News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Crisp, Stunning Humdingers

Crisp, Stunning Humdingers

The Scotsman urged readers to sample NZ’s “crisp, green apple and gooseberry-steeped sauvignons” and “stunning, cold-climate reds” at The New Zealand Wine Fair in Edinburgh. In a separate tasting section, Drylands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was given a glowing…

Great White

Great White

Boston Globe raves over Kumeu River Winery’s 2003 Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay, calling it “unbelievably rich and refined.” Named after Mate Brajkovich, son of the vineyard’s founders and managing director until his death in 1993, the wine is…

Top 40 Hit

Top 40 Hit

Cairnbrae ‘The Stones’ Sauvignon Blanc 2003 made Decanter‘s list of top 40 wines under $10, following a rigorous blind tasting of more than 2,000 offerings. Observer critic Tim Atkin describes the silver medal winner as “lemon,…

Top Spot

Top Spot

Martinborough Hotel features on the Observer‘s list of top retreats for wine lovers. “If you’re looking for a nice drop of Kiwi class, character and convenience, this is just the job … The bistro serves excellent…

Staying Power

Staying Power

Aotearoa has a starring role in wine writer Thom Elkjer’s overview of sauvignon blanc – past and present – for the  SF Chronicle. NZ has been a major player in the grape’s popularity since ” out…

Best Bubbles

Best Bubbles

Observer wine critic Tim Atkin champions New World sparkling whites, particularly those from NZ, stating ” every bit as good as most non-vintage champagne and usually considerably cheaper.” According to Atkins, Lindauer Special Brut “consistently delivers the…

I Spy with My Little Eye

I Spy with My Little Eye

NZ wines scored a slew of major awards at America’s largest and most prestigious wine show – the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Best in Show awards went to the 2002 Lake Hayes ‘Amisfield’…

Wine Boom Continues

Wine Boom Continues

NZ wine producers are going for quantity as well as quality, with 2004 officially the largest vintage on record. At 166,000 tons, the national harvest was 40% higher than the previous high of 118,700 tons in 2002….

New World Edges In

New World Edges In

Kim Crawford’s 2003 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc took top honours at the Sélections Mondiales des Vins in Montreal, winning the Grande Médaille d’or (grand gold) in its category as well as the Prix du Jury décernés par pays…

Otago is “Lord of the Reds”

Otago is “Lord of the Reds”

“The Pinot Noir grail is to be found in Central Otago,” writes British wine expert Janice Robinson in the latest World Atlas of Wine. The availability of Pinot Noir and other New Zealand wines in Tokyo…

You Say Shiraz, I Say Syrah

You Say Shiraz, I Say Syrah

The Age praises NZ syrah – not to be confused with Australian shiraz. “Like the name itself, Kiwi syrah – see-rahhh – has a wistful quality to it. Delicately perfumed, intensely rich in colour, it is generally…

Talent with Depth

Talent with Depth

Observer wine critic, Tim Atkin, looks beyond the ubiquitous NZ Sauvignon Blanc, recommending instead our Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, and – above all – Pinot Noir. “NZ may produce only 0.79 per cent of the world’s vino,…

Best of the Summer Wine

Best of the Summer Wine

The NZ wine industry is set to benefit from the country’s Rings-inspired tourist influx this year, with two major travel features in the  Chicago Tribune and  Boston Globe. The former relates an American journalist’s experience…

Top Christmas Tipple

Top Christmas Tipple

Villa Maria’s 2002 Private Bin Riesling is one of the Observer‘s top 36 wines for Christmas drinking. “Villa Maria is better known for its in-your-face Sauvignon Blancs than its other New Zealand whites, but this screwcapped Riesling…

I See Red, I See Red, I See Red

I See Red, I See Red, I See Red

According to leading wine magazine,  Decanter, “red wines in NZ are undergoing a revolution that promises to be as dramatic as the discovery that Marlborough could produce world-class Sauvignon Blanc.” The December issue included 1 Kiwi…

Sauvignon Tsunami

Sauvignon Tsunami

CNN and the Arizona Republic lavish praise on NZ Sauvignon Blanc, recommending the 2003 Brancott Estate and 2003 Nobilo Icon Series respectively. “NZ is now a tsunami of Sauvignon Blancs, and diligently as I’ve tried, I…

Matchmaker

Matchmaker

Scotsman sommelier, Rose Murray Brown, sheds light on the delicate task of food and wine matching. Not one to be bound by the traditional “white with fish, red with meat” mentality, Murray Brown recommends Kim Crawford Unoaked Marlborough…

Mecca Found in  Martinborough

Mecca Found in  Martinborough

“New Zealand, known for its crisp sauvignon blancs, may well become a mecca for pinot noir aficionados.” Boston Herald identifies Martinborough as the prime source for pinot production, in particular the dry river bed called the Martinborough…

Bottoms Up

Bottoms Up

CNN feature reveals a hemisphere-reversal in wine appreciation and availability in America. New World wines are doing a roaring trade in the US, in many cases outstripping their European counterparts in sales. “One of the…

Lawson’s Joins Mile High Club

Lawson’s Joins Mile High Club

Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc scored the highest overall marks for a white wine in the Scotsman‘s high-altitude taste test. In conjunction with 6 international airlines, the Scotsman and a panel of expert judges sought out…

Neill Keeps it Real

Neill Keeps it Real

Sam Neill features alongside Sting, Cliff Richard, and Francis Ford Coppola in a Guardian story on celebrity vineyard-owners. Neill is described as one of the more down-to-earth of the bunch, who takes an active role in the…

Charting the Edge

Charting the Edge

Sydney’s Morning Herald publishes its 2003 top-10 lists for global rovers with Aotearoa again destination du jour. The chart toppers – Wine: Marlborough (“with its combination of bush, mountains and coastline … Cloudy Bay, Cairnrae and Allan…

Cloudy Bay’s Silver Lining

Cloudy Bay’s Silver Lining

Japan’s Daily Yomiuri tracks the stellar career of NZ’s best known vineyard – Cloudy Bay – in a feature on summery Sauvignons. “NZ zapped into the spotlight in 1985 with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. The wine…

Two Good

Two Good

Four NZ whites won double gold medals at the San Francisco International Wine Competition – widely regarded as America’s premiere wine judging event. Babich Wines 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Kim Crawford 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Mt Difficulty 2003 Sauvignon…

Poetry in a Bottle

Poetry in a Bottle

Guardian wine critic, Malcolm Gluck, bestows lyrical praise on the 2002 Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc and 2000 Wither Hills Chardonnay, rating them each 16.5 and 17.5 out of 20 respectively. “Neudorf,” he says, “has the texture of…

Bio-dynamic Man

Bio-dynamic Man

Winemaker James Milton represented NZ at a tasting of bio-dynamic wines at the Vinexpo trade fair in Gironde, France. Bio-dynamic producers are distinguished from the “merely organic” in that they use a variety of homeopathic sprays on…

Scotsman Sees Red

Scotsman Sees Red

Scotsman feature ‘Best of the Summer Wine’ adds some body to their list with the 1999 Palliser Pinot Noir. Wine critic Rose Murray Brown: “One of New Zealand’s best attempts at this grape so far. Really stylish…

Leading Lights and Walk-overs

Leading Lights and Walk-overs

NZ wines rate highly in Tim Atkin’s list of ‘summer corkers’ at their peak of drinkability. 2002 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc: “I’ve never tasted a better vintage of this intense, guava, gooseberry and mango-like South…

Kiwi Wine Puts a Cork in Critics

Kiwi Wine Puts a Cork in Critics

“The idea that screw-caps are not socially acceptable is absolute nonsense. People should go by their senses, palate, and nose.” The trend-setting move by NZ winemakers in favour of screw-caps over corks is applauded by Guardian wine…

Bay Alchemy: Red to Gold

Bay Alchemy: Red to Gold

Sacred Hill Wines earned a gold medal for their Helmsman Cabernet Merlot 2000 at the renowned London International Wine Challenge. Chief winemaker Tony Bish sees the award as proof that “Hawke’s Bay, indeed NZ, continues to produce outstanding…

A Toast to the “New Classics”

A Toast to the “New Classics”

British wine writer, John Hunter, educates his readers in the (remarkably brief) history of NZ wine. Urging them to cast aside any lingering associations with Australia – “it’s a darn sight closer to Antarctica” – Hunter recommends…

Bravo Blumenfield

Bravo Blumenfield

NZ brand, Blumenfeld, was judged Best International Olive Oil at the LA County Fair Wines of the World Competition – the longest-running, largest and most respected event of its kind in the US. Blumenfeld NZ Classic Blends…

For Him

For Him

Winemaker Kim Crawford’s “Pansy” has been released in the UK following its overwhelming success on the NZ gay market. The cabernet blend was commissioned by the owner of Auckland gay bar, SPQR, who had witnessed the popularity…

Deluxe Drop

Deluxe Drop

Christchurch brewer Dux de Lux was awarded the grand champion trophy at this year’s Australian international beer awards. The brand’s Nor’wester Pale Ale was judged best brew out of a record field of 590 beers from 22…

NZ: Wine Enthusiast ‘Region of the Year’

NZ: Wine Enthusiast ‘Region of the Year’

American-based Wine Enthusiast Magazine named NZ “Region of the Year” at their prestigious Wine Awards for 2002. Said judges of our viticultural edge; “When examining the NZ wine industry, broader themes emerge, encompassing such important concepts as innovation,…

Sacred Hill Win on Sacred Turf

Sacred Hill Win on Sacred Turf

Sacred Hill’s 2001 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay became the first NZ wine to win gold at the prestigious Chardonnay du Monde competition in Burgundy, France. Sacred Hill marketing manager Duncan Elliott: “This is like winning the French equivalent…

Change of Pace

Change of Pace

BBC series on ex-pat Brits profiles Jake Barnett, a London banker turned Christchurch viticulture student. Barnett has nothing but praise for the NZ wine industry, not to mention his adopted homeland. “The nearest we get to…

A Savvy Critic

A Savvy Critic

“New Zealand wines have zest.” So proclaims Michael Apstein, wine writer for The Boston Globe. His picks of the sauvignon-blanc bunch include Mount Riley (Marlborough, 22), Thornbury (Marlborough, 22) and Craggy Range (Martinborough, 22).  

Get Thee to a Nunnery

Get Thee to a Nunnery

Detroit Free Press recommends Marlborough’s Old Saint Mary’s Convent in a feature on romantic getaways “off the beaten track.” “Lavender, vineyards and olive groves surround the property, and there’s a pond you can putter in with a…

Pays Au Long Nuage Blanc

Pays Au Long Nuage Blanc

Special assignment NZ: Le Monde heads Down Under in search of good wine and finds it in abundance. “NZ, long considered a land of beer-drinkers, has made a sudden and remarkable appearance on the world wine…

Washington Wine Win

Washington Wine Win

NZ wines cleaned up at the 7th Annual Wines for Oysters competition in Washington. Marlborough vineyards won five of the ten awards, with Charles Wiffen’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 taking home the Grand Champion Trophy.

Screw Convention

Screw Convention

“There’s nothing romantic about a corked bottle of wine,” says NZ winemaker Kim Crawford in Time. Crawford is one of many Kiwi vintners thumbing the nose at tradition, preferring screw tops to corks despite a recent international…

Bottoms Up

Bottoms Up

Deutz Marlborough Cuvee beat Bollinger, Moet & Chandon, and Veuve Cliquot in a blind-tasting by seven British bubbly experts. Which? magazine organised the test, asking local supermarkets and high-end liquor stores to submit the best of their respective…

Nation of Giant-killers

Nation of Giant-killers

American wine guru, Michael Franz, has made a wager that the NZ wine industry (“well organized, unusually cooperative, and marked by a spirit of openness and innovation”) will be producing the best wines outside Europe 20 years from…

One to Watch

One to Watch

Special mention is given in Malcolm Gluck’s wine column to the “spectacular” Wither Hills 2002 Sauvignon Blanc: “a beguiling sauvignon blanc of mouthwatering scrumptiousness.” The 2000 vintage was NZ’s most awarded sauvignon ever – could 2002 go…

The Sweet Taste of Success

The Sweet Taste of Success

NZ wines raked in the medals at the 2002 London International Wine Challenge. The respected annual competition is the world’s largest blind-tasting session, with thousands of wines judged alongside each other regardless of price…

A W(h)ine By Any Other Name…

A W(h)ine By Any Other Name…

In a blow to New World wine producers – NZ included – the European Commission is seeking to place further limits on wine label terminology. “Champagne” and “port” are already off limits, now the Commission hopes to…

Compelling Texture. Big Finish.

Compelling Texture. Big Finish.

If you can’t afford The Ivy’s 60 quid for Sam Neill’s pinot noir, alternatives are Malcolm Gluck’s affordable favourites: Church Road and Villa Maria, while across the Atlantic, Leslie Sirocco’s vote goes to the Lawson’s Dry Hills “palate-perking” pinot…

Bacchic and Bucolic: Les Vins de Sam

Bacchic and Bucolic: Les Vins de Sam

The Guardian spends the day with actor/winemaker Sam Neill, who is back home in NZ for 6 months working his three Central Otago vineyards. “I love coming here. I think it’s a great place”, comments…

Bacchic and Bucolic in NZ #2

Bacchic and Bucolic in NZ #2

The Guardian’s ‘Superplonk’ column discovers the flavour of New Zealand in a six-week wine tasting trip. Highlights include the “superb, tannic tenacity and layered fruit” of Delegat’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, and the “racy, complex, finely textured…

Grapes of Worth

Grapes of Worth

Marlborough, “Lively with a distinct lemon/lime character, this sauvignon blanc is snappy but substantial and will take on the cacophony of flavors in the calamari salad with ease.”

Give ’em a Taste Of…

Give ’em a Taste Of…

The “dramatic” Crossings Sauvignon Blanc 2001 out of Marlborough’s Awatere Valley “blazes across the palate with concentrated, uncomprimising flavours of pear, herbs, juniper and – dare I say – kiwi” and the New York Post finds…

“Give Me Red Wine, the Kind That Makes Me Feel Fine”

“Give Me Red Wine, the Kind That Makes Me Feel Fine”

Two NZ Pinot Noirs – Gibbston Valley’s 1999 Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir and Wither Hills’ Pinot Noir (2000) – are included in  Guardian Top 5 “seduction wine” list for Valentine’s Day. “Like love itself, the fickleness…

Taste Sensation

Taste Sensation

Award winning vineyard – Goldwater Estate – Praised for its 2001 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc: “This impeccably crafted wine offers a complexity and excitement equal to the finest Sancerre of the Loire Valley, but with a flavour…

Values Party – BYO

Values Party – BYO

Don’t miss Marlborough’s “tangy, medium-bodied, cranberry-dried” Saint Clair 2000 Doctor’s Creek Pinot Noir.  “Perfect with poultry or perhaps salmon, it epitomizes the remarkable values coming out of New Zealand”.

NZ Wine’s Quantum Leap

NZ Wine’s Quantum Leap

In the 21st century, on-the-edge New Zealand towers on the global wine map with what is acknowledged as some of the world’s best sauvignon blanc (pinot noir is on the way). Europeans sit stunned by the…