WINE OF THE WEEK: Spoke Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand
It’s hard to stand out in a field as crowded as Marlborough Sauvignon. Spoke Awatere does it with dazzling fruit and a streak of minerality
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Jan 12, 2023
WINE OF THE WEEK: Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
£11, Sainsbury's; M&S and Waitrose soon I always step out of the season of festive indulgence into the new year wanting this kind of dry...
Jun 16, 2022
WINE OF THE WEEK: Smith & Sheth Cru Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Wairau, New Zealand
£17, Tesco This cracking New Zealand Sauvignon is the product of the very low-cropping 2021 vintage and one of the country’s top...
Feb 17, 2022
WINE OF THE WEEK: Nautilus Chardonnay 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand
£17.99 (in any 6-bottle mix), Majestic stores New Zealand Chardonnay is still overshadowed by the country's Sauvignon Blanc, as is every...
Sep 9, 2021
WINE OF THE WEEK: Freeman's Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020, New Zealand
£6.49, Aldi After this year's biting spring frosts in Marlborough, there aren't going to be many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs at this...
Aug 18, 2021
Ten Pinots for International Pinot Noir Day
I hadn't planned to do a Pinot Noir post to coincide with International Pinot Noir Day today, but it's a good opportunity to spread the...
Mar 4, 2021
WINE OF THE WEEK: Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand
£15.99–£18.99, New Zealand House of Wine, winedirect, The Vinorium I've never fallen out of love with Chardonnay. There were always good...
Oct 29, 2020
WINE OF THE WEEK: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, New Zealand
£21.50–£26.95, The Champagne Company, ND John, Majestic*, Clos19, Laithwaites, Jeroboams This is the first Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc...
Jul 2, 2020
Wine from the Edge: New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noir
Ready for the off – sample bottles of New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noir lined up in order for the tasting This tasting, which replaced...
Apr 2, 2020
WINE OF THE WEEK: The Doctors' Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough New Zealand
£8–£10, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Booths The name of last week's wine of the week translated as "no fuss". This week it's The Doctors. It...
May 16, 2019
WINE OF THE WEEK: Elephant Hill Chardonnay 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
£19.95, Corney & Barrow Much as I love discovering quirky, unsung grape varieties, I've never given up on Chardonnay. I love it – good...
Jan 24, 2019
WINE OF THE WEEK: Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand
£14.95–£17.99, Divine Fine Wines and other independents Maybe it's hankering after something to match, rather than beat, the mood of...
Sep 20, 2018
WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Syrah 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand
£19.99–£24.70 Noble Grape (UK), The House of New Zealand Wine, The New Zealand Cellar It's always a thrill to taste a debut vintage, not...
May 10, 2018
WINE OF THE WEEK: Te Awa Left Field Albariño 2017, Gisborne, New Zealand
£12.99, Cambridge Wine Merchants If you’re an Albariño fan, you’ll love this wine, as long as it’s not the saline mineral character that...
Mar 22, 2018
WINE OF THE WEEK: Lot Series Te Haupapa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017, New Zealand
£8.99, Aldi The Lot Series wines are smaller parcels of more expensive bottles – more expensive by Aldi's standards, but not by Central...
Feb 1, 2018
WINE OF THE WEEK: Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah 2016, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
£13.50, The Wine Society According to John Hancock of Trinity Hill winery, the world isn't beating a path to Hawkes Bay Syrah's. door....
Nov 2, 2017
WINE OF THE WEEK: Seresin Rachel Pinot Noir 2012/2013, Marlborough, New Zealand
£22–£23, The Wine Society, Booths supermarkets I don’t normally do split vintages – i.e. recommend two at the same time – but 2012 and...
Jun 8, 2017
WINE OF THE WEEK: Rod McDonald Wines One Off Malbec Hawkes Bay 2014, New Zealand
£15.75, Oddbins I feel a bit of traitor choosing this Malbec when I’m more or less within spitting distance of the grape variety’s home...
May 25, 2017
WINE OF THE WEEK: Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand
£11.99 in a 6-bottle mix, Majestic Some of the previous vintages of Jackson’s Stich Sauvignon have tasted more pungently green and tangy....
Mar 1, 2017
Credit Where Credit is Due: Hawke's Bay's stellar Chardonnays and a debt to Australia
Hawke's Bay is producing stellar Chardonnays, some from vineyards within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean. Left and centre above,...
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