Townshend ESB
I was given a cask of Townshend ESB for my 30th Birthday. The bottled version is not quite as good as the cask conditioned version but it still makes for a pretty tasty pint. We enjoyed it with a goat vindaloo, Shek kebabs, palak paneer stuffed peppers and a nice spicy dhal. But it also makes a great accompaniment to strong English style cheeses and pickled foods. Kieran's archive
Mt Edward Pinot Blanc 2008
This is a nice little aperitif style wine. It is light in body that has a level of elegance about it. The wine comes through in floral and aromatic spice characters with a creaminess about it, although no barrel influence. It’s a very well structured wine with good sugar levels balanced by the acidity, leaving a clean mouth feel. If you get a chance grab a bottle before they are gone. There’s only few cases left!!!! Stephen's archive
Legado Muñoz Garnacha 2006
70km’s South West of Madrid lies a beautiful walled city called Toledo. This was once a capital of the Spanish Empire and has been lived in for over 1200 years. I was lucky enough to visit the city a couple of years ago, so when I discovered a wine from the region of Toledo I had to give it a try. My hopes were low as I hadn’t seen a lot of wine from this region before, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the Legado Muñoz not only drinkable, but also enjoyable. The Legado is a Garnacha, so I went in expecting lite, raspberry and spicy flavours. Be warned, this is a grunty Grenache. The white pepper spice is replaced with a liquorice spice and this wine has a very solid backbone. With the weather getting colder this wine is really starting to come into its own. At $14.80 it finds it way to my table regularly as a good hearty wine for everyday drinking.
Duncan's archive
I was recently invited to a luncheon with James Healy and Ivan Sutherland at the Boulcott
Street Bistro. The combination of one of
the best Marlborough
wine labels and outstanding food was one not to miss. A lot of effort had been made to match the
wines and food as close to perfection as possible and it showed.
The
Dogpoint Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
‘Section 94’ 2008 was served with fresh oysters in their shells, prawns and
peas. The wine was aged in oak barrels
for 18 months and it had beautiful citrus and grapefruit flavours. It had a lovely floral aspect and textural
complexity with good minerality.
Next came the Dogpoint Vineyard Chardonnay
2008 with the fresh tuatua and Nelson scallops.
Aged in 15% new oak, the wine is more European in style with a lovely
nutty element, citrus and subtle stonefruit flavours and good acidity.
The Dogpoint Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 was
perfect with the main course of lamb rack with porcini and pumpkin mash. The 17 year old vines are on clay soils.
Every wine made by James and Ivan is made
with passion. The fruit is low cropped
and hand-harvested. The old adage "Let
the fruit do the talking” applies here. David's archive
Henry Lyons
This year Henry is writing the 'Wine' column for Victoria University's
Salient Magazine. Every second week Henry lets his fellow students know the best wine buys up to around $20 dollars. Henry was born and raised amongst the vines in the mighty Hawke's Bay so it is no surprise that he has vino in his veins. He is extremely keen to share his years of knowledge and get people drinking great wine that is affordable. Click on the link above and check out Henry's latest articles. For May, he's covered
Spy Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2009 and
Mt Edward Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2009.
Penfolds ‘RWT’ Shiraz 2005
It’s a bit odd that I’m batting for this wine,
especially as I’m a confirmed ‘Grange’ addict.
After all, for my 45
th, I looked at 1996 back to 1969, and I
still love buying the best years, even though it’s got that $500.00 price
tag. However, the ‘RWT’ is a special
wine in its own right. Single region – Barossa, as opposed to multi-regional
blend. French oak, rather than
American. Opulence, lusciousness and
silkiness rather than full-on muscle and power.
And it’s delicious for it. I’ve
tried it over the last three years and it gets better and better. The sweetness of fruit is the feature, but
then so is the oak. 14 months in 70%
new, it has unimaginable shine and exoticism.
At less than half the price of ‘Grange’, it’s a real bargain, even at
just under $200.00. And it’ll keep
another 15+ years.
Raymond's Archive
Moana Park Vineyard Selection Chardonnay 2009
I've been hooking into this Chardonnay of late. The secret is not to drink it too cold - straight out of the cellar is best but otherwise leave it for half an hour on the table. At $16.95 at Regional Wines, it's so cheap it's almost shoplifting.
Anto's Archive