Thousands of wine tastings, a career in journalism and a stint as a flambe waitress led to a career as a wine writer, editor and author for The Dominion Post, Christchurch Press and the Waikato Times, among other publications, in New Zealand.
Wine of the week
21 January 2012
2009
Dogajolo Toscano
$25ish; a fabulous
blend of 70% Sangiovese with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany; a lovely wine with gorgeous spicy flavours, which captures the mouths and minds of even those for whom red wine is just an occasional treat - as a bottle shared with family members over the 'silly season' (Xmas et al) proved a couple of weeks back. From Scenic Cellars in Taupo. It won't disappoint. www.carpineto.com
Wine of the week
7 January 2012
1990 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon
Talk about a fantastic taste of a 21 year old Loire Valley white wine; well, actually, amber coloured is more precise in the case of this well aged Chenin Blanc. It's a deliciously well evolved, apply old French white made from one of the world's greatest, most underrated grapes - Chenin Blanc, whose characteristic lemon, apple and honey flavours shine in this off dry wine.
16 December 2011
2007
John Forrest Collection Chardonnay RRP $40-50
This is one of the best
selling varietals from Forrest Estate and the 2007 is a new vintage, released this month in New Zealand; a full bodied white wine, it has undergone lots of lees stirring while the wine (100 per cent barrel) was aged in oak barriques. It still has a newness in taste, so will benefit hugely from being decanted a couple of hours before drinking. Its full body, savoury flavours and length make it a good Christmas Day white.
About Joelle Thomson
I write the weekly wine column for The Dominion Post, Christchurch Press and Waikato Times and edit Drinksbiz magazine as well as contribute to NZ Winegrower magazine. I have a Diploma in Journalism and my first wine column was published in Capital Times in 1994, Wellington, New Zealand; since then I have written widely for newspapers and magazines published in Australasia, and also for Off Licence News in the UK. I adore wine, good literature and anyone who attempts to combine the two.
Wine of the week 12 December 2011
2010 Tohu Rore Reserve Pinot Noir
From Marlborough's four iwi who own Tohu Wines comes this Marlborough red, which has surprising substance and full body; it has deep red cherry flavours, an intriguingly spicy mid palate and a lingering, silky, juicy finish... anyone in doubt about Marlborough's ability to be more than just a one tricky pony when it comes to wine need only try this to revise their views.
www.tohuwines.co.nz
Wine of the week, 6 December 2011
2009 Muller-Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Spatlese
There's a first time for everything, including a Riesling fanatic's experience of the incredibly rare 'Rieslaner' grape; from which this low alcohol - 9% abv - sweet white is made. The grapes are from the Pfalz region of Germany, in which there were barely any 'Rieslaner' grapes (just 40 hectares) in 1990. The numbers are thought to have dwindled since. It is a crossing of Riesling with Sylvaner; an attempt to harness the intensity of Riesling's lime, lemon, green apple flavours and fresh acidity to Sylvaner's tendency to pick up botrytis (aka noble rot), to add unctuousness... This wine is more the latter than the former and would do well with an intense lemon tart, a la Marco Pierre-White; as a friend has promised to rustle up.
Wine of the week, 23 November 2011
2009 Incognito Syrah $15
Incognito is a fancier label than the ubiquitous 'clean skins' (unlabelled wine, usually made from surplus grapes) and this single vineyard Syrah from Hawke's Bay's Gimblett Gravels is a step up in quality too. Talk about incredible value: this is a cool climate, full bodied red with all the bells and whistles - spice, dark colour, high tannins, great length - and an exceptionally low price tag to match.
From The Fine Wine Delivery Company, www.finewinedelivery.co.nz
Wine of the week, 15 November
2010 Amisfield Lowburn Terrace Riesling
It's a sure sign of top wine when two weeks running sees New Zealand remain in place here; again with a Central Otago white, this time a light to medium bodied Riesling with low 7.9% alcohol and a refreshing top note of ripe lime leading into apply crispness with medium to high acids and a very lingering finish. Outstanding. Bravo to Amisfield. www.amisfield.co.nz/riesling
Wine of the week, 13 November
2007 Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle
Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand - from one of only two wineries that make methode traditionnelle; which is staggering since winemaker Rudi Bauer has proven just how well he makes - and Central Otago produces - wonderfully balanced, crisp bubbles that, dare I say it, emulates Champagne's fresh, zingy, drink-me qualities. This is 80% Chardonnay, 20 % Pinot Noir, bottled fermented and aged on lees for four years. www.quartzreef.co.nz
Wine of the week, 8 November
2006 Chateau Bourgneuf Pomerol
This is a lovely complex wine from Bordeaux, with all the region's hallmarks of top quality: black olives, savoury herbs and earthy flavours all intermingle deliciously in this affordable Bordeaux, which is a great place to begin exploring this region. Skip forward two years for even more flavour from the 2008 Chateau Bourgneuf. Available in New Zealand from Maison Vauron, Newmarket, Auckland, www.mvauron.co.nz or www.wine-searcher.com
Wine of the week, 1 November
2009 Cent'Are Nero d'Avola
This wine will convert every non believer that Sicily is home turf to one of Italy's and the world's great but little known red grapes, the venerable Nero d'Avola, which finds a silky smooth expression in this spicy, black cherry-like red; its makers at Duca di Castelmonte (owned by Marsala wine giant, Pellegrino) successfully marry subtle oak with ripe flavours of licorice and dark, spicy fruit. That it costs a mere $22 (NZ, that is) a bottle leaves few excuses not to try this top vino.
Wine of the week, Monday 24 October 2011
2011 Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Vibrant and
intensely passionfruity, lending this wine more than a mere whiff of tropical island fantasy about it. This ripe, rich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a far cry from its forerunners; a top wine to celebrate a top win for the All Blacks at this year's Rugby World Cup.
Wine of the week... Tuesday 18 October 2011
2011 Valli
Dolce Vita Late Harvest Riesling Central Otago
“If making
wine in Central Otago is not the sweet life, I don’t know what is.” Says
winemaker Grant Taylor, who named his wine brand after his great great
grandfather, Giuseppe Valli; an Italian winemaker who emigrated to New Zealand
in the 1870s. This Riesling is made from botrytised grapes grown in Lowburn,
Central Otago.
Wine of the week... Sunday 9 October 2011
2011
The Doctor’s Riesling
The Doctor is Dr John Forrest, an avid Riesling lover and Marlborough winemaker, who makes this 8.5% abv, light, fresh and refreshing new white wine, which has just trickled onto wine shelves and lists in New Zealand. It has great qualities for exactly the type of wine I want to drink on a desert island, in the heat or even in
dappled sunshine late afternoon in early spring… an outstandingly easy to love
wine in a light way that puts Marlborough’s best foot forward as a riesling
region.
Wine of the week... Friday 30 September 2011
2010 Tohu Rore Reserve Pinot Noir
Talk about a wine which needs decanting; this is incredibly youthful Pinot Noir with bright 'new' flavours in each whiff of its cherry-like aroma. The staunch young acids suit food or early evening with slivers of your favourite blue cheese... best opened, decanted into a couple of large glasses, a jug or a decanter, and enjoyed after several hours of breathing. Try it and taste the wine before and after you have decanted it... viva la difference!
Wine of the week... Wednesday 21 September 2011
2010 Josef Andert Cuvee Victoria Wasserzeile
As if it's not disappointing enough to have returned from paradise - aka, the Maldives - it's a shame not to be able to find this exceptional Austrian dessert wine further afield too... a sample bottle was sent to Soneva Fushi's talented sommelier Jasper Kok, who shared some of its intense, grapefruit-concentrate-like contents with me; suitably chilled, of course, to tame its off-dry style into a cleansing, refreshing, utterly delicious after-dinner drop. It is a 'beerenauslese' style and beautifully balanced. Bravo to winemaker Josef Andert.
Wine of the mid-week... Wednesday 14 September 2011, reported from Soneva Fushi in the Maldives...
2004 Barbi Brunello di Montalcino - It only seems counter-intuitive to drink Italian vino in the Maldives if top Italian vino isn't already high on the list; for me, it always is. And a bottle of this wine relatively late-ish in the evening beckoned after an outstanding Greco di Tufo and a wonderful dessert wine from Austrian Josef Andert (more on that, later). The like-minded sommelier's description of this Brunello as coming into its own right now was accurate; while its velvety smoothness still indicates there are years left in this Brunello, its savoury, fresh earth aromas are seamlessly integrated. This was the perfect wine to drink under the full moon.
Wine of the nearly mid-week... Tuesday 13 September 2011, reported from Soneva Fushi in the Maldives...
2009 Josef Andert Neusiedlersee Gruner-Veltliner - An early morning wake-up call, a half hour air taxi and a glass of Gruner-Veltliner made for a perfect welcome at Soneva Fushi, in the Maldives, where I will speak about New Zealand wine from Ata Rangi (Sauvignon Blanc), Pegasus Bay (Riesling), Fromm (Syrah), Te Mata (Cabernet-based) and also train the staff in wine service... The screwcap seal makes the wine a reliably fresh, crisp and citrusy lunchtime glass (ok, then, two glasses). Bravo to sommelier Jasper Kok for a wise wine choice from an outstanding small Austrian winery.
Wine of the week, Sunday 11 September 2011
If you don't make the choice, the choice makes you... this week I have chosen to spend on an island in the Maldives, where I will talk to staff about serving wine and other guests about enjoying it, including this top German drop...
2008 Dr Burklin-Wolf Riesling
Burklin Estate is in the Pfalz region of Germany and this light bodied, low alcohol white (10% ABV) is exactly what warm weather calls for, its intense lime and citrus flavours and crispness echoing the bright turquoise hue and crystal clarity of the Indian Ocean. It is a top drop, which shows why Riesling is my go-to white wine.
Wine of the week, Sunday 4 September 2011
2008
DeCanal Montepulciano D'Abruzzo NZ $12-$14
As part of Kiwi wine importer Rupert Kurghan's 2011 Italian Film Festival "six-pack of vino", the De Canal Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a great buy at either $14 a bottle or as part of the six wines for $79... It's the weight, body and luxurious velvety smoothness that wow me most in this flavoursome Italian red. Consumed with a funghi pizza (that's plain old mushrooms, in any other language), it's outstanding value and super tasty.
From
specialist wine stores or, in New Zealand, direct from Prodotti d’Italia, phone (+64 9) 276 7140.
Wine of the week, 19 August
2007 Ochoa Mil Gracias Graciano NZ$35-38
It's the unexpectedly staunch tannins that transport me to Italy in each sip of this single vineyard Spanish red from Navarra; its 13.5% alcohol sits beautifully with the Graciano grape's surprisingly complex flavours of black plums and an earthy, spicy, intriguingly multi-layered taste. If Nebbiolo is the greatest red grape in Italy (fun to debate) and if Pinot Noir is the greatest red grape in France (constantly debated), then let's hear it for Spain's almost forgotten Graciano grape. Smooth textured, powerfully flavoured, incredibly tannic but balanced... what more could one wish for in a top red drop at an unbelievably good price for this quality?
Available in New Zealand from Casa Aragon, email: cat@casaaragon.co.nz
Monday 8 August... Wine and women need to include men too. Apartheid might be the most extreme example of why segregation does not work but gender exclusion can be just as one-dimensional. Click right on 'The Dominion Post wine column'...
Thursday 4 August... Dicing with a cool climate? Read Matt Dicey's take on the most southern cool climate winemaking on Earth in The Dominion Post column - click right...
Central Otago winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis tastes through his new releases with Joelle Thomson, posted Friday 22 July 2011; click right 'What I'm Drinking' to read this report.
Tuesday 12 July 2011... Rippon Vineyard's biodynamic wines from Lake Wanaka are vastly different to their counterparts from over them thar hills, in Bannockburn, Gibbston and, closest of all to Queenstown, at Lake Hayes.
These wines are knocking on the door of savoury flavours big time. While Mills admits 2009 was a damned challenging year (well, I added in the 'damned' but it sums up viticultural and horticultural challenges well), he sees the 'lightness' (which, yes, is a word which sprang to my mind when I tried these wines) as high on the list of desirables for Pinot Noir. There is more than mere easy going lightness in these wines, however, as adventurous Pinotphiles will discover.
September 2010
The highest sum ever raised at the main Nederburg Wine Auction was in 2002 followed by slightly lower amounts in 2001 and 2005, then 2006. The total amount raised each year then dipped for three years, till now.
Here are my notes from that tasting; showing the change in style over the last decade.
Converse to the heat
wave in Europe, it was cooler here in SA than in 2002.
This is gorgeous; made
with grapes from Philadelphia (a ‘new’ wine region best known for its wheat
farming and Distell went in 1999-2000 and planted grapes). This area is
relatively close to the sea but on flat rolling hills and from deep clay soils
and dry land with not a drop of irrigation from day one.
The vineyards are
naturally producing low with very good ripeness.
60 p er cent Philadelphia
and the rest mostly Durbanville with a smidgeon of Paarl.
2007 Nederburg Private Bin
Shiraz
14.58%
3.3
ph 3.47
All Philadelphia grapes
and very youthful with lovely soft, juicy fruit flavours giving this wine
upfront lift. The place Philadelphia has no supermarket but has a pub, a church
and not even a police station – just a small community of 200 people. This wine
has beautiful depth of fruit flavour.
And to close…
Gisborne, New Zealand, 2010
Best of the Bay...
2007 Dinari Del Duca Grillo Sicilia $18.50 - If you haven’t
heard of ‘Grillo’ before, you’re not alone… this Sicilian white grape was once
the main ingredient in the almost forgotten wine, Marsala. The number of Grillo
grapes planted in Sicily halved in the 1980s and today it’s also used in dry
white table wines – like this full bodied and citrusy fresh and vibrant white.
It’s fantastic with seafood, as I was lucky enough to discover night after
night in Sicily at this winery’s annual food and wine festival a couple of
years ago. From humble tuna on toast to fresh gurnard pan-fried in butter and
capers, this grillo is a fantastic match with fish.
All this wine writing requires a girl to travel... last week's journey was to the Wairau Plains in New Zealand's largest wine region, Marlborough, to drink bubbles and fresh new white wines - see What I'm Drinking to find out more about Marisco Wines; the reason for the trip. The bubbles we kicked off with were Gosset Champagne.
James says he still has a lot to learn about how and why biodynamics works. All he know is - it does.
James with the biodynamic cows at The Millton Vineyard in Gisborne.
Give me women, wine and snuff
For bless my beard then aye shall be
