I put the Brown Brothers Prosecco Spritzes aside until summer arrived but with March in the headlights, it was now or never. Fresh, bright and breezy they epitomise summer in a glass even if the weather gods don’t play ball.
Rosé ... They’ll be great to taste as summer kicks in, I told myself. Well, they did fulfil the promise of being great to taste ...
Reds. BBQ season I promised myself. I haven’t fired up the barbie in ’26, but these will happily match heavier autumnal cuisines.
NV Brown Brothers Yuzu Lemon Prosecco Spritz
Rating Very Good
Bright, fresh,
engaging, brimming
with lemon pulp and
a touch of ginger.
Effervescent, really
refreshes the palate,
not wildly complex
but that is not the
intent here. This is
deliciously drinkable
and totally moreish
with that lemon zest
quality lifting the
wine. Low alc too at
8.5%. Summer may
have deserted us,
but this is summer
in a glass.
NV Brown Brothers Orange Prosecco Spritz
Rating Very Good
Rather more subtle
on the nose initially
than its Yuzu Lemon
stablemate, opening
out to reveal orange,
hay and peach. The
palate tilts its hat to
Aperol Spritz with
that bitter orange
character and
should work well
over ice too. Low alc
at 8.5%. this is not a
wine to think about,
it is one to enjoy
with friends, family
and conversation.
2025 Quartz Reef Bendigo Pinot Rosé
Rating Excellent
Subtle at first offering
strawberries and
cream, watermelon,
flower petal
fragrance. The palate
is where the action is,
beautifully dry with a
sense of minerality
and salinity more
reminiscent of
Provençal than Kiwi.
Hints of currant, red
apple and strawberry,
great balance and
integration. The palate
fleshes out beautifully
with air building great
texture and depth.
2025 Misha’s Vineyard The Soloist Central Otago Pinot Rosé
Rating Excellent
Lovely volume on the
nose, fruit pastille
dusted with icing sugar,
floral, strawberries and
spice, a little savoury
nuance with air. Great
texture on entry, with a
refreshingly crunchy
quality, again fruit
pastille, great depth of
flavour, ripe yet dry with
a long finish. Really well
balanced, juicy, with
complexity and palate
interest, in the slot to
enjoy now and through
the year.
2024 Taylors Reserve Parcel Merlot
Rating Very Good
Touches of
blackcurrant lead,
backed by charry oak,
spicy, sweet fruits
begin to strut their
stuff. There’s a tingly,
spritz like lift to the
front palate, a little
chewy grip at first,
becoming supple and
rounded. Ripe and
juicy, the sweet fruit
becomes more
evident with time in
the glass, matched by
some fine tannins on
the close. Certainly
easy drinking.
2023 Pegasus Bay Merlot Cabernet
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Hints of burnt toast
evolve to perfume,
air brings in tilled
earth, dark fruits and
wisps of crushed
leaf. There’s clear
depth and structure
here, real grip and
chew that’s saying
"pair me with food".
Graphite and
blackcurrant frame
the palate. Starting
to reveal its class
and fruit weight, not
a simple alfresco
sipper, this is one to
contemplate.
