#NewZealand

Jun 16

WINE OF THE WEEK: Smith & Sheth Cru Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Wairau, New Zealand

£17, Tesco This cracking New Zealand Sauvignon is the product of the very low-cropping 2021 vintage and one of the country’s top winemakers, Steve Smith MW, in partnership with Texan investor and wildlife conservationist Brian Sheth. It may look expensive, but you get your money’s worth in the breadth of flavour and interest in every sip: in vivid aromas of fresh-cut grass, herbs, gooseberry, lime, green apple, crushed rocks and hints of woodsmoke and spice; and in the juicy

Feb 17

WINE OF THE WEEK: Nautilus Chardonnay 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand

£17.99 (in any 6-bottle mix), Majestic stores New Zealand Chardonnay is still overshadowed by the country's Sauvignon Blanc, as is every other grape variety and wine style, but the current shortage of Sauvignon after last year's devastating frosts is a perfect opportunity to give the Chardonnays some love. And they deserve it, believe me. The barrel-fermented Nautilus from Marlborough is typically expressive and stylish, capturing the freshness of a salty sea breeze and the s

Sep 9, 2021

WINE OF THE WEEK: Freeman's Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020, New Zealand

£6.49, Aldi After this year's biting spring frosts in Marlborough, there aren't going to be many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs at this price for long – certainly not of this quality. It's dry, zingy and springy with textbook elderflower, gooseberry, passion-fruit, lime and currant-leaf flavours, none of them overpowering or out of kilter. Even if your thoughts were edging towards something more wintry, it's worth taking advantage of this while you can. It's part of Aldi's Spec

Aug 18, 2021

Ten Pinots for International Pinot Noir Day

I hadn't planned to do a Pinot Noir post to coincide with International Pinot Noir Day today, but it's a good opportunity to spread the love, not least because I was bowled over by the two Akitu wines below, especially the A1 2018, and by the latest Craggy Range Aroha. There's also an amphora-fermented Pinot from Shropshire, which is a revelation and a triumph. Who knew England could do this? And there are two Burgundies I wanted to highlight, although the delightful, mature

Mar 4, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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