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Lighter, low-alcohol wines still pleasing to the palate
It is clear from the sales of the Nolo (No or Low Alcohol) wines that more people are looking to moderate their intake of alcohol.
Wine times
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Central Otago Young Viticulturist winner announced
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Central Otago Young Viticulturist winner announced
Every year I bring attention to both the Young Viticulturist and Young Winemaker competitions as these young men and women are the future of our wine industry.
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Never any hardship to taste collection of Pinot Noir
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Never any hardship to taste collection of Pinot Noir
If you thought that I have written about Central Pinot only recently, you would be absolutely correct.
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Let a little sun spill over with every sip of these beauties
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Let a little sun spill over with every sip of these beauties
It won’t have escaped your notice that we are in the depths of winter, though on the positive side we are now quite a bit past the shortest day.
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Wine a pleasure to embrace rather than dumb down
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Wine a pleasure to embrace rather than dumb down
I’ve recently read a speech given by winery owner Nigel Greening at Pinot Noir NZ 2025, earlier this year in Christchurch.
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Breaking out of the box can bring its own rewards
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Breaking out of the box can bring its own rewards
While tasting this Pinot Gris lineup with my colleague Mr Collins, we had considerable discussion about one of the wines: he initially struggled with the style, whereas I was a fan.
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Time allows winemakers to further hone their craft
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Time allows winemakers to further hone their craft
In my view, one of the strengths of the Central Otago wine scene has been the longevity of involvement of so many of its winemakers.
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NZ chardonnay going from strength to strength
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NZ chardonnay going from strength to strength
I can’t but help feeling (after tasting these wines amidst a bigger grouping) that Chardonnay in New Zealand is going from strength to strength.
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Marvellous opportunity to be seduced
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Marvellous opportunity to be seduced
Today, a marvellous opportunity awaited in the guise of four sub-regional expressions of pinot noir by Valli and two newcomers from Domaine Thomson.
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More than the single gewurztraminer in the supermarket
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More than the single gewurztraminer in the supermarket
Back in late January, the family and I did a bit of a road trip around the South for our summer break, taking in not only some stretches of road that I’d never driven before, but also others that I...
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Good to add variety to your wine flavour palette
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Good to add variety to your wine flavour palette
I’m taking artistic licence with a biblical quote here when I say that ‘‘man cannot live on pinot noir alone’’!
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Felton Road keeps ‘winery of year’ title
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Felton Road keeps ‘winery of year’ title
I’m delighted to report that the winner of the 2025 Real Review New Zealand Winery of the Year is Felton Road Wines from Bannockburn in Central Otago.
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Focusing on Central Otago pinots from ‘old hands’
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Focusing on Central Otago pinots from ‘old hands’
When putting together tasting lineups, I may focus on a single vintage.
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Roses add bright note to cooler temperatures
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Roses add bright note to cooler temperatures
A collection of rose to brighten your mood as temperatures begin their slow nose dive towards winter.
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Sauvignons to lead the way
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Sauvignons to lead the way
The elephant in the room as I tasted these wines was the likelihood of the United States imposing tariffs on all our agricultural products.
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Singing the praises of cellaring
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Singing the praises of cellaring
Ageing gracefully.
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Marlborough fizz without the spoon
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Marlborough fizz without the spoon
Friday, March 28 marked Methode Marlborough Day which I celebrated in appropriate fashion.
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Enthusiasm offers hope
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Enthusiasm offers hope
It seems that everywhere I turn recently, news about the wine industry is full of doom and gloom.
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A bit of a mishmash, but all have great flavour, merit
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A bit of a mishmash, but all have great flavour, merit
As many readers know I regularly have reviews for wines that through no fault of their own, I just quite simply run out of room for when I first taste them.
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The appeal of Pinots from less appreciated parts
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The appeal of Pinots from less appreciated parts
I have been tasting quite a lot of Central Otago Pinot Noir recently, so it was nice with this flight of wines to point the proverbial bonnet northwards and explore North Canterbury and Marlborough...