Do you remember the first time you watched Casablanca or Citizen Kane? The sultry femme fatale, the sympathetic yet downtrodden hero... all those strong characters with their sophisticated dialogue. Well, this tasting was a bit like that…
All in Written Content
The Wines of Samuel’s Gorge with Winemaker Justin McNamee
As the rain hit hard against the roof of the Regional Wines tasting room, the blue skies of McLaren Vale opened above us causing the opulent red gems of Grenache, Tempranillo and Shiraz from Samuel's Gorge winery to glisten.
There’s a lot of buzz about North Canterbury at the moment, and when the wines taste as good as this, it’s easy to see why.
It's not often one gets to taste a 2001 Barolo at a whisky tasting, but this was Finish with a Flourish with Daniel McLaren Moon, with a theme of wine cask finishes, and things were about to get serious.
Archibald Monks and the Case of Claret
He grabbed a large crystal Bordeaux glass from the draining board. It was like a speech bubble ready to be populated, and he poured enough Rioja to fill only its bottom fifth...
When the Willowbank distillery was bought by Fosters in 1997 and subsequently mothballed, a large volume of fine, aged whisky was moved into storage and left to its own devices, quietly ageing and improving in the unexpected confines of an airport hangar.
Seresin Wine - Living off the Land
As gannets dove majestically into the turmoil of a dolphin fuelled feeding frenzy, a horde of hungry Wellingtonians sailed by, soon to arrive at Waterfall Bay and the home of Michael Seresin...
There is an untold truth in wine, that for exceptional wine to be made, man or woman must first enter into an agreement with the vines...
Based in the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, the artisan wine making ethos of Bellbird Spring utilises an array of traditional techniques; must oxidation, indigenous yeast ferments, natural neutral fermenting vessels and minimal additives to name but a few. The results are deep, lively wines, made to pair with food, often offering styles seldom seen in NZ.
Budburst 2016 - Natural Wine, Food and Music Celebration - Promotional press release
A collective palate that is positively bursting with educated taste buds; a well-established and blossoming craft beer scene; a borderline unhealthy addiction to caffeine and more eateries per capita than New York - is it any wonder that Wellington will now be the host to New Zealand's first ever natural wine festival?
So World Whisky day has come and gone, and yet has left an indelible impression on mind and palate thanks to one of Regional's more interesting and eclectic blind(ish) tastings, hosted by the one and only, Daniel McLaren Moon, a man never lost for an adjective.
What is it that wine and music have in common? Is it that, as with music, we struggle to put into words what it is that we feel when we drink wine, knowing simply that there is something above and beyond us...
In 1587 Francis Drake sacked Cadiz and returned to blightie with, amongst other spoils, 2,900 barrels of Sherry. Britain's love affair with sherry was launched, but it hasn't all been plain sailing...
As I stood on the Wellington waterfront in shorts and a T-shirt, basking under the cloudless sky in temperatures of around 28°C, the snow-laden grey of London seemed a dream-like distant memory.
I'm at the 2012 Champagne Bureau Tasting, and after a well staged and prolonged campaign I am in the throws of palate fatigue. It would takes something special to rally the troops now, and moving to the Dosnon & Lepage stand, this is exactly what I find.