Wine reviews and news from New Zealand by Sue Courtney http://www.wineoftheweek.com en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:50 GMT Copyright 2009 Sue Courtney http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 11 Nov 2009: Yesterday I said there are very few Pinot Noirs in New Zealand that can match the price of Premier Cru Burgundy. But there is at least one and I tasted it last week. Martinborough Vineyard Marie Zelie Pinot Noir 2006, a new release, retails for $180 a bottle [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/oN9Xglvguyw/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091111 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091111 10 Nov 2009: Marlborough is more than just Sauvignon Blanc. There's plenty of Pinot Noir grown in New Zealand's most famous wine region too. Funny, though, that many people don't realise just how good Marlborough Pinot Noir can be [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/is-2XqCV9Ek/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091110 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091110 9 Nov 2009: "Urlar! What kind of name is that? " I thought, when I received some wine samples with that brand name. But all was revealed when I read the back label. Urlar: A Gaelic word that means 'the earth'. Ah! Clever. This is a new brand / new producer from Gladstone in the Wairarapa, a producer that follows organic and biodynamic practices as well. [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/Ws5mLMp7IfY/wine091115.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091115.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091115.html 8 Nov 2009: One of the surprising things about the Marlborough Wine Weekend was that 2007 was the featured vintage for the Grand Tasting of Sauvignon Blanc [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/UGARmOvlRow/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091108 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091108 6 Nov 2009: The Rodney region is often missed by visiting A-list wine writers but being on the northern edge of Auckland City (and soon to be part of the SuperCity) the region is a popular day or weekend destination for Auckland-based wine lovers with plenty of wineries to visit in both Kumeu and Matakana [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/Qau9dvnk1rY/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091106 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091106 5 Nov 2009: Esteemed Canterbury wine pioneer and renowned diabetes expert, Sir Don Beaven, died in a house fire in Akaroa yesterday. Sir Don, who was knighted earlier this year, set up one of Canterbury's first vineyards of the modern era [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/PW1P-cwm4gg/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091105 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091105 4 Nov 2009: As vines keep marching south to the Marlborough District Council boundary and beyond, so they keep marching west up the Wairau Valley and fan out southwards from there to populate the tributaries of what Marlborough winegrowers call the Southern Valleys. There's the Brancott Valley, the Fairhall Valley and the Omaka Valley, for example, but much of the recent planting has been on the river terraces of the Waihopai [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/hhRLUVFCldM/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091104 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091104 3 Nov 2009: TThis weekend, when I attended the Marlborough Wine Weekend, I got the feeling someone was trying to tell me something about Dog Point. Or was it just a coincidence that the same name kept appearing in front of me? [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/wTC0w8asU98/wine091108.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091108.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091108.html 2 Nov 2009: There's much more to Marlborough that meets the eye, as I found out when I attended the Marlborough Wine Weekend, this weekend just past. Millions of Sauvignon Blanc grapevines for sure because New Zealand is the second largest Sauvignon Blanc-producing country in the world after France [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/VPfPRCGDjO4/blog200911.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091102 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200911.htm#20091102 29 Oct 2009: Last week I was mixing with A-list celebrities. It was the launch of No. 1 Rose from New Zealand's number one sparkling wine producer, No. 1 Family Estate. The family is Daniel and Adele Le Brun and their children Virginie and Remy and with Virginie currently one of the actors on the nation's favourite soap, Shortland Street, the Shorties stars were the A-list celebs in the crowd. This weekend, starting this evening, I'll be mixing with A-list wine writers from around the world - well the UK and Australia anyway. I'm a guest of Winegrowers of Ara for the second Marlborough Wine Weekend [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/PLIBad9uVSg/blog200910.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091029 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091029 27 Oct 2009: There are traditions associated with wine that date back longer then the European settlement of New Zealand. One of those traditions is the sabering of champagne. A quick flick of the sword and off with its head [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/AdD78aEo3-k/wine091101.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091101.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091101.html 26 Oct 2009: A group of us met for dinner last night, each with a bottle of 1998 Hawkes Bay red to accompany the meal. The theme was meant to be Flagship 1998 Hawkes Bay Reds and I offered to bring the Esk Valley [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/ZMCniai52xc/blog200910.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091026 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091026 24 Oct 2009: A holiday weekend and finally, finally, there's sunshine. I'm feeling revitalised, not only the weather but reading Hemingway and taking time out to see the Julie and Julia movie today. It's a movie that is more than just cooking. [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/t3FxxcCJuqc/blog200910.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091024 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091024 20 Oct 2009: Hear the words Felton Road even in whispered tones, if you are a wine buff you will immediately think of Central Otago's most iconic Pinot Noir producer. The name is taken from the address, a dead end road in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Old gold mining country. After the gold was viably exhausted, farmers arrived and then the orchardists. Now it is grapevines that dominate the landscape. And not only pinot noir grapevines. At Felton Road's vineyards, Chardonnay and Riesling vines grow too. This story is about them [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/nOhFljkkxbs/blog200910.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091020 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091020 19 Oct 2009: When the email arrived asking if I'd like to join Blair Walter for a special tasting of the Felton Road new release 2008 Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and 2009 Rieslings along with two 4-vintage verticals of Pinot Noir, the date was marked on the calendar immediately. I congratulate myself to making it to this A-list invite tasting. [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/XHZXCux-M1c/wine091025.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091025.html http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine091025.html 17 Oct 2009: On Tuesday I mentioned Ohau Gravels, a 'new' wine region on the lower west coast of the North Island just north of the Kapiti Coast. As fate would have it, samples of these wines arrived in my letterbox the day after that posting and with a little more research I found the vineyards are about 5 kilometres south of Levin and about 70 kilometres north of Wellington [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NzWineOfTheWeekAndSueCourtneysVinousRamblings/~3/LnU7SeObCuM/blog200910.htm http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091017 http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog200910.htm#20091017