While studying for the blind tasting in the WSET diploma, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was always the banker for me. My mum drinks it most nights and it is a wine I can comfortably recognise inches away from the glass. I have a feeling more …
Category:
Notes from the Road
Nautilus Estate has been producing wine in Marlborough since 1985, putting it firmly on the map of New Zealand’s biggest wine region. With several vineyards in Marlborough valley, Nautilus has vines in all of the major sub-regions of Marlborough including the Wairau Valley, Southern …
Family-run wineries are part of the charm of the Waipara wine region, and Pegasus Bay is the perfect case in point. Started by Ivan and Christine Donaldson in the 1980s, and continued by their four sons (Matthew, Ed, Paul and Michael) today, Pegasus …
Michael Fagin looks at the weather trends in Walla Walla and how climate change might impact wine production in the future. After a four hour drive over the Cascades Mountains, coming from Seattle, you arrive to Walla Walla passing Washington’s other wine regions of …
There are over 200 different varieties of Muscat in the world and it is one of the oldest and widespread family of grape varieties in the book. Some believe the origins of Muscat can be dated back to the Ancient Egyptians circa 3000 BC. …
Syrah from Gimblett Gravels has become one of the most promising categories of red wine from New Zealand. After a 16-year vertical tasting of Craggy Range’s iconic Syrah, Le Sol, it was easy to see why. But before delving into the experience of tasting …
Some would say that Te Mata’s Coleraine was the first true iconic wine of New Zealand. The first vintage of Coleraine caused a stir when it came in 1982 but it wasn’t without a precedent. Te Mata Estate had already been making well-respected wines …
The Fine Wines of New Zealand programme is an interesting concept. Put simply, it is a classification system to highlight the best wines of the country. It certainly isn’t novel to rate wines, but the way in which the Fine Wines have approached their …
A clos is a common concept in France but rarely seen in the New World. Historically a clos referred to an enclosed vineyard, or vineyards, which might have been owned by one person or several. The vineyard owners worked together to build the surrounding …
Grant Taylor was one of the first winemakers to come to Central Otago in the 90s. He was hired by one of the true pioneers of Central Otago, Alan Brady, to be winemaker at Gibbston Valley. At the same time, Grant consulted for some …