Hens, Chickens and Frost…

You’d expect at the end of January things out there in winery land would be all go.  With harvest just weeks away surely there’d be no end of things to do; tanks to clean, barrels to wash, equipment to sterilise and loads of general endeavour by everyone concerned.  So on a sneaky little trip to [...]

Classy new Glass

If you lamented the loss of the old style of champagne saucer, or ‘coupe’ then you’ll be pleased to know that its usurper, the ‘flute’, may also soon be turfed into untrendy territory. For umpteen years the coupe was rumoured to have been modelled on the breasts of a well known female French aristocrat and [...]

Sweet As For Summer!

“We will NEVER do nine stickies in one year ever again” says a worn-out Dr Andrew Hedley. 2011 is Andrew’s tenth year at Framingham Wines, and to celebrate he and his team thought it might be clever to have a crack at making every style of sweet white wine under the sun.  Yet having been [...]

3 November 2011 Either Hugo or I go…

Either Hugo or I go… One of Australia’s most famous brands has had a major makeover.  Not only has it given its label a bit of nip-and-tuck and indulged in an expensive set of extensions; it’s also visited the local council chambers, filled out the forms and instigated a name change.  First launched in 1980 [...]

Wynns Wines and Hard Rock Shiraz

Wynns has been around since the dawn of the dingoes and Kiwi’s have long been huge fans.  When I asked around my local traps (the school mums, supermarket checkout ladies, the lotto man, the rural post driver, the plumber and the sparky), about the first red wines they ever tried, this reliable, cuddly Coonawarra brand [...]

Kate Moss, Sailors, Mosel and Ethiopian Wine

Model Winemaker I had to have a chuckle the other day after I’d tweeted the news that international supermodel Kate Moss had purchased a £130,000 vineyard in France for her new husband Jamie Hince.  Replies included “unless she’s careful the wine will taste thin and lack body”, and cheekily referring to her cigarette habit and [...]

Cooper’s Creek SV Gisborne ‘Bell Ringer’ Albarino 2011

Coopers Creek SV Gisborne ‘Bell Ringer’ Albarino 2011 $20  Dubbed the ‘Bell Ringer’ because it was an instant hit within the company, it’s also the namesake of their Gisborne growers Doug and Delwyn Bell.  It has soft, powdery floral aromas and super-clean, dry and minerally in the mouth with a white peach note on the [...]

19th September 2011 Wine Awards Season

Wah-hoo!  It’s Wine Awards Season!  There’s no doubt about it, we are in the thick of wine awards season.  Medal announcements are flying around the media faster than a Sonny Bill shirt-swap pic on Facebook. I’ve lost count of how many press releases I’ve seen just in the last few days announcing trophies here, gold [...]

September 3 2011 Alpha Domus Aviator Reaches New Heights

“Having our winery right in the middle of the vineyard is the best thing for me as a winemaker” says Kate Galloway of Hawke’s Bay’s Alpha Domus wines.  “I love being able to walk outside directly into any of our vineyard blocks to check on how the fruit is tasting. I definitely think this is [...]

27th August 2011 Is colour all it’s cracked up to be?

Is Colour all it’s cracked up to be? One of the unique aspects of this job is that over the course of a year you get to try an immense array of wines from week to week and your tastebuds are constantly tested because they’re never allowed a dull moment.  Many of the wines I [...]