I hosted a Syrah tasting to mark my 25th anniversary of living on Waiheke Island and to thank many of the people working in the cellar doors who provided great service to my private tour customers over the past few years. The tasting was of Syrah wines, from New Zealand, France and had one wine from Australia, but excluded Shiraz. …
From Waiheke Island to Curio Bay and back.
Like many people this winter’s plan to travel overseas was abandoned and instead we booked a motorhome for five weeks and headed south. We got as far as Curio Bay at the bottom of the South Island (the second most southerly point on the island) and then turned around and headed back home. I did a little bit of wine …
I’ve upgraded my van
As of the 1st November I have added a bit of luxury to my tour offerings by purchasing a 2019 Mercedes Benz V250D Avantgarde Night Edition. It’s a great vehicle to drive and a lot more comfortable for passengers with leather seats, climate control air conditioning, a Burmester sound system, and a much quieter interior. It will also use a …
Vintage Bordeaux Tasting
At Maison Vauron, French Wine Merchants 4th September 2019 I attended this wine tasting which was held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Maison Vauron, French Wine Merchants, who are located in Newmarket in Auckland. This was a fascinating tasting with all of the wines coming from top vintages and many from top Chateau in Bordeaux with the oldest from …
A Tasting of Te Whau Wines
August 2019 In early August I had the opportunity to taste a mini vertical of the Bordeaux style blends produced by Te Whau vineyard on Waiheke Island. They produced their last vintage in 2015 and the property was sold in 2017. The vineyard is currently leased by another Waiheke wine maker. This tasting confirmed my opinion that Te Whau had …
2019 Waiheke Vintage – So Far
As I sit here watching light rain fall on Waiheke, with the potential for something a lot heavier later in the day, I am at least grateful that 2019 will likely put a much bigger smile on the faces of the local wine producers than the previous three challenging vintages, especially for red wines. While I have spoken to only …
A Taste of Hawkes Bay and Martinborough Part 2
I recently drove down to Hawkes Bay and Martinborough wine regions to catch up with some of the latest cellar door experiences. If you plan to visit either of these regions then hopefully you will find this report interesting. Hawkes Bay This area is most well known for Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay and Syrah but there are also very good wines …
Wine on Waiheke – 1978 to the present day
The first serious vineyard on Waiheke Island was planted in 1978 by the Goldwater family who had a love of Bordeaux varietals. They planted Cabernet Sauvignon and their first, very small vintage, was in 1982. It wasn’t until the 1985 vintage, which had Merlot added, that the wine became more readily available. Following very soon after was Stonyridge vineyard with …
A Taste of Hawkes Bay & Martinborough (Part 1)
August 2018 I recently drove down to Hawkes Bay and Martinborough wine regions to catch up with some of the latest cellar door experiences. If you plan to visit either of these regions then hopefully you will find this report interesting. Hawkes Bay This area is most well known for Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay and Syrah but there are also very …