WELCOME

Top Tastes is designed to help you find the best food and beverage venues and products; whether you want delicious fish chips, beautiful café food in a winery setting, finely crafted formal dining, food ideas, wine reviews or cocktail recipes this is your guide to the best New Zealand has to offer.

Top Tastes was created by Neil Hodgson and managed by him, he has invited other writers to contribute to the site, this means more regional information will be added as time goes by. You will find a range of opinions, reviews and recipes from people who know their stuff when it comes to food and beverage.

Only reviews written by this select group will be published on the site (you are welcome to leave comments of course) so you will be able to trust the review – no fake reviews, no ranting, just good information to help you choose great things to eat and drink as well as the best places to eat out.

THE LATEST REVIEWS

Middle Earth Wines new release

It has taken a while but the first 2020 vintage new release wine crossed my desk, and my tongue soon after, last week. The Middle Earth Pinot Meunier Rose 2020 is everything the vintage promised. Earlier in the year winemakers were able to bring in and process this year’s harvest during level four lockdown conditions, […]

Pulled Pork Croquettes

This week’s recipe from the top team at Hopgood’s & Co is for Pulled Pork Croquettes. Head chef Aaron Ballantyne says “this a fun dish to make with the kids and is perfect as an appetiser for a dinner party, the recipe is quite adaptable too, you could use roast ham or chicken instead of […]

Middle Earth Wines new release

It has taken a while but the first 2020 vintage new release wine…

Pulled Pork Croquettes

This week’s recipe from the top team at Hopgood’s & Co…

FEATURED ARTICLES

Roaming the Lower North Island from Martinborough to Wellington via Hawke's Bay

Recently I spent a couple of weeks exploring a loop in the lower…

Rust Kitchen & Eatery

When Nelson’s favourite French couple, Greg and Mylene Auphan,…

Bob’s Rock Wines

Bob’s Rock Vineyard is a tiny producer tucked away on a hillside…

The Big Score Bread

It all started with a home-built bread oven in the backyard... Bread…

Goodbye 2023 and buy Nelson products

It’s time to say goodbye to 2023 and for some, including me,…

Someday Somewhere

I have huge respect for people who are prepared to put everything…

TOP WINES TASTINGS

We’ve put together a team of experts who have a passion for writing about food and beverages.