Filed under: Wine , Magazines , Raves & Reviews , Lists , New Zealand If you're sitting around trying to decide on a new wine to try tonight with you dinner, may we suggest a little something from New Zealand? Forbes picks 15 "Five Star" wines from the tiny country that served as backdrop to a giant movies about hobbits: Cable Station Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2004 ($18) - "bright, ripe...

NZSS kicks off tomorrow with a BBQ and tasting of some choice New Zealand Syrah with several wine scribes and sommeliers. Wines on the tasting bench so far are: Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah 2004 Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2004 Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2002 Bilancia Syrah Viognier 2004 Bilancia La Collina Syrah 2004 Te Awa Syrah 2004 Kennedy...

If it seems we are awash with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, then I say drink it while the getting is good.  This Discovery Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is a new example of a minerally-slanted, otherwise "textbook New Zealand" wild white. Nearly 1/2 of the grapes came from the "Colonial Vineyard" in the Awatere Valley, just southeast of the Marlborough Plain.  The other half was sourced from...

A high-strung wild white at a pretty good price equals one cool performance by Pernod Ricard's Brancott Vineyards. Winemaker Julia O'Connell reports Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is 100% varietal, vinified in stainless steel. Alcohol content: 13%. Tasting Notes. Color:...

‘Tis the time of the year for the release of the new seasons Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs, just in the nick of time as the weather starts to warm up and just sticking my nose in the glass makes me get all teary….sniff….it smells like home…..no and its not cats pee you cheeky buggers….it just smells...

The Allan Scott Family comes through again with an honest and pure expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  There are a lot of superb New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs to choose from this year, so mix it up and include this one. Next generation Josh Scott and Jeremy McKenzie are the youthful winemakers, who work with the Marlborough fruit carefully watched over by founder/father Allan...

After three days R & R up at Lennox Head and some very sore shoulders after training with a Dragon Boat crew on Lake Ainsworth it is time to get back into the tasting notes with this Marlborough Pinot Noir from Montana. It smells of herbal red and dark fruits….red ...

Another sauvignon blanc from Marlborough and obviously 2006 looks like being a strong year. I tasted this alongside the Montana of the same vintage and it was neck and neck. Both excellent. Both same same but different! Pungent aromas of pineapple, lychee, juicy fruit chewing gum, capsicum and a little ...

The “Crimson” Pinot Noir is produced from some younger vines blocks at Ata Rangi; this is the second release. The nose shows stalky red cherries, dry woody spices, dry pepper, smallgoods and a dash of resin. The palate is a bit unyielding, dry red cherries, earth and pepper, stalk, and ...

I tried the 2005 Ata Rangi during the week, and was surprised by its tannic backwardness. This reminded me that I had a taster of the 2003 that had been left unconsumed. So I found it and this is what I thought. Rich and ripe on the nose, red cherries ...