Nanny Goat 2015 Pinot Noir Central Otago: This is classic Otago. Rich in body but refreshingly acidic, it is packed with blueberries and mulberries. And, it’s all about the fruit - an abundance of fresh, zingy, super-pure fruit. No doubt that, with its elegantly lacy palate and fine, talc-like tannins, this is Pinot Noir, but there’s none of the earthiness or forest-floor one often finds.
Read MoreGrant P Taylor 2015 Pinot Noir Central Otago: This is brilliant Kiwi Pinot Noir. Stuffed with ripe boysenberries and tart cranberries, it runs through the full range of red and black fruits from the time you crack the capsule until you pour the last dribble.
Read MoreEntirely different from this artisan’s heavenly vintage 2002 bottling I tried in Austria in 2012, I was a bit at a loss as to what to do with it, even with a vibrantly acidic seafood dish.
Read MoreIts suave, creamy mouthfeel is driven by serious flavor density as well as considerable – and well-integrated – residual sugar. Its lower, 9.5% alcohol and lemony acidity keep this Riesling in the mid-weight category. Its structure reminds me of the Nahe king, Dönnhoff. Though imminently glugable, this wine’s complexity deserves a slow and thoughtful sipping pace.
Read MoreHaving bought for restaurants and a retailer and being someone who attends trade tastings regularly, I have a good feeling for wine mark-ups. Naturally, I want to pay as little mark-up as possible. I do most of my wine shopping online.
Read MoreCellars are museums in their own right, cataloging the weather vintage after vintage and housing the odd, retired grape press and hand-corker. When in wine country, even the most inveterate taster occasionally must back away from the table (or tank) and put down the palette of glass, notebook and pen to rest the palate. Yet, research says it’s not the palate that becomes fatigued so much as the brain. Hence, museums on wine certainly won’t do.
Read MoreTo meet Sir George was a great honor. This Kiwi legend comes across as a genuinely inquisitive, down-to-earth gentleman. Sir George’s venture into wine began more as a hobby than a career. He started in 1961 by leasing an acre of land from his father. Begun as a family venture, it remains so – in spite of the fact that Villa Maria is one of New Zealand’s three largest wineries and exports to over fifty countries!
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