Seresin ‘Leah’ Pinot Noir Vertical.

Introduction

For this flight we tasted six Seresin ‘Leah’ Pinot Noirs from the 2005 – 2010 vintages. The purpose of the flight was to examine seasonal variation and ageing characteristics of wine. All the wines were made almost identically by winemaker Clive Dougall, who believes that wines should be an expression of time and place, and achieves this through minimalist intervention winemaking

Seresin Leah […]

The Riesling Challenge!

Introduction

The Riesling challenge was initiated in 2010 to exemplify the influence winemakers have in processing grapes into wine. The challenge was taken up by 12 leading New Zealand winemakers, who each received 4 tonnes of identical grapes, picked on the same day, from the same site (Mud House Glasnevin Rd block, Waipara) and distributed evenly from each part of the vineyard. Each winemaker […]

Peregrine Pinot Noir 2007

This wine has a soft bouquet of ripe cherry and plum jam finished with a hint of higher-alcohol spiciness. Silky tannins and smooth hints of caramel and mushroom carry the mid palate through to a beautiful finish. This wine was beginning to show it’s age with subtle reductive notes on the nose and less than robust phenolics. That said the wine has aged well and was the favourite of the group, especially those more familiar with […]

In Central did Pinot and Thyme
A love affair of wine decree
Where the Kawarau winds
and mighty Clutha branches find
Their way out to the sea
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With vines and trellis were laid down
And there were vineyards climbing slopes
Where spring brings bloom and autumn cold
And here did wineries elope
Making wine with whispers of gold.
(by Jake Tipler – based upon Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Roses are red,
Wine […]

It’s not surprising that wine, like many things, attracts characters with all sorts of idiosyncrasies. Having enmeshed myself in the wine world for some time now I’ve discovered that many wine-o’s fall into two categories – those that are passionate about wine and those that are passionate about people thinking they are passionate about wine – and it can be hard to tell the difference.

Picture this – you’re sitting down to a lovely dinner, the host a well-to-do professional is […]