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 North Island, starting in Greytown and Martinborough, then on to Hawke’s Bay, Taupo and finally back to Wellington then getting on the ferry to Picton to spending…
Bob’s Rock Wines
Bob’s Rock Vineyard is a tiny producer tucked away on a hillside location at Ngatimoti. Producing less than 200 cases…
Anchorage Wines- Stripping back helps Motueka Winemakers and Growers strike gold
Following on from my previous column about how Motueka Winemakers and Growers (formerly Anchorage Wines) set about restructuring their business…
Great Scutt: New label wine for the ages
Scutt Wines is a tiny producer you may not have heard of before because owners Johnson Scutt and Georgie Hoby…
Sheild Wines
Trudy Sheild is the very talented winemaker behind some of the best wines produced in this region, and I have…
Flaxmore Vineyards
Flaxmore Vineyards takes its name from the road it sits on, Flaxmore Road in Upper Moutere. The former apple orchard…
Te Mania & Richmond Plains Wineries
Labour Weekend is when wineries traditionally throw open their cellar doors for the summer and this year is no different.…
Food and Beverage Award winners
Nelson food and beverage producers make some of the finest product in New Zealand, as proven by the results achieved…
Neudorf Vineyards Evolution and new releases.
As Neudorf Vineyards celebrate the release of the 40th vintage of their iconic Moutere Chardonnay I can’t help reflect on how…
Blackenbrook Vineyards new release wines
If you follow this column you may remember I wrote about the 2022 wine grape vintage a couple of times…
A Selection of Recent Release Wines
Here’s a selection of some great NZ wines, including three from Martinborough, as tasted by Phil Parker. Bohemian ‘The Dancer’…
Rain and labour clouds in optimistic outlook for 2022 wine vintage
As you travel around the region supporting local businesses you will have noticed netting being draped over grape vines in…
Nelson Chardonnays and Colin Harrison Trophy winner
For the last couple of years Old House Vineyards has been placed second in the competition with fruit grown on their vineyard in Old House Road and turned into delicious wine by winemaker Pat Stowe. Owners, Ian Bathgate and his wife Jeanne relocated from the U.K. with their two sons several years ago and bought a former Spencer Hill vineyard.