Buyer's Guide New Zealand Wines 2015: 'Growing sense of optimism'

Essential for wine lovers, Michael Cooper's annual Buyer's Guide New Zealand Wines 2015 (Upstart Press), now in its 23rd edition, is more upbeat than in recent years.

''There's a growing sense of optimism in the air,'' he writes.

He also points out that while the largest companies are profitable, the smaller ones are struggling to break even, leading to overseas buyers snapping them up.

Cooper's lists of super classics, classics, potential classics and a handful of widely available wines that consistently deliver good to excellent quality and value are worth taking note of, but it's the main listings that are the heart of the book.

Each year, he tastes the new releases, rates them out of five and also rates them for value.

In order to preserve his independence, Cooper does not accept advertising, nor does he charge wineries for tasting and listing their wines, something that some wine writers do and which can compromise the impartiality of their opinions and ratings.

Add a Comment