Felton Road, famous for its Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Rieslings, was the last stop on our Family of Twelve visit to New Zealand. They will be used to either being the first or last stop on any tour as they have the joy of being located in Bannockburn, Central Otago, the best part of 20,000
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Our visit to Pegasus Bay, 45 minutes north of Christchurch, was special in many ways. Here to celebrate it is a photoblog with commentary. The enterprise which became Pegasus Bay started in the garage of the house in Christchurch, in which the Donaldsons still live, as a hobby. But it was a serious hobby
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Tim and Judy of Neudorf Vineyards are another of the Family of Twelve’s Kiwi winegrower pioneers. As such, in the early days there was a good deal of trial and error, a spirit of adventure which has continued to stand them well. Neudorf is a step apart – coming here from Marlborough it does feel you
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We had two bites of the cherry in our visits to Villa Maria, appropriately enough given the scale of its operations. A pretty comprehensive tasting of its wines at the Auckland HQ was followed by a whistle-stop tour of the Marlborough with senior winemaker Helen Morrison as expert guide. Here are some highlights: in a
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From afar most wine lovers will think of Marlborough as a single region. After all, the most common style of Sauvignon Blanc is so distinctive and powerful that the complications of terroir are a long way from the consumer’s mind. But the pleasure of visiting is that you begin to appreciate the differences between the
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Kopke 1935 Colheita white port Some smaller wine countries have so much to offer. Today’s Wines of Portugal tasting had a bit of everything – light and refreshing Vinho Verde with a touch of spritz, lots of new style modern wines with contemporary labelling, profound Douro reds, individual whites (e.g., G. R. Alves de Sousa, Pessoal,
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Winery businesses come in all sizes within the Family of Twelve: Villa Maria at one end of the scale and the small but beautifully formed Fromm winery in Marlborough at the other end. Set up by Swiss wine lover Georg Fromm, this estate has specialised in small-batch Pinots and Chardonnays, with some obligatory Sauvignon Blanc
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Sauvignon Blanc’s worldwide success has led to interest from other wine regions who reasonably enough want to join the party. From my Italian perspective, this same ‘inward investment’ effect has been seen in regions as diverse as Chianti Classico, Bolgheri for Super Tuscans and Franciacorta for bubbles. Nautilus Estate, owned by the Australian Hill-Smith family,
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Sauvignon 2016 was not a dull affair. After the serious stuff, there were trips to wineries, a garden party at Timara Lodge, a train ride to a beach party at Kekerengu and a Gala dinner featuring WOW, World of Wearable Arts. Here are some pictures of the Sauvignon Celebration 2016. Return to New Zealand
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The timing of my Family of Twelve scholarship was finally determined by the dates of the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration which was held in Marlborough on the first three days of February 2016. Fully subscribed at over 300 delegates this brought together speakers and wine makers from around the world with a substantial Kiwi presence. Billed
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