Viognier and a Delightful Film

As I was sipping Viognier last night and watching one of those surprising TV movies that turn out to be really great; it struck me that Viognier is, quite possibly, the perfect movie watching wine.

A combination of exotic appeal and low acidity make it a wine to drink slowly but not necessarily with food. Plus it's quixotic enough to hold your interest whilst allowing clever plot turns to take most of your attention.

The Viognier in question was the Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2007 and in the glass it was proving that Yalumba have really nailed this difficult variety in the New World. For a snip of a price it was echoing the varietal's origins in Condrieu and, although presenting a little hot, it had the spice and apricot charms that make Viognier so unique. Still I've yet to taste a Antipodean Viognier that doesn't run to heat and the burn somehow didn't detract from the overall balance of the wine.

So, if you want to cosy up on the couch with something other than a hearty red to accompany the latest rom-com then this is my pick. a 3 glass wine. Also, it's recession and baby budget friendly.

As an aside: the film was Stranger Than Fiction. A bit of a revelation given I don't recollect it showing at the cinema......

Getting Ambidextrous

Little more than a week on and I'm amazed at myself. Amazed at wee man. Quietly thankful.

It's not going to be as terrifyingly tricky as I thought last week. Tricky, no doubt. But not impossible.

And it is possible to nurse a baby and have a wee sip of wine. Only a wee sip mind.

My thoughtful father ferried a lovely bottle of Alan McCorkindale Waipara Pinot Noir 2007 from Auckland and I had that at dinner over the weekend. Worth seeking out it shows McCorkindale - who is a dab hand at the varietal white - isn't too shabby with Pinot Noir either. And it confirms for me that Waipara is where you want Nu Zillund Pinot to hail from. Just a little more layered, a little more stinky and less fruit forward than most Otago beasties.

Then last night Rich came home with some 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Past it? Not at all. And I'd rather drink the last of the 2007 Sauvignon than have any truck with the 2008.

This was from the Montana Terroir series which also makes that lovely Riverpoint Gewurztraminer we had the other day. This is the Conders Forest Sauvignon Blanc 2007, hailing from Raupara in Marlborough and made to express the distinct characteristics of that area. Definitely different to other Marlborough Savvy styles this is less passionfruit and more red capsicum with tart guava. A broad palate. Sweaty but not too sweaty.

And as to getting ambidextrous?

It is one of the strange laws of ordering wine in restaurants that certain indicators will sway a client towards one particular wine despite their never having encountered that wine before.

The laws for Pinot Noir at Christmas functions seem to dictate that it must not exceed a $90 price tag, but neither must it fall below $80 either. This being some nominal indication of the right level of quality. They also appear to dictate that the wine must hail from Central Otago, this being the only place that any self respecting Aucklander will consider as the birthplace of PineNwah.

With this in mind, and having been blind-sided by a price hike of the wine that was serving in this particular catagory, I had to search out a Central Otago Pinot that would fit the bill. This is my least favourite part of wine-list-writing. It is wine as business and commodity and shuns the romance that I would prefer.

Two wines were called to attention. The right price, the right provenance.

The Nanny Goat Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 is a strange beast. Untypical to say the least and displaying a sexy, feral mushroom and barnyard funk to the nose. A Pinot Noir of horse manure overlaying plummy red fruits. A little bit obscure but silky and structured nonetheless.

The Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 is upfront with a sweet caramel hint to the nose and plenty of muscular dark blackberry. Certainly less complex but a straightforward hit of fruit and flesh that will please whilst wearing a silly hat.

I sound cynical. I guess I am. I console myself with the fact that at least the Wild Earth doesn't display the sappy aspect that puts me off so many of his brothers.

And despite my preference for the Nany Goat's varietal charms a brief tasting with the crew confirms the Wild Earth as the more pleasing of the two. So Wild Earth it is.

Rich Riesling at Reasonable Price

The Main Divide Waipara Valley Riesling 2007 is a good drop for these frugal times. At around $20 retail (and possibly less bought in case lots) this would be on my list for Christmas cheer. Made with fruit purely from the Waipara Valley it's a weighty style of Riesling despite its lovely low 11.5% alcohol. It smells like stonefruit and green apples set against the backdrop of typical Waipara salty tang. Whether that's the terroir or some judicious lees work I can't be sure but Waipara Rielsing has a common thread of weight and salt that sets it apart from its Marlborough cousins.

The palate continues in a stone-fruity style, minerality providing freshness rather than the Marlborough zippy, acid citrus tones. Off dry, balanced and terribly agreeable this is one to snap up and then wash down at Christmas with the Ika Mata. The fat, pineapple nose a dream pairing with the fish and coconut. a 4 glass wine.

Potty for Pinot

I'm rather missing the zeitgeist here with this statement. It's no secret that Pinot Noir is being drunk in abundance and "Sideways" came out in 2004 so I'm about 4 years off the pace but a couple of things conspired over the past week to have me thinking that Pinot-love has ratcheted up another notch, here in Nu Zillund at least.

Whilst at lunch last Tuesday (being treated to the Vidal wines) a restaurant industry peer commented that, last summer, Pinot Noir outsold every other varietal. The summer usually has Kiwis reaching for the ubiquitous Savvy or a fashionable Pinot Gris and whilst there's no mistaking Pinot Noir's a contender in the fashion stakes it came as a surprise that it would oust the whites whilst the sun shone.

Then my lovely Dad (who gets Cuisine magazine delivered and hence receives it before the shops) got in touch to share the results of the magazine's Pinot tasting. As he so eloquently put it "Cuisine goes a bit gaga over the standard of 2007 Pinot Noirs". And he questioned "have they gone ott and developed nu zillund one-eyed-ness on our nouveau #1 grape?".

Talking over some of the results I'm still unsure, and Cuisine have certainly been lavish with their praise. 29 wines awarded 5 stars. That's 29 "2 bottle wines".

That's a lot! the sup-position jury is still out on this one.

Tasting Time

It's mad tasting time out there in the restaurant trenches. Summer is approaching and summer is traditionally the time when liquor seems to flow a little more freely. Summer is also host to the Nu Zillund Christmas, a time when plonk of all descriptions flows like a river through the bars and restaurants and out to sea (eventually, I guess).

Here in the relative quiet of Spring we prepare. The Savvys are (mostly) in and new releases of other flavours are showing up also. So many wineries in Aotearoa and all involved in a friendly tussle for a piece of the pie. How to choose? In tastings of course. Some are elaborate affairs with many bells and whistles to coax you into stocking this wine or that. Others are simple. A wine, a winemaker, a twinkle in the eye.

As was yesterday when Glenn Thomas, winemaker of Tupari Sauvignon Blanc, showed up with a pair of vintages. A splash in the glass, a little story. I was quite impressed.

Tupari Sauvignon Blanc Awatere, Marlborough 2007
A little deeper colour in the glass due to the extra year of bottle age and from 10% barrel ferment for 6 months. A suave, steely, mineral nose that mixes orange blossom, white fruits and peaches. Lees work gives a creamy mouthfeel to underpin the slate and stonefruit of the palate. Grown-up and food friendly.
a 3 glass wine

Matariki Wines and Chinese Food

An impromptu dinner organised by the effusive and charming 'King of Spain' saw Rich and I eating at Canton Cafe last night in the kitchen upstairs. Not only was I unaware that Canton Cafe had an upstairs but I certainly wouldn't have picked it as a place conducive to extensive wine tasting. However in our bolt hole away from the frantic pace of the main dining room and with winemaker Rod McDonald pouring from Matariki Wines extensive portfolio we had an informal and, at times, hilarious tasting.

My notes were hastily scrawled as the 'lazy suzy' whizzed plates (and sometimes glasses) around and as such are truncated at best. Rod also brought a few old world wines for the sake of compare and contrast.

Matariki Sauvignon Blanc Hawke's Bay 2007
Shy, creamy nose of banana and guava and an enveloping palate displaying lemons, minerals and a herbal tinge. a 3 glass wine

Domaine Vacheron 'Les Romains' Sancerre 2006
Creamy lemon, delicate with soft acids and a leafy aspect. a 3 glass wine

Matariki Chardonnay Hawke's Bay 2005
Showing great bottle development this leads with grilled nuts and grapefruit and the palate rounds out to ripe nectarine with only a background of 'old fridge' starting to come in to play. The citrus and stonefruit characters are quite forward still with a biscuity, buttery weight in the mid palate. a 4 glass wine

From this point my notes are nothing more than a few words and may take a little help from Rich to piece together. More later

Blessed

I was very blessed on Thursday (yes the slightly squiffy day of the Riedel tasting) to be invited to lunch with Martin Shaw from Shaw + Smith Wines. I've long been a fan of their elegant chardonnay so an opportunity to meet the winemaker and eat some excellent food paired with these Adelaide Hills wines was a gift.

Of the three wines available to the New Zealand market the Chardonnay was still the standout although the cool climate Sauvignon Blanc had more than one local restauranteur wondering aloud if Nu Zillund patrons were ready for Ozzie Savvy on their winelists.

Shaw + Smith Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2007 is a remarkable combination of exhuberance and restraint. It manages to sit defiantly in the New World stylistically without sacrificing fine citrus elegance. The winemakers handling of oak lends a smoked cashew element to a creamy palate without ever dominating the lovely grapefruit and lemon core. Lovely and lovely.
a 1 bottle wine.

Untypical Pinot Gris and Classic Chardonnay

The TW Gisborne Pinot Gris 2007 is remarkable for many reasons.... Mainly though it is remarkable for being quaffed with so much verve by Rich, who professes to hate Gris. The TW is also an oak aged Pinot Gris and as such has more of a Chardonnay-Viognier swing about it...

Brilliant gold and spun sugar. Honey, orange flower and apricots in the air with fullness and vanilla on the creamy palate. Very full without being typically oily from low acid and residual sugar. There's a baking spice element to the finish but whether that originates in the barrel influence or from the variety itself isn't obvious. It's a good food style of Gris for all the un-typicity and went very well with an octopus salad.
a 2 glass wine (but that was all I was allowed as Rich scoffed the rest).

Fiddlers Green Waipara Chardonnay 2006 deserves mention for its out and out yuminess, which doesn't in the least bit compete with its almost quaint old world/old school style.

Green flecked gold tells the story of a youthful Chardonnay just about to hit its straps. The fig and quince nose overlays a lovely cashew and meal character which itself overlays a sexy, pongy clay minerality. The palate is classic and refined with fine green olive acidity and tangelo. Balanced and elaborate.
a 3 glass wine (but only because...)

Search Out Stonecroft

Sometimes affection for a wine is predictated by a love for the place it is grown and the philosophy of the winemaker.

Mostly I try and divorce myself from these fuzzy emotions and concentrate on what is in the bottle as my guests at the restaurant won't have the advantage of tasting the wine through rose (or golden or garnet or violet) tinted goggles.

Luckily for me, although I was hopelessly, romantically swayed by the rustic, boutique cellar door manned by the family itself (well their son) in the first instance I am sure that the wines deserve affection for themselves. In particular the Stonecroft Old Vine Gewurztraminer 2007 which was just as intoxicating as it should be. Weighty, oily, soft and full with the lightness of rose petals and honeysuckle and dappled light on a gravel driveway. The winery remarks " moody and multifaceted" and I agree.

It's not widely available but search it out. Good Gewurztraminer is such a joy.
A 4 glass wine.

3 Pinots in a Row

We started with the Koura Bay Blue Duck Awatere Pinot Noir 2005 as I'm about to list this beautiful, silky wine and wanted the troops to try it. It's not the current release but Sal from Co-Pilot had found some cases of the 2005 stashed away and it seemed criminal not to snap them up.
Composed, dignified and self-assured but with a spicy twist the Blue Duck is revelling in its time in the bottle. Dark fruits, dried flowers, a little gamey flutter and a lovely allspice kick make this a delicious mouthfull. All balanced and in accord with no flavours trying to steal the show.
a 5 glass wine.

The Mudhouse Swan Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 is another newbie on the list and is settling into my entry-level glasspour slot.
Fairly opaque and rich in the glass with an intriguing nose of damp earth and minty pennyroyal this doesn't play the usual Central Otago cards of chesty, fruit-forward style. Black cherry, musk and tree moss balanced against strains of dark chocolate keep things interesting. I have a feeling that this wine isn't one to age and there's a definite lack of structure at the back but for brooding flavours now this gets a big tick.
a 2 glass wine.

Millton Clos de St. Anne Naboth's Vinyard Gisborne Pinot Noir 2006 is so different from the other two Pinots they barely seem like relations and yet all are good, varietally correct examples of type.
A delicate perfumed nose and a haze of unfiltered purism in the glass speak to a Pinot Noir made with an eye to Chambolle-Musigny. Garnet red and softly see-through with a lightness of rasberry fruit and lavender escaping the Clos de St. Anne is gentle. There's no grip and certainly no swagger just supple finesse.
a 4 glass wine.

Bannockburn competes

I somehow ended up with two Bannockburn, Central Oatgo Pinot Noirs from the 2007 vintage in glasses side by side tonight.

Felton Road Pinot Noir Central Otago 2007
Gravel with little fruit at the start despite being open for hours. A little swirling gives black fruit and damp earth. A true forest floor pinot with a slate and mineral quality. In the mouth there are blackberries, a hint of sap and more grainy earth. Long, serious and wide this is too hot and too young.
a 2 glass wine

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Central Otago 2007
Initially all this was prepared to give was sulpher (I'd be reckless with this and a jug) but after vigorous swirling we coaxed morello cherry and lemon dishwashing detergent from the glass. The palate has nice vigour and verve to begin with but fell flat, lacking the bright, acid lift of the Felton Road. Not bad but not interesting.
a 1 glass wine

Brown Brothers Dolcetto and Syrah - from the sublime to the ridiculous

Everyone makes mistakes and this was one. Unfortunately my 'knowledge and expertise' didn't protect me from buying this Australian Lambrusco-esque monstrosity. My ongoing wine adventurer quest often sees me reaching for the more esoteric reaches of the wine shelf and I like Dolcetto, the sweet little grape of Piedmont in Northern Italy, which usually makes a wine similar in body and tannin to New World Pinot Noir. I have had it on my wine list and had no qualms in recommending the Italian version.

This is not like that.

It smells like raspberry jam and tastes like it. Or more precisely like very sweet, iced raspberry tea (iced as the label recommends chilling so I'm 'drinking' it cold, and tea as there is a little fuzzy 'tannin' peaking through). If I was being kind I say it bears a passing resemblance to the varietal flavours of Shiraz, but I don't think I need to be kind and despite only clocking in at 10% this still manages to taste alcohol heavy.

I'm a bit horrified that this gets to be regarded as wine. A quick (post purchase) check of the Brown Brothers website reveals that they are quite open about the "Grandma's lolly jar" like flavours and the 76g/L residual sugar. What, if anything, this has to do with Dolcetto is not so apparent. A 1 (begrudging) sip wine.

Actually I take that back. A little more investigation has revealed that the residual sugar for the 2005 vintage of this wine was revealed but the details for the 2007 vintage only talk of stopping ferment to retain "a little natural sweetness". If this doesn't have a huge dollop of sugar thrown at it well then I really am a monkey's uncle.

Alan McCorkindale Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Sometimes you buy wine to please yourself and sometimes you buy wine to appeal to someone else's palate.

When faced with the rows and rows of wine on a rare Saturday night off it's so tempting to throw money out of your wallet and secure something lovely, special, celebratory and fine, in keeping with the ethos that (erudite food writer) Nigel Slater espouses when saying that you should never buy a bottle for yourself that you wouldn't take to a friend - as why would you treat yourself less well than others you love?

Having said that.... I know the predilection of my winsome Sonj for a fruity Sav. Nothing too complicated, too acidic, too sweet or too...... interesting. So you makes your choices and you pays your money.

When we first poured a glass and sat down to gossip I have to admit that this wasn't my cup of tea. It seemed blandly Sauvignon without, even, a belligerent nose leaping out of the glass. Hours later and with a glass still left in the bottle and some time for contemplation it seems a different beastie

Nothing much to speak of on the nose until you really shake it up when it starts to get a little like really sour kids-made lemonade, green melon and hawthorn. Subtle though and hardly 'bursting through'. The palate is textured citrus. Lemons of all sorts, pith and zest. With such a dominant character I can't decide if this is one dimensional or compelling in its focus. A 1 (or maybe 2) glass wine

Possible Pinot

Kaituna Vineyard Canterbury Pinot Noir 2006
Clean, lifted nose of bright red fruits. Bit tight. Slight minerality underlayed by something slate-y and medicinal. Dried herbs and iodine. Bit alcohol heavy.

Kaituna Valley Bone Hill Pinot Noir 2006
A more generous approach than its brother. The nose is more forward and giving. Red cherry and coffee tinges and the palate is weightier without being rich. Still firm with smoky oak curling around the edges.

Murdoch James Estate Pinot Noir 2007
Soft red fruits and sweet briar fill up the nose over the classic 'stinky' aromas common to the Martinborough style of Pinot. The tannins are still grippy at this stage but promise silky things in this developing wine. A perfumed style but masculine, aftershave scents of cedar. Refreshing.

We're a bit short of Pinot Noir on the list and there's a definite desire to list some lesser known examples. Of this line up the 'Bone Hill' impressed with a kind of suave depth despite being very youthful. The Murdoch James is a definite as it has flair and comes in at a price that few Pinot Noirs can match without sacrificing style and typicity.

A good day at the 'coal face'.

jumping at bargains

Just scored the Old Coach Road Sauvignon Blanc from Foodtown for $10.99 and thought that this would be perfect as a late night tipple. I've always kinda admired this Seifried supermarket label as it produces real quality from Nelson grapes at a quarter of the price but with just as much verve and zip.

The Old Coach Road Sauvignon Blanc 2007 is lovely and ripe and definitely more at the tropical end of the Sauvignon spectrum. A generous mouthful and although Sav wouldn't usually feature at this time of year; the lovely cold, clear afternoons can make a buxom Sav just the wine. This one is a full straw gold colour yet has a delicate nose. It jumps into a palate of pawpaw, mandarin citrus and a touch of classic gooseberry with a bit of wild mint in the background. Refreshing without being racy. Sound and agreeable.

Jacob's Creek Riesling 2007

Some time back, in these pages, I told myself off from being so dismissive of 'supermarket wine'. Some wineries (in that instance Villa Maria) manage to produce consistent, varietally correct wines at low prices which hit the mark when the budget is tight and/or it's just a mid-week dinner.

To be fair we only bought the Jacob's Creek Riesling to play a part as cooking wine in the Oxtail Stew that's featuring at tonight's dinner party. And I'm only drinking it now because I'm too greedy to wait for the Verdejo we're having as an aperitif to chill.....

So what is sub $10, mass-produced supermarket Riesling like?

Sugar wafts up on the nose dominating any fruit flavour that might be lurking underneath and after the initial shudder of introduced acid (?) fades the over-riding impression is of..... cooking apples. Lemons and scary not-for-eating cooking apples. It's a short and narrow wine, flat of structure and plain of song. Cooking apples. Is it.

Rich reckons it's redeeming feature is so confidently asserting the flavour he remembers of cooking apples. I think it's verging on undrinkable. But that can't be right as I'm drinking it. I'm not much surprised that Riesling is a poor cousin to other aromatic whites if this is most peoples introduction to it.

Elegant Tropical Fruit

What does an elegant tropical fruit look like?

When I think of tropical fruit it calls to mind Chiquita Banana with a fruity head-dress. It's blowsy, bright, loud, lush and redolent of big, brash flavours.

There's no mistaking the whiff of the tropics in the Coopers Creek Swamp Reserve Chardonnay 2007 but somehow it's elegantly done....

Ripe melon and guava tempered by subtle vanilla and a sweetly sexy palate with enough lemon tang to keep everything balanced.

Pinot Gris and Chardonnay

When you're looking to rejuvenate your wine-list sometimes the request for certain bottles and styles means you end up trying quite random wines, as is the case in this instance.

The Greystone Waipara Pinot Gris 2007 came with a number of accolades and a recommendation from a colleague.

Straw gold with a delicate nose of apricot, honey and minerals. Tinned apricot and pear on the palate with layers of spice and bright citrus acidity keeping the wine balanced. There is a little viscosity but this wine is not as luscious in style as the Johanneshof Trocken Pinot Gris and plays more with a lovely baking spice character. Plus it's not too hot. Yay! Fleshy finesse.

The Sleeping Giant Hill Block Chardonnay 2006 must have arrived for tasting due to the lack of robust Chardonnay on our list. I have to confess a penchant for the more austere style and as a consequence the 'blockbuster' malolactic and oak numbers are a bit absent (much to the dismay of many patrons, and best give the patrons at least a little of what they want).

Bright gold. The nose hits with smoke and vanilla, not so much a fruit driven wine but there are hints of banana, stonefruit and hibiscus. The palate displays layers of pineapple with a sweet, toasty character bearing out the nose. This is a full on Hawke's Bay style, big with lee-sy weight, grippy and long. At this point in its life, however, a little disjointed.

Testing Older Sauvignon Blanc

Somehow the wine I write about seems to over-represent Sauvignon Blanc as though that were all I imbibed. Not the case, but as I have just 'sup-ed' Sav...

The Kahurangi Heaphy Estate Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2006 was pulled out in an attempt to cull some of the older Sauvignons from the cellar.

Deep gold with a very tinned asparagus nose. The palate is sweaty-tropical, full of really ripe banana and end of summer stonefruit. The vegetal aspect is barely aparent in the flavour instead there is a grainy, limey, slightly stone-y pertness. This is pungeant, squishy and a bit divisive.

Rich thinks that it's lost its freshness and I still feel that these squashy flavours are worth seeking out.

We ended up using the Craggy Range Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc 2007 as a foil for the other wine's character. Sometimes tasting in tandem in this fashion can help to solidify (or change) your opinions about a wine.

A usual Sauvignion pale gold in the glass. Aromatically feijoa, papaya and peach with soft acids in the mouth. A pleasant, flirty palate and just a bit flinty. This Sauvignon has a very long finish yet still seems a bit frivolous. A texture like a gorgeous red autumn apple.

Surprisingly, despite the not insignificant charms of the Craggy Range, I won in the end with Rich admitting to a fondness for the Kahurangi after all. It seems, with the advent of screwcaps, wines like Sauvignon Blanc that we traditionally drank young can be interesting later in life.