“I think around 40% of wine production here in McLaren Vale is organic,” Yangarra Estate winemaker Peter Fraser told me over an interview on their sustainable initiatives. That sounds impressive but actually Peter thinks more producers could be organic due to the natural conditions …
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Africa, Asia & Oceania
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 …
It is no coincidence that Marlborough is the Mecca of New World Sauvignon Blanc and the heartland of New Zealand’s wine production. At the northeastern tip of the South Island it is sheltered from all the major and most extreme climatic influences, and instead …
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 …
Dom Maxwell has kicked off a trend without realising it. “My wife told me not to do it,” says the Greystone winemaker. “Her exact words were ‘aren’t you worried about the possums?’” Yes, possums are a problem in New Zealand. They are actually a …
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 …
Gimblett Gravels has become one of the most celebrated sub-regions of Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand. What brought this region up from drag racing to racy reds? Hawke’s Bay is the oldest wine region in New Zealand, but the sub-region within it that is …
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 …