New Zealand Wine

This is a test this is a test this is a test

scottfrasernz — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:11:52 +0000

This is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test this is a test.

Artisan Kauri Ridge Flora 2007

scottfrasernz — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:08:10 +0000

A delicately floral wine with good fruit purity and balance. Only slightly sweet but pretty with attractive delicacy.

Flora is a cross between Gewurztraminer and Semillon. This robust pink skinned variety ripens very well in Oratia and is ideal for production of naturally sweet wines. The nose is liquorice all sorts, ginger and a hint of honey.

The entry is sweet with lovely crisp acid on the finish. A perfect wine to accompany a cheeseboard or as an aperitif on a lazy summers’ day.

Serve chilled and drink young.

Pinot Noir

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:51:02 +0000

New Zealand Pinot Noir

New Zealand is now acknowledged as one of the few countries to have successfully come to grips with this fickle, but supremely aristocratic grape variety. The temperate climate and long sunshine hours have combined with winemaker passion and skill to produce world-class, highly sought-after Pinot Noir.

Origins of Pinot Noir in New Zealand

Pinot Noir first appeared in the Auckland region during the mid 1970s and within a decade was being produced in Martinborough (in the Wellington region) and Hawkes Bay, plus most regions in the South Island. Early competition successes from Canterbury and Martinborough Pinot Noir, as well as the demand for Pinot Noir as a component in high quality bottle-fermented sparkling wine, has now made this varietal the most widely planted red grape in the country and one of New Zealand’s most prestigious and acclaimed wine styles. (more…)

Sauvignon Blanc

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:45:40 +0000

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is acclaimed throughout the world as the definitive benchmark style for the varietal. Its exuberant, pungent flavours have dazzled wine critics everywhere. Oz Clarke summed up the impact of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in his Wine Atlas when he wrote, “No previous wine had shocked, thrilled, entranced the world before with such brash, unexpected flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and lime, or crunchy green asparagus spears . . . an entirely new, brilliantly successful wine style that the rest of the world has been attempting to copy ever since”.

(more…)

Marlborough

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:21:32 +0000

Marlborough is at the top of the South Island, and can be easily reached by air or ferry from Wellington. The city of Blenheim is at the region’s heart, and is just a short 20 minute drive from the breathtaking beaty of the Marlborough Sounds. Over the hills and to the south are the Awatere Valley and the seaside town of Kaikoura.

Marlborough is New Zealand’s largest wine growing region. It has an enviable international reputation for producing the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. It also makes very good Chardonnay and Riesling and is fast developing a reputation for high quality Pinot Noir. Of the region’s ten thousand hectares of grapes (almost half the national crop) one third are planted in Sauvignon Blanc. (more…)

Hawkes Bay

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:15:52 +0000

Hawke’s Bay, located on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island and to the south of Gisborne, is New Zealand’s leading wine and food tourism destination. It’s also a region steeped in history. The cities of Napier and Hastings were all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, and rebuilt in the prevailing art deco and spanish mission styles.

Hawke’s Bay combines lots of sun and a temperate climate with an attractive rural landscape, and an abundance of good food and dining opportunities. Many of New Zealand’s best wineries are located in Hawke’s Bay, and are within easy reach of visitors. If visiting the region, allow at least one day to explore its wineries. (more…)

Spy Valley

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:54:41 +0000

Spy Valley Wines is named after a nearby ‘cold war’ era satellite listening station located in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley. Spy Valley Wines sources its grapes from a 125 hectare vineyard planted in 1993, which once supplied Corbans Wines (now Montana Wines). (more…)

Esk Valley

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:51:49 +0000

Esk Valley is best known for the production of high quality red wines. A member of the Villa Maria group of companies, Esk Valley frequently ranks amongst the best of New Zealand wines in local and overseas wine competitions. (more…)

Fossil Ridge Riesling 2006

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:22:54 +0000

Nelson has a long tradition with the Riesling grape and over the years has produced some outstanding examples of the New Zealand take on the variety.

This one from Fossil Ridge, a boutique winery at Richmond that also produces small quantities of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer, is a clear expression of the grape. It has delicate floral aromas together with a restrained but defined citrus fragrance.

The palate opens with intriguing fruit sweetness and a slight oiliness and there are some lovely citrus notes and a touch of minerality. It finishes seemingly quite dry with nice, clean and refreshing acidity that does not overpower the fruit.

It’s a delicate, well balanced wine that sat very well with a simple meal of smoked salmon fish cakes, grilled root vegetables and those lovely round beans that are so good at this time of the year. You may need to contact the winery to get your bottle!

www.fossilridge.co.nz

Hewitson Miss Harry Barossa Valley GSM 2006

scottfrasernz — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:21:36 +0000

I’ve long been a fan of GSM wines - Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre - a Chateauneuf du Pape wine style that the Australians seem to have adopted so well to their own soils and climates.

The Shiraz seems to provide the backbone while the Grenache adds cherry like fruitiness and fragrance and the smaller amount of Mourvedre likewise adds cherry and berry flavours as well as a deep red colour.

It’s certainly a style with a sense of difference and individuality and the fine wine retailer in South Australia who pointed me in the direction of this one was certainly on the button.

It has a velvety finish to it and an intensity of fruit flavour that comes from the fact that it is dry grown on old Barossa Valley vines that, in some cases, date back to the mid 1800s.

The varieties have been fermented separately and matured in old French oak for 10 months, as would also be the custom in France, and the resulting wine, while presenting good cellaring potential, is absolutely delicious now.

We had ours with herbed lamb steaks on one of the last barbecues of summer. A great finish to a great summer!

http://www.hewitson.com.au/