Posted 22 Feb, Max Marriott's wines, click 'Riesling' right...
Favourites? Riesling rocks my world, as does the first Mt Etna red I've tried this year: 2004 Rovitello Etna Rosso $45-50
If you could bottle sexiness, this would be it; made from Sicily's indigenous Nerello Mascalese grape, grown on the fiery slopes of Mt Etna, this fleshy, silky eight year old red bears more than a passing
resemblance to a complex, savoury old Barolo or velvety old burgundy, but some how, to me, it's more intriguing than either, due to its long forgotten history, its wonderfully surprising resurgence and its utter deliciousness. Available? Sort of, in miniscule quantities; from
Andrew and Debra Hedley’s Oh So Pretty Wines in New Zealand (and I'm not sure elsewhere). Email: Andrew@framingham.co.nz
Then there are all the unusual suspects; Chenin Blanc, Graciano, Moscato, Nero d'Avola and, yes, Pinot Noir... variety is wine's beauty.
About me... I have a Diploma in Journalism (1989) from Wellington Polytechnic, New Zealand, and, for the past 18 years, I have combined my love of language and writing with a passion for wine knowledge by writing about it in newspapers and magazines - as well as authoring 12 wine books. My weekly column appears every Saturday in "Your Weekend" magazine in
The Dominion Post - New Zealand's capital city's daily. It is syndicated to
The Christchurch Press and
Waikato Times. I am Editor of
Drinksbiz magazine and teach at the NZ School of Food & Wine in Auckland. My first wine column was in
Capital Times in Wellington, in 1994, after I had lived in London, Edinburgh and the Shetland Islands, where a stint as a flambe waitress and junior sommelier opened doors to new worlds of flavour.
Wine of the week... 20 Feb 2012
2009 Pipoli
Aglianico Del Vulture $22-25 - A southern Italian red that proves the refined muscular power of the noble Aglianico grape (often called 'the Nebbiolo of the south'); dark as night in colour, full bodied in flavour and a well deserved medal winner at the world's biggest wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London. There is also a riserva at $45. Both are stellar. Both will do well in a good cellar.
Central Otago rocks...
This rugged region is home to the southernmost wine region in the world. This is Misha and Andy Wilkinson's Vineyard at Bendigo, Central Otago. Image by Central Otago photographer Tim Hawkins.
Vineyard of the month...
Misha's Vineyard, Central Otago January 2012: Bogart (left) leads Ruby down the dusty slate slopes of Misha's Vineyard on the shores of Lake Dunstan in Bendigo, Central Otago, on the eve of the 2012 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration, on a typically bone dry day in the world's southernmost wine region. Misha and Andy Wilkinson's 57-hectares of vines are planted on slopes which range from hilly to so steep they almost rival Germany's wonderfully precipitous shingly Riesling vineyards lining the meandering Mosel River. Photograph below by Joelle Thomson.
www.mishasvineyard.com
2010 Kupe By Escarpment, NZ $85, posted 4 Feb 2012
Pinot Noir maestro is a grand title to live up to and these days Martinborough (New Zealand) winemaker Larry McKenna has many others to vie for the title with... he is certainly one of this country's masters of the tricky Pinot Noir grape, as this top wine of his new 2010 releases shows already.
If the proof of an ageworthy wine is one that drinks like silk when it's young, then Kupe is a good contender for the cellar.
www.escarpment.co.nz
