6th of June and dreams of an alternative white

Today 'should' be the day we celebrate the arrival of the littlest sommelier but unfortunately they don't supply babies with calanders in utero.

So the Bollinger Grand Annee 1999 stays on ice and I stay enormous...

I haven't gotten much further with my list of first wines and the concept of trying to pick a first Pinot Noir seems daunting especially with most of my grey matter given over to birthing, feeding, changing and bathing.

Rich has promised to cook me the traditional meal of 'late' mothers everywhere tomorrow night...

A curry. Quite hot.

Accordingly perhaps I should turn my attention to the first Gewurztraminer.

It's an easy call, marred only by the fact that I probably couldn't get my hands on a bottle even for silly money. The Pyramid Valley Orton Vineyard Hawke's Bay Gewurztraminer 2007 is a special wine and marked my birthday last year with it's generous, powerful, unusual presence (the picture at the top of the blog is of that very bottle). I'd have that again in a heartbeat but given the small quantities and the fact that it was the one and only vintage that will ever be made I'm unlikely to repeat the pleasure.

I feel so emotionally attached to that wine that it seems churlish to pick another first Gewurztraminer simply because the Orton isn't available. However, there is another Gewurztraminer that has been making regular appearances of late (not in my glass obviously) and has captured my attention. The Montana Terroir Series Riverpoint Gewurztraminer 2007 comes from the block once owned by Matawhero Wines, which was responsible for some memorable Gewurztraminer as far back as the 1970's. A little like the Orton in that respect. In this instance, however, one of our biggest players (Montana) has come in and saved the old vines and through their Terroir Series are making the flavours of these unique sub-regional sites available to enthusiasts. It's an ethos worth applauding and the wine itself is worth applauding also.

Soft straw gold and quite savoury on the nose the wine makes a charmingly viscous mixture of cardamon, rose petals and pineapple. That is to say the palate is oily but without apparent sweetness despite the off-dry residual sugars and the phenolics (so often a bitter pill to swallow in Nu Zillund Gewurztraminer) are low. The usual spiciness of this varietal is quite restrained to taste with the freshness of lemon oil lingering on the finish. Overall there is a singular balance evident in the wine. A fine continuation to the tradition of Gisborne Gewurztraminer. a 5 glass wine (that is to say Rich will happily polish off the bottle seeing as I don't really help these days...)

Tooting My Own Trumpet

It's a peculiarly Nu Zild affliction that crowing about achievement is tantamount to throwing up on someone's shoe.

But I'm obviously in the final throes of pregnancy hormones and as such seem to be glowing in all the right places.

Not that I've actually won anything, yet, and I may not. But my winelist has been nominated for "Outstanding Winelist' at this year's Lewisham Awards (a sort of Oscars for the Auckland hospitality industry) and I'm pleased and proud and glowing that the list I've nutured has a little recognition.

Having said that. It's still not the list I'd love it to be. I've woken up to far too much economic reality over the past year and the romance of writing a crafted, creative list gets dulled by figures and margins.

Still, here it is for scrutiny.

I'm a bit terrified of this bit but here goes........

Wine list

Now Very Pregnant Sommelier

And it's mighty hard to taste anything properly!

I've a nose like a beagle but I'm so uncertain of my palate and I'm sipping and spitting which is the preferred, professional mode of tasting but has a certain austerity to it.

I'm about to launch in to writing a new wine list to see my place through winter and my maternity leave so there'll be a necessity for wine notes. But wine notes of what colour? And reliable?

More questions than answers. I've been told Jancis completed her Master of Wine (complete with blind tasting) whilst pregnant.... I'm not sure of the veracity of this but if so......