Want to try something new, and not already a member? Come on your own, grab a friend, workmate or partner and join us for our next tasting. Take a look and see who's presenting. Scroll down to view the website.
It was great to have a Central Otago winery present to us by Justin, the North Island and Australian sales manager presenting. We had 32 people attend, with lively and enquiring discussions and somewhat very different tastings to experience.
We found out that the owners of Peregrine are heavily into bird conservation, hence the name of the vineyard, although it’s not a NZ Hawk. Their prime focus in this area is the Saddleback [Tieke], with injured birds being housed, recuperated and released back into the wild.
Nadine Cross is their wine maker and focusses on balance in the wines she produces. While the whole team help with vintage, from picking by hand usually, to processing and finally bottling, so everyone gets an all-round experience with the vineyard.
Peregrine are situated in a mountainous wine growing area, with their vineyard sites in Bendigo, Pisa and Gibbston areas. They were certified as organic from their 2017 vintage and have now been certified as Biodynamic recently. Congratulations!
A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
Wine with Altitude | Peregrine Wines Wednesday 9th October, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18
Taking a ‘hands on’ approach to winemaking since 1998 the McLachlan family strive to produce wines that embody the absolute best of Central Otago.
This passion for the land runs in their family and is a hallmark of Peregrine as a business.
Organic farming is fundamental to every aspect of Peregrine Vineyard Estates, with an holistic approach that integrates crop and livestock farming with vineyard management.
The talented estate farming team are as adept at nurturing wines, as they are developing new land, or working with livestock.
Cellar door & Barrel hall tasting rooms.
Peregrine’s quest for outstanding Central Otago wine begins in the three distinct sub-regions from which they draw their fruit: Bendigo, Pisa and Gibbston, where their landmark winery rises up amongst rugged rock reefs and ancient hills.
In each of these locations, their commitment to the organic farming and viticulture guarantees fruit of the highest quality, imparting the clearest expression of character to every vintage.
A natural extension of their passion for the land, Peregrine are dedicated to helping protect some of NZ’s rarest native birds. As well as taking part personally in some of this country’s most successful preservation programmes, Peregrine is proud to have worked with the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust, DoC and the Fiordland Conservation Trust.
Peregrine wines spectacular, architecturally designed Winery and Cellar Door are open Mon-Sat 11 am-4 pm for wine sales and experiences.
Our wines for the evening:
2023 Saddleback Riesling
2023 Peregrine Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Saddleback Rosé
2023 Peregrine Pinot Gris
2022 Saddleback Pinot Noir
2022 Peregrine Pinot Noir
We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, 9th October.
Six of our Club joined Western Hills Wine Society for a Rockburn evening.
The Western Hills Wine Society sent an invitation to us, which was shared along with our last newsletter, to join them for their wine club evening hosted by Rockburn from Central Otago. The presenter was one of their wine-making team, Malcolm Rees-Francis.
Rockburn specialises in Pinot Noir, but the wines for the evening were:
2023 Rockburn Stolen Kiss Rose
Rockburn Amber is a Pinot Gris fermented like a Pinot Noir
Rockburn Chardonnay
Devil’s Staircase Pinot Noir
2023 Rockburn Pinot Noir
2022 Rockburn Eleven Barrels Pinot Noir
2022 Rockburn Twelve Barrels Pinot Noir
2022 Rockburn The Art Pinot Noir
We were asked to keep a little of each of the Pinot Noirs in our glasses for a vertical tasting as they rolled out. As always, it was an interesting comparison, with some divergence as to which was best.
The Amber wine was called an ‘orange wine,’ and this type of wine originates from the Georgia area of Europe. It is an interesting tipple with a nice orangey colour, slightly murky, i.e., not filtered when it left the barrel, and the Pinot Gris has spent a year in oak. This wine is built to age over ten years if you like to cellar it.
It was an interesting and fun evening with a welcoming crowd.
34 members and one guest attended the evening; tastings and sales were good.
Our presenter for the evening was Brent Linn from Wairiki, and as well as giving a brilliant talk about the terroir of the region and how the wines were different, Brent gave a personalised view of the owner of Petane and his families’ losses from Cyclone Gabrielle where they lost everything. Phil Barber lost his house, vineyard, restaurant, and a neighbour’s brewery; his brother also lost his property. The good news is that they didn’t lose family; all were safely rescued.
Phil Barber continues to make wine, but now the grapes are from neighbours, and the latest batch he is working with is from Gisborne. His wines are worth seeking out.
The different labels certainly made for an interesting evening, and a reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening are:
NOT TO BE MISSED: These are two vineyards you normally don’t see and taste,
Wednesday 14th August, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $15 / Guests $19
Wairiki Estate was founded by Brent Linn in 2008, but his passion for wine began long before that. Brent’s interest was sparked when he worked in banking, helping winemakers find the funding to plant their vines in the soil and establish their labels. From there, his curiosity about the industry grew.
In 2008, a special property was found on the terraces high above the Garuroro River in the Maraekakaho area of Hawkes Bay. ‘The winery was named ‘Wairiki’ because of the importance of this land. Wairiki means ‘little water’ in te reo, and our land is blessed with a small stream that runs through it in Winter. Our soil, climate and passion for viticulture have brought us here: we’re proud of the results. Our small batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are select, special and full of flavour.’
In 2010, family and friends worked together to plant just under 2 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. After supplying commercial wineries with our grapes for several years, we grew restless, wanting to see the true potential of our land realised in our wine label. The first Wairiki vintage under our label was released in 2018.’
Feast on the flavour of our handcrafted, small-batch wines. Wines for the evening will be:
Petane is in the Esk Valley and was severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with their vineyard suffering extensive damage. Thanks to the support of their family and friends, community and customers, they continue to create beautiful wines made with love and dedicated to the production of boutique single-vineyard wine. Their wines are unique from vintage to vintage.
To give us an understanding of the quality that these two wineries can produce, we will be tasting the following wines:
Grace White Pinot 2023
Petane Viognier
Wairiki The Matriarch Chardonnay 2023
Wairiki La Briar Rosé 2021
Wairiki The Optimist Pinot Noir 2020
Wairiki The Redeemer Reserve Pinot Noir 2020
Petane Merlot Cabernet Franc
If you want to read about these wines in more detail, you can go to the following websites:
Darren Naylor from Brockenchack Vineyard in Australia, and a family representative [son-in-law converted from swimming coach], presented to us last month, when we had 26 people for the evening. Those that couldn’t attend missed a great evening and an opportunity to taste some new flavours, as this is the first time this family-owned vineyard has presented to us.
Their vineyard is in Eden Valley, which is described as being ‘Barossa’s beautiful high country, one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine growing regions, characterised by its rugged beauty and varied topography’. Darren explained to us the complexities of their property and vines, and the weather that effects their harvests, and how they work with other vineyards at times. And while all their wines matter to the family, their Shiraz is their primary wine.
He also revealed that other vineyards have started to use casks from Hungary, but they had found these to be inferior to the French or US casks, so they don’t use these in their productions.
To remind you of the wines we tasted on the night:
NV Great Scott Sparkling Shiraz the Welcome Wine
2023 Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling – cellars well, they are drinking their 2010 now
2021 Charli Jaye Chardonnay – made from Mendoza clone, only planted 12 years ago
2023 Tru-Su Rosé – made from their Shiraz
2021 Zip Line Shiraz – 60-95 years old vines
2021 Miss Bronte Cabernet Sauvignon – from 12-year-old vines
2018 Jack Harrison Shiraz – this will cellar for between 10-14 years
2018 William Frederick Shiraz – a special taster of premium wine and one of only two corked wines in their cellar. The rest of their wines are screw-cap.
Contact details for Brockenchack
Email NZ Agent, based in Queenstown +64 277 034 616
Wine orders on the night were good, thanks to everyone.
Wine News by Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen – Robb Report – also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine spirits, food and travel writers, educators and hosts.
Sparkling Wine Will Break Free of the Holidays
The Wine Press has been saying this for years, but it looks like consumers are finally embracing the idea that Champagne and other sparkling wines are not only for special occasions and holidays. Expect to see a lot more of your friends ordering a glass of Champagne or popping a bottle open at home at regular dinners and get-togethers, not just celebrations.
The Coming Bubble Boom will have people looking beyond Champagne
RAY MASSEY/GETTY
The increased demand for sparkling wine means that we’re all going to be drinking a vriety of styles and regions, including Spanish Cava; Italian Franciacorta, Trentodoc and Prosecco; and California sparkling. Wine bars, restaurants and shops will also be offering more renditions of ‘pet-nat’, a natural sparkler than can be from anywhere wine is made.
Rosé is Going Haute
Drinking Rosé throughout the year has gone from tend to permanent status and we will see more and more premium offerings entering the market. We’ve been expecting to see luxury competition for pioneers in the space such as Domaine Ott, Château d’Esclans and Gérard Bertrand for some time, and LVMH’s major investment in Château Minuty earlier this year sealed the deal as far as we’re concerned. Expanded – and pricier – Rosé selections are on their way to a restaurant near you.
Expect Italy to Heat Up the Auction Block
WILK
We tapped Nick Pegna, Sotheby’s global head of wine and spirits, for his thoughts, and he in turn polled some of the auction house’s younger specialists to see what they’re hearing about new bright spots in the wine sphere. According to Pegna, Piedmont is on its way up in the auction world, so look to see more Barolo and Barbaresco. We’ve been hearing a lot about (and tasting plenty of) Brunello as well, so keep an eye on Italy’s three B’s.
Connoisseurs Will Have Better Options for Low and No-Alcohol Wines
As Dry January, Sober October, ‘Mindful Drinking’ and well, just drinking less persist in their upward climb, no and low alcohol wine will continue to grow as well. Many people stop drinking temporarily for numerous reasons that include pregnancy, medication regimes or training for a marathon or triathlon, yet they still want to enjoy the social aspect of having a glass of wine with friends.
Although at the onset the category was flooded with low quality dealcoholized bulk wine, we are seeing a growth in single vineyard offerings from well-known regions.
You’ll Be Hearing More About Carbon Footprints
The future of the wine industry is in peril due to rising summer temperatures and unstable weather patterns, and many producers are taking it upon themselves to sound the alarm and become changemakers. Expect to see an increase in the number of back labels talking about sustainability, low water utilization, and regenerative farming, and don’t be surprised when even top icon wines start using lighter-weight bottles to reduce the impact of freight shipping and material usage.
Younger wine drinkers are driving the movement toward transparency on this front.
White Wine’s Upswing Is Nigh
While it was thought for many years that serious wine drinkers only drink red wine, it is now obvious that for multiple reasons white wine is finally starting to be treated with equal respect. A lot of attention is being paid to white Burgundy, Napa, and Sonoma Chardonnay, the whites of the Rhône Valley, and Riesling and other aromatic varieties from Germany, Austria, Alsace, and Alto Adige in Italy. And we’re seeing a rise in interest in premium white wine from Spain, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, New Zealand, and other Italian regions. As much as we love our steak and Cabernet Sauvignon, since we all are moving toward a lighter style of eating—at least occasionally—we are going to see our wine choices change to match.
Two Words Collide – June NZ House & Garden
If you can’t decide between wine or beer, check out Garage Project’s Savoir Faire Pinot Noir Raspberry ’18. It’s a beer/wine hybrid, made from hand-harvested Marlborough pinot noir grapes, lightly crushed, added to a specially brewed malt wort and allowed to ferment for a week before being aged in oak wine barrels then rested on fresh raspberries. 750ml $35 from garageproject.co.nz.
Something Different – July NZ House & Garden
SOUTHERN CHARMS: New to the gin game, Bluff Distillery draws inspiration from the spirit of New Zealand’s southernmost town, making gin that reflects the essence of Bluff – ‘clean, bold and unapologetically authentic’. The London Dry-style gin comes in a custom bottle in the shape of an old glass buoy, a symbol of the maritime heritage that defines this tiny town. 700ml $89.85 from bluffdistillery.com.
ROCKIN’ VERMOUTH: Central Otago distillery Scapegrace has teamed up with its wine-making neighbours, Profhet’s Rock, to produce Scapegrace x Prophet’s Rock Vermouth, available in red and white. Mostly made with local ingredients, the white vermouth is bright and herbaceous with candied floral notes, finishing woody and bitter with wild thyme and wormwood. 705ml $72 from prophetsrock.co.nz and scapegracedistilleryy.com.
Brockenchack With Representative and Global Business Development Manager, Darren Naylor
Wednesday 12th June, 8 pm Start
Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18
Brockenchack Wines | One family, connecting wine-enthusiasts across the globe through a shared love of storytelling and fine wine. All it takes is one memorable bottle of Brockenchack wine for the family reunion to begin.
Our presenter Darren has his own wine named after him (D.E.N Reserve Cabernet), is married to owner Trev’s daughter Sue (aka our Tru-Su Rose) and is father to Mack (aka Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling) and Bronte (aka Miss Bronte Cabernet), two of the grandchildren that Brockenchack is named after.
The heart of Brockenchack is our family, each member contributing their unique rhythm. If I steer the ship, Marilyn is our Bridge Watchkeeper as she continues her recovery with great-grandson Archie keeping her on her toes, and keeping us both young (at heart, if nothing else). The next generation; Mack, Jack and Charli step into the limelight, propelling the Brockenchack brand forward with fresh ideas and lots of energy. Darren’s relentless efforts span across Australia, NZ, Asia, and the USA, seasoned with a generous dose of dad jokes. Susan continues the hard-working genes, propelling her own business forward.
Bronte continues to immerse herself in the world of dance, seamlessly balancing that with her commitment to university studies and prac placements. Whilst Trudi seizes every chance to revel in precious moments with her grandson Archie, whenever she’s not at the helm of the bottling plant.
Brockenchack’s name is made from an amalgamation of the grandchildren’s names: this is a family endeavour, and is named after their four grandchildren; BROnte, MaCKENzie, CHArli and JaCK; Brockenchack is a cool climate, single vineyard wine producer in the Barossa’s picturesque Eden Valley nestled between world-renowned Henschke and Yalumba vineyards. They soared to new heights in 2023, taking their wines international. From South Korea to New Zealand, Malaysia to the UK, France to Switzerland, and across the USA, their wines made a global statement. Wine trips and tastings resonated with enthusiasts on every continent.
What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne and hosted by Michelle Fraser from Clearview, a wine judge in her own right, plus with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making.
Due to illness and holidays, we had only 27 attend the evening, but book your diaries for next year, as this may be repeated with next year’s Gold Medal Winners!
Michelle filled the evening with knowledgeable tips about the different growing regimes, different classes of grapes, the different way grapes are treated/processed, i.e. in stainless steel or oak barrels, skins in or out; plus her sayings that kept us laughing:
ABC – Anything But Chardonnay
Pinot Gris – Puma wine, younger girls juice
Chardonnay – Cougar wine, older women’s juice
Gewurztraminer – how to says this: Girls Get Meaner
She gave us updates on what some of the bigger personalities in the Hawkes Bay area are now doing, with Gordon Russell now in retirement, until he decides what his next project will be. However, his daughters are now up and running through their new brand Three Fates.
This was an evening that was full of surprises, and to those of you who couldn’t make it, the below wines that we tasted are available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.
Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV -Gold Trophy from a female wine maker, Jan DeWitt.
2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold Trophy for Champion Gertz this is owned by the same family who own NED wines.
2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold Trophy for Champion Chardonnay + Champion Wine of the Show again a female wine maker, Laura Kate Morgan
2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal sadly Esk Valley is now more, so snap up this one if you like Bordeaux style wines.
We had Pegasus Bay wines presented to us by Ed Donaldson, Marketing Manager, who was informative and entertaining throughout the evening. Our club ordered 109 bottles from Pegasus.
Some of the information he imparted to us was:
Their venture started as a curiosity by Ed’s father, a surgeon 40 years ago.
That they have 40ha now planted in vines.
Their vines are not grafted from root stock.
They used to get grapes for their Main Divide range strictly from other growers/friends, this has now changed as they planted vines in 2008 to cover half this load.
There is seven family members involved in the day to day running of the business.
They export half of the wine they make to approx. 20 countries, including the UK, Belgium, Holland and Australia.
They will be 40 years old next year.
As a reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
Main Divide Rosé 2023 – Welcome wine a mixture of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Pegasus Bay 2021 Sauvignon Blanc had less than 15% Semillon added
Pegasus Bay 2020 Chardonnay the grapes for this were foot stomped!
Pegasus Bay 2023 Bel Canto ‘Dry Riesling’ this is a really important grape variety for the area, these grapes are picked really late in the season – Bel Canto translates as beautiful music/singing
Main Divide 2021 Te Hau Pinot Noir
Pegasus Bay 2020 Merlot Cabernet
Pegasus Bay 2021 Finale ‘Noble Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Hosted by Michelle Fraser, Clearview Sales Manager and occasional Wine Judge
Wednesday 10th April, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18
Please remember your tasting glasses
Immediately after the Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show were announced last October, your club set out to acquire 3 bottles of 7 gold medal wines for us to taste this month. April was chosen to do this as that is a time of the year when the wine industry is busy with harvest and thus many wineries are unavailable to present to us.
The beauty of doing this immediately that the announcements were made were two-fold. It meant that the wines were still available and more importantly it also gave us an opportunity to secure 5 that were trophy wines, one of which was also the overall Champion Wine of the Show.
And to help us present these wonderful wines to you all, we have invited Clearview Sales Manager, Michelle Fraser back to help us. You may recall that last year she mentioned that she has been a wine judge but she also comes with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making, so is well placed to provide background and her take on each of our wines that we will be tasting.
The wines we will be tasting are:
Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV – Gold & Trophy for Champion NZ Sparkling Wine
2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold & Trophy for Champion Gewurztraminer
2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold, Trophy for Champion Chardonnay plus Champion Wine of the Show
2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal
2021 Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah – Double Gold, Trophy for Champion Syrah, Trophy for Champion Syrah & Predominant Blends & Trophy for Champion Commercial Red Wine
Kevin presented to us, with his views on the Marlborough history of wine growing, supplying and the present, as well as his predictions for the future of the area. All very informative and well received, leading to more than a bit of discussion by the members present. An intriguing evening of information and wine tasting.
A reminder of the tastings we had during the evening:
Riverby Rosé 2023 – Welcome wine – gold medal winner at NZ International Wine Show
Cicada Gewurztraminer 2023 – gold medal winner at NZ International Wine Show
Riverby Reserve Chardonnay 2022
Riverby Sauvignon Blanc 2023 – gold medal winner at NZ International Wine Show
Riverby Gruner Veltliner 2022
Riverby OVB 2021
Riverby Reserve Pinot Noir 2020
Riverby Noble Riesling 2019 – multiple award winner.
As well as the above, we were offered a small tasting of two of Riverby’s Rieslings:
Sal’s Block Riesling 2023 – this was a dri-ish tipple with 20gm of sugar
Eliza Riesling 2023 [blend of Riesling and sweet grapes] with 40gm of sugar
Both well received, depending on how sweet you like your wines. Kevin mentioned that most of his Rieslings go to the Scandinavian countries in Europe.
This tasting was clearly enjoyed, as evidenced by the 141 bottles ordered from Kevin. Well done.
