Mark Henderson

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Summer sips for the savvy spender

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Summer sips for the savvy spender

The November and early December weather didn’t exactly shine with the promise of warm, sunny evenings where you’d want to fire up the BBQ, but I remain hopefully optimistic.

It's Christmas - break out the bubbly

‘Tis the season to drink bubbly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

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Wanaka Riesling takes top trophy

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Wanaka Riesling takes top trophy

The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa is the country’s newest and only national wine show taking the place of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Romeo Bragato Wine Awards and Royal Easter Wine Awards.

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Sherry - not just for nana

Sherry can be challenging for the uninitiated, but there's lots to enjoy about this fortified wine this Christmas.

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Not all just about the year

Today's collection rounds up a number of Otago Pinot Noirs tasted over a couple of sessions that have been waiting for their moment in the sun.

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A clutch of Kiwi Chardonnays and a solo act from France

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A clutch of Kiwi Chardonnays and a solo act from France

I’m writing the preamble to this particular column from a typically bright and sunny Central Otago (the wines were tasted in Dunedin earlier).

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Awards reflect changing trends

New World Wine Awards co-chairwoman and chairman of judging Jen Parr and Sam Kim. Photo: Supplied

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Awards reflect changing trends

Supermarkets aren’t always trend-setters, but they are exceptionally good at analysing and recognising trends, while tailoring their offerings to consumer demand.

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Pinots from beyond extend our Otago ‘cellar palate’

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Pinots from beyond extend our Otago ‘cellar palate’

There is an old wine phrase dubbed "having a cellar palate".

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Carrick & Felton Road celebrate milestones

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Carrick & Felton Road celebrate milestones

Carrick celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Bannockburn restaurant in mid-October, while next month Felton Road Wines celebrates releasing their 25th vintage.

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Dry and sweeter Rieslings can get better with age

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Dry and sweeter Rieslings can get better with age

I was chatting to a Riesling-loving friend recently and he bemoaned having cellared some older dry Kiwi Rieslings back in the day when the accepted thinking was that they would age with grace.

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Sauvignons delivery zesty appeal in tough vintage

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Sauvignons delivery zesty appeal in tough vintage

Following a trio of strong vintages, there’s no doubt that Marlborough vintners had a much tougher time in 2022 with a colder, wetter season keeping them on their toes.

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Classy pinots provide fruit and savoury depth

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Classy pinots provide fruit and savoury depth

A recent weekend saw a brief overnight trip to Cromwell for a friend’s birthday bash.

Popular event back after Covid canned ’21 edition

Sadly, the 2021 edition became a victim of Covid, but this popular sell-out event is back for 2022, once again being held on Labour Weekend Sunday, October 23.

Would you like a sweetie?

A snippet of news during the recent heatwave in England caught my attention.

Pocket and palate pleasers

Inflationary pressures continue to be with us this year and wine hasn’t avoided this shift either, with both imported and domestic labels seeing price increases.

Taylors Wines launches Family Flagship Releases

Taylors Wines from the Clare Valley in Australia held a webinar to launch their Family Flagship Releases with yours truly joining more than 100 wine industry attendees from Australasia and Asia.

Agreeing to disagree when it comes to chardonnay

Regular readers will know that my two tasting buddies Collins and McLaren regularly sit in on these tastings.

The Central Otago section of the 2022 Corteva Young Viticulturist competition recently took place at Otago Polytechnic’s Bannockburn campus; the evening dinner and speech component held at Carrick Winery.

Zesty, tangy Sauvignon Blanc awakens the senses

Sauvignon Blanc has been dubbed our "hero" grape variety as it is not only enormously popular domestically, but also our key wine export by some considerable margin.

A classy all-Central pinot noir line-up

Readers sometimes ask how I go about choosing the wines that grace this column.

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Mark Henderson