This week marks the end of an era for one of this country's most revered, most experienced and most passionate Pinot Noir pioneers, Larry McKenna, who retires from his role as general manager of The Escarpment Vineyard but not, he stresses, from wine. He will continue to manage a local Pinot Noir vineyard while also taking a brief break to see family in Australia; the place he was born and bred, despite having lived in New Zealand since 1980. The Escarpment Vineyard is now owned by Torbreck in South Australia, which purchased the business in 2019 from McKenna and the other original investors.  McKenna...

Mountford Estate is our new winery of the month and is nestled in the eastern hills of the Waipara Valley, the heart of North Canterbury. Our thoughts on the wines follow but first we wanted to share a little of the rich history behind this brand and the beautiful piece of land it is situated on.  Mountford Estate was founded in 1991 by Michael and Buffy Eaton, an artist and a viticulturist-chef who planted the first vines on the gently sloping, east facing, limestone laden site that same year, producing the first Mountford wines in 1995. They created a high end luxury homestay...

Hands up if your experience of Greek wine begins and ends with retsina?  If so, Greek wine probably seems as inaccessible as Greek mythology but this month we landed a couple of great new Greek whites in store so it seemed timely to share them and their history with you. They also both begin with the letter R but they couldn't be more different to retsina. Both are made from the Robola grape which makes high quality, distinctly fresh dry whites. It's usually grown on islands rather than the mainland and is especially famous for its role in great whites from the Ionian Islands,...

Biodynamic champagne producers are thin on the ground so it's incredibly refreshing to taste expressive, dry, high quality sparkling wines from Champagne Leclerc Briant, which is certified organic and biodynamic, a rarity in a region where organics have yet to cast significant sway. Leclerc Briant is also famous for producing the world's first intentionally aged underwater champagne, the Abyss, which we have secured two precious bottles of - strictly one per customer only and sales are in store.  2015 Champagne Leclerc Briant Abyss Brut Zero RRP $419.99 The first edition of Abyss was made from the 2012 harvest for underwater ageing by Leclerc...

Our new winery of the month for April is Mount Edward, situated at the base of the mountain of the same name, in the heart of Central Otago's original wine region - the Gibbston Valley. Who started it? The winery was founded by Central Otago wine pioneer, Alan Brady, a man many credit as the godfather of Otago wine because he also founded Gibbston Valley Wines after ditching his career as a television journalist in Dunedin and he has since also created his Wild Irishman brand. His original aim was to find a more balanced life in the majestic mountains of Central Otago...