About

I have a varied background in business, primarily working and investing in the commercial real estate field. Over the years I have contributed to a range of community organisations including the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Whakatu. I also oversaw the development of Nelson’s first regional economic development strategy and after establishing the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency for the Nelson City Council was a trustee of that organisation for several years.

My wife Sari is a Chartered Accountant and now owns the business of Savage & Savage, Chartered Accountants that was established by her father in 1945. We have a modest collection of New Zealand art and are supporters of the Suter Art Gallery in Nelson, an organisation Sari was chair of for several years.

When it comes to wine we have, since the mid 1980’s, gradually built an extensive wine collection. I have written a regular wine column for the Nelson Mail since 2000, now write a ‘Taste of Nelson” column for the publication and also contribute to other publications including The Leader, WineNZ Magazine and New Zealand WineGrower Magazine.

I am a member of Wine Writers of New Zealand and am a signatory to that organisations Declaration of Independence

Wine Ratings

I receive wines from wine companies to sample and rate. These ratings are my own opinions and I do not receive payment for expressing my opinion. My opinion about a particular wine may differ from the opinions of others and I encourage you to comment on my tasting notes. We all have different likes and dislikes so you may well like a wine I do not rate particularly highly and I welcome your feedback. Wines without a star rating are likely to be wines I tasted some time ago and you should rely on my comments for the wine rather than the lack of a rating.

When I taste and rate wines I use a 20 point scale and then use stars as a quick and easy reference for you. Here is what they mean:

Stars Points Description
5 18.5-20 Exceptional Quality. A wine with power, elegance and refinement and a great example of the style
4.5 17-18.5 Outstanding Quality. A wine that is a very good example of the variety and the region it is produced in
4 16-17 Excellent Quality. A wine that is true to its variety or blend, bright and balanced flavours and is generally very good value for money
3.5 14.5-16 Good Quality. A wine that is easy to drink without being overly complex.
3 13-14.5 Average Quality. A wine that is pleasant enough to drink but without much refinement
2-2.5 10-13 Below average quality, something you will likely find on the bottom shelf at the supermarket and you are probably better off spending a dollar or two more and drinking less of a better quality wine
<2 <10 A poor wine that producers, in my opinion, shouldn’t be selling.