Wine times

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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

Rockburn winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis. Photo: supplied

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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

Felton Road winery, Bannockburn. Photo: supplied

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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...

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A selection of Pinot Gris smashes it out of the park

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A selection of Pinot Gris smashes it out of the park

I really don’t know what was in the water on the particular Monday that I tasted a raft of these Pinot Gris but it seemed like every wine was on song.

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Central Otago forges organic farming path

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Central Otago forges organic farming path

Back in 2009 Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) set the goal of having 20% of the Central Otago vineyard area farmed organically by 2020, a goal they surpassed when they hit 23%.

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