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WINE OF THE WEEK: Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand

Mar 4

WINE OF THE WEEK: Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand

£15.99–£18.99, New Zealand House of Wine, winedirect, The Vinorium I've never fallen out of love with Chardonnay. There were always good Chablis and other white burgundies to keep me going when California and Australian Chardonnays became too ripe/fat/buttery/oaky and when Australia then went the other way with some overly lean, ascetic wines. But now I'm spoilt for choice and loving where Australia has got to with its cool-climate Chardonnays. And New Zealand, too. The singl

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, New Zealand

Oct 29, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, New Zealand

£21.50–£26.95, The Champagne Company, ND John, Majestic*, Clos19, Laithwaites, Jeroboams This is the first Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc I've tasted in a few years. I always used to like New Zealand's iconic wine and I've seen how well it can age, but I wasn't expecting to make it a Wine of the Week. After all, it's expensive, it doesn't need a helping hand and you can find other very good New Zealand Sauvignons more cheaply. But I was really impressed; I loved it. It's got conc

Wine from the Edge: New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noir

Jul 2, 2020

Wine from the Edge: New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noir

Ready for the off – sample bottles of New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noir lined up in order for the tasting This tasting, which replaced what was going to be a full-day event in London, was described as a deep dive into Pinot Noir from around the 45th parallels. I’d say it was more of a brief but brilliant plunge: a one-hour 20-minute Zoom tasting of six wines presented by Bree Boskov, an Australian Master of Wine who lives in Oregon and is education manager for the Oregon Wine

WINE OF THE WEEK: The Doctors' Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough New Zealand

Apr 2, 2020

WINE OF THE WEEK: The Doctors' Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough New Zealand

£8–£10, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Booths The name of last week's wine of the week translated as "no fuss". This week it's The Doctors. It could be a metaphor for what's been happening in some parts of the world in recent weeks, but neither wine was chosen for its name. I've had this Sauvignon Blanc lined up for a while but was waiting for warmer weather (I've given up on that) and for the 2019 vintage to be well stocked (no need to spurn the 2018 if that's what you find). At a

WINE OF THE WEEK: Elephant Hill Chardonnay 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

May 16, 2019

WINE OF THE WEEK: Elephant Hill Chardonnay 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

£19.95, Corney & Barrow Much as I love discovering quirky, unsung grape varieties, I've never given up on Chardonnay. I love it – good Chardonnay from anywhere in the world. New Zealand makes beautiful, complex, bright Chardonnays, but they often struggle to get the recognition they deserve under the weight of the country's Sauvignon Blanc. Time, then, to take a look at this one from Hawke’s Bay – and, in case anyone thinks it represents any kind of conflict of interest, time

WINE OF THE WEEK: Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand

Jan 24, 2019

WINE OF THE WEEK: Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand

£14.95–£17.99, Divine Fine Wines and other independents Maybe it's hankering after something to match, rather than beat, the mood of bracing January weather. Maybe it's the thought of a vitalising tonic. Maybe it's just that a lot of the new-vintage southern hemisphere Sauvignons take to the shelves. Whatever, there's always a moment in January when I crave Sauvignon Blanc. The latest Greywacke Sauvignon hits the spot. I tasted it before Christmas then again last week when w

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Syrah 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

Sep 20, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Syrah 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

£19.99–£24.70 Noble Grape (UK), The House of New Zealand Wine, The New Zealand Cellar It's always a thrill to taste a debut vintage, not least when it's from an estate you've long admired. Seresin in Marlborough, founded and steered by filmmaker Michael Seresin, makes beautiful wines, especially Pinot Noirs from different vineyards, but this is the first Syrah and it's characteristically expressive and pure. It's very much in the cool-climate Crozes-Hermitage mould with tangy

WINE OF THE WEEK: Te Awa Left Field Albariño 2017, Gisborne, New Zealand

May 10, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Te Awa Left Field Albariño 2017, Gisborne, New Zealand

£12.99, Cambridge Wine Merchants If you’re an Albariño fan, you’ll love this wine, as long as it’s not the saline mineral character that you treasure most. In New Zealand, Albariño tends to have less of the briny, ocean flavour of north west Spain and more of the aromatic, white-peach and apricot succulence – a bit like Viognier but with a generous lick of lemon sherbert to give it zing. Left Field is in effect unoaked, but 20% of the juice was fermented with wild yeast to ad

WINE OF THE WEEK: Lot Series Te Haupapa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017, New Zealand

Mar 22, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Lot Series Te Haupapa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017, New Zealand

£8.99, Aldi The Lot Series wines are smaller parcels of more expensive bottles – more expensive by Aldi's standards, but not by Central Otago or Pinot Noir standards. Cheap or not, it's smooth, light-bodied and lively and brimming with fragrant, cherry and plum fruit, sappy orange-peel freshness and a dash of spicy oak. You can drink it without food, but it goes with fish such as salmon or red mullet, simply roast quail or chicken, charcuterie, savoury tarts or other light me

WINE OF THE WEEK: Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Feb 1, 2018

WINE OF THE WEEK: Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

£13.50, The Wine Society According to John Hancock of Trinity Hill winery, the world isn't beating a path to Hawkes Bay Syrah's. door. High time it did in my view. The style overall owes much to northern Rhône styles, but with prettier, more supple fruit, especially in the entry-level wines. This one, which includes a small amount of Viognier, is made to show off the perfumed purity, juicy plum and blueberry fruit and savoury, peppery spice of the Syrah grape. I love the way

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Rachel Pinot Noir 2012/2013, Marlborough, New Zealand

Nov 2, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Rachel Pinot Noir 2012/2013, Marlborough, New Zealand

£22–£23, The Wine Society, Booths supermarkets I don’t normally do split vintages – i.e. recommend two at the same time – but 2012 and 2013 are both available and, although they're different in character, they're equally delicious. The 2012 is from a cooler year, but with an extra year’s age there’s a lovely suppleness and silkiness to the spicy, red cherry-perfumed purity and cherry cake and nutmeg elegance. The 2013 shows its youth with a more savoury, structured backbone,

WINE OF THE WEEK: Rod McDonald Wines One Off Malbec Hawkes Bay 2014, New Zealand

Jun 8, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Rod McDonald Wines One Off Malbec Hawkes Bay 2014, New Zealand

£15.75, Oddbins I feel a bit of traitor choosing this Malbec when I’m more or less within spitting distance of the grape variety’s home territory of Cahors in southwest France. It’s not even as if Malbec is a speciality of New Zealand, as it is of Argentina. In fact it’s pretty unusual to find it solo in New Zealand: it’s much more often added to Cabernet and Merlot to beef them up a bit. Anyway, this wine is too good not to recommend it. In a way, it’s a halfway house betwe

WINE OF THE WEEK: Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

May 25, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

£11.99 in a 6-bottle mix, Majestic Some of the previous vintages of Jackson’s Stich Sauvignon have tasted more pungently green and tangy. The 2016 is slightly softer and lighter, although we’re talking relatively here: it’s still a classic Marlborough Sauvignon – jaunty, vivacious and aromatic, with elderflower, gooseberry and zesty lime flavours, a dazzling, fresh finish and a texture that’s been fattened slightly by a few months’ ageing on the lees (keeping the wine on the

Credit Where Credit is Due: Hawke's Bay's stellar Chardonnays and a debt to Australia

Mar 1, 2017

Credit Where Credit is Due: Hawke's Bay's stellar Chardonnays and a debt to Australia

Hawke's Bay is producing stellar Chardonnays, some from vineyards within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean. Left and centre above, Rod McDonald vineyards; right, Elephant Hill vineyards. New Zealand wine growers can afford to be magnanimous towards their Australian counterparts. NZ Sauvignon (aka savvy) has been Australia’s biggest selling white wine for several years, much to the chagrin of Australia’s white wine producers. So perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised to

WINE OF THE WEEK: Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

Feb 2, 2017

WINE OF THE WEEK: Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

£13.50, The Wine Society, Hennings Wine It’s hard for any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to stand out from the massed crowds, but Dog Point always stands tall with its depth, vibrancy and perfect balance. The duo behind it are Ivan Sutherland and James Healy, who originally worked together at the legendary Cloudy Bay as chief viticulturalist and head winemaker, respectively. At Dog Point their approach is environmentally friendly and organic in the vineyard – around 2000 sheep g

WINE OF THE WEEK: Elephant Hill Syrah 2014, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Nov 3, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Elephant Hill Syrah 2014, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

£19–£21.30, Theatre of Wine, Mr & Mrs Fine Wine, Great Western Wine, Hedonism Wines This was the first Elephant Hill wine I'd come across when I tasted it a few months ago and I was bowled over. I tasted it again earlier this month with Steve Skinner, the winemaker, and was again bowled over by its combination of velvety richness, freshness and elegance and by the crunchy black fruit, peppery spice and sheen of polished oak. All the more impressive is the fact that this is th

WINE OF THE WEEK: Te Mata Gamay Noir 2015, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Aug 25, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Te Mata Gamay Noir 2015, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

£18.75, Harvey Nichols; £14.75, Hawkshead Wines There are a lot of red wines I don’t want to go near in a heat-wave but this one is a dream if it’s lightly chilled – soft and juicy with strawberry-like fruit and a refreshing twist of cherry kernel and damson skin. It’s made from Gamay, the grape of Beaujolais, and it’s the hero red variety for chilling (though be careful not to numb it completely). It’s not an easy grape to grow outside the Beaujolais region, despite the sunn

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cimarosa Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2015, New Zealand

Jun 9, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Cimarosa Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2015, New Zealand

£5.79, Lidl I recommended a cracking New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – Churton – a few weeks back. Now I’m giving you the bargain-basement version. Cimarosa is obviously a lighter, simpler wine than the complex, rich Churton, but it’s textbook Marlborough Sauvignon all the same, with elderflower, nettle and gooseberry flavours and lots of lemon-lime zing. It’s better and more refreshing than many an example at £2–£3 more a bottle. No surprise that it makes a reviving aperitif, bu

WINE OF THE WEEK: Churton Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014, New Zealand

May 5, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Churton Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014, New Zealand

£13.80, Tanners, www.tanners-wines.co.uk I don’t know who comes up with these things, but tomorrow is International Sauvignon Blanc Day. If you need another excuse to drink Sauvignon, it’s the English asparagus season. New Zealand Sauvignon might seem a tad unimaginative, especially when it’s from Marlborough, the main region, but Churton is different. It’s a year older than most of the southern hemisphere Sauvignons on the shelves, it’s from a biodynamically farmed vineyard

WINE OF THE WEEK: Craggy Range Te Kahu 2013, Gimblett Gravels

Apr 28, 2016

WINE OF THE WEEK: Craggy Range Te Kahu 2013, Gimblett Gravels

£14.95, The Wine Society; £17.99, or £15.99 when you buy any 6 bottles, Majestic If you want a red wine that goes down well with lovers of classic claret as much as with fans of new world reds, this Bordeaux-style blend from New Zealand is just the ticket. It’s mainly Merlot, but with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, and it’s matured in expensive French oak barrels in the same way as a classy Bordeaux (aka claret). The result is dark, ripe fruit edged with