Blog

The New Zealand Cellar sits down with Ben Glover from Zephyr Wines to discuss all things wine in our “Down In The Cellar” series. Ben Glover, also called The Janitor of the Glover family and Zephyr heritage has become an outstanding winemaker with incredible background experience as a Wine Marlborough committee member, chair of the […]

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Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? Sounds cheesy to say, but I’d have to say my Dad, Hermann.  A true pioneer of the NZ wine scene, he was one of New Zealand’s first qualified oenologists (prior to this most Kiwi winemakers were from a food science background). When you […]

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The New Zealand Cellar sits down with Matthew Sutherland from Dog Point to discuss all things wine in our “Down In The Cellar” series. Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? Probably my father. He is a pioneer of the industry in Marlborough and is probably the hardest worker I know. […]

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Skin contact - this is the amount of time that the skins of the grapes stay in contact with their juice! How long do they stay on for? Well it completely depends! Perhaps the most significant factor: grape variety. Whereas most whites are separated straight away, most reds stay together for a prolonged period of […]

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From the light & delicate floral aromas found in Pinot Noir dominant rosé wines, to the more boisterous examples made with the famous Bordeaux varieties, Rosé is as diverse as any wine style & there are some damn good examples being produced in the New World worth exploring.  Just about any red wine can be […]

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Mel Brown sits down with Richard Painter from Te Awa Left Field Wines to discuss all things wine in our “Down In The Cellar” series. Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? Sir George Fistonich. He is so passionate about quality, sustainability, and independence. He is a real visionary. Someone else who inspires me […]

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The thing about New World Chardonnay is that it can enhance any feeling at any time of day, anywhere. There are big slutty ones, delicate fine ones, un-oaked ones, chunky ripe ones, pure ones, ones with outlandish fruit and ones that sniff at even a nuance of fruit. For instance, I’d be more inclined to […]

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Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? I have two – Melba Brajkovich - Maté and later Melba established Kumeu River in 1944 and ensured a legacy for us – their four children to continue. Secondly Jancis Robinson who has made understanding wine accessible for all wine lovers. What wine […]

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What is the simplest way you can explain biodynamic winemaking to someone who has never been exposed to it before? Anna: It’s old school farming, honestly that’s the easiest way to explain it. People used to farm by the moon calendar, they used to use stuff like cover crops. We’re just working with nature instead […]

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Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? - Dan Sims from Pinot Palooza - the wine industry seems to be thigh-deep in people intent on intermediating the consumers experience - drink that, you taste like this, this is good, that is bad. The Pinot Palooza team ignore all that, they […]

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Specialist Cellars sits down with Zoe Ladyman of Akarua wines to talk all things wine in our “down in the cellar” series. Who do you admire most in the world of wine and why? You know I love great writers about wine, writers who write really emotively and expressively about wine. My ex boss, Tim Stock […]

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Every 4 years more than 250 very important delegates congregate in Marlborough to bask in a series of seminars, discussions and tastings to showcase New Zealand’s most iconic grape; Sauvignon Blanc. Having been lucky enough to attend the inaugural conference in 2016, I was thrilled to be invited back for the next instalment hosted by […]

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