to the waterfront for some beers with Nick Stock and Iain Riggs (of Brokenwood in Australia’s Hunter Valley), but this…
Some affordable Kiwi wines with friends
I’m just waking up after my first sleep in New Zealand. After arriving at 7 am yesterday from London, I’m very proud that I managed to stay up until midnight,…
Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2011
So, after reporting the new release of Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc, here’s another Marlborough classic: Brancott Estate. Until 2010 this was labelled Montana, and as such, it was another wine…
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011, the new release
The world’s most famous Sauvignon Blanc has had a few rocky years, but I reckon the 2011 is right back on form. This is a bity expensive compared with its…
Sacred Hill Deerstalkers Syrah 2009
Now this is a remarkable New Zealand Syrah, from the famous Gimblett Gravels terroir of Hawkes Bay. It’s a style I like a good deal, and which I predict has…
Kennedy Point Chardonnay from Waiheke Island
This is an interesting wine. You wouldn’t expect to find this in the UK, such is the small scale of its production, but Sam Harrop brought me back a bottle…
Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 2009
I do like Kiwi Pinot Noir quite a bit. Here’s a really good one from Gibbston Valley, who I visited a while back. Christopher Keys, the winemaker there, is doing…