Joelle Thomson

Back to Blog

What does Dry July mean to you

If Dry July has passed you by (no rhyme intended), spare a thought for the makers of New Zealand's newest 0% alcohol wine, the Giesen family, who added another dealcoholised wine to their now growing range this week. The new wine is the 0% Giesen Chardonnay (RRP $18.99) and its fortuitous timing, given that it taps neatly into the nerve of Dry July and a growing concern globally about the impact of alcohol on our health. Not that I am personally taking part in Dry July this year, aside from...

Five top drops - Pinot Noirs to drink this July

This month marks the 14th consecutive one in as many years that I have written an annual Pinot Noir report for publication in Drinksbiz magazine. This time round, I wrote with a sense of awe at the explosion in volume, value and very impressive Pinot Noirs made in New Zealand. Needless to say, not all of them made it into the report, which is where this top five come in (and, yes, there are another five waiting in the wings).Pinot Noir is the most important red grape and the second most imp...

Rock on Rockburn new releases

Rockburn takes its name from the rugged, rock strewn landscape of Central Otago and has two vineyards, one on the Gibbston Back Road in Gibbston Valley, the other at Parkburn in the Cromwell Basin which is home to its winery at Ripponvale. The Rockburn Stables Cellar Door and tasting room is situated in the Gibbston Valley in Coal Pit Road and this winery is a specialist of white wines as well as Pinot Noir; the leading light of most Central Otago wineries. Rockburn also produces Pinot...

Pivotal Pinot pioneer retires and new appointee

It's official. Paul Mason has been named as the new winemaker at Nga Waka winery and will take over in November this year from winemaker-founder, Roger Parkinson, who will retire after 32 impressive vintages.  Mason is currently the head winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard where he has been for 20 years, building a reputation as an outstanding producer of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling over that time, along with other high quality wines such as Sauvignon Blanc.Roger Parkinson’s retir...

Fab four release from Escarpment 2022

Tim Bourne had his work cut out at Escarpment Vineyard's annual single vineyard release held in late June this year. He was charged with the task of releasing four Pinot Noirs from single sites around the Martinborough wine growing area, all of them from the tricky 2022 vintage.It was a privilege to be there to hear and taste the wines as Bourne addressed and impressed a roomful of Pinot Noir fans. If this is a tough vintage, then bring on the great ones because these wines are among the pinnacl...

Discover Te Muna Valley's deliciousness

I have long been a follower, writer and fan of Te Muna Valley, its majestic landscape and outstanding Pinot Noirs, so I am thrilled to be hosting the opening half of a new event called Discover Te Muna. The two day event will include great wines from producers such as Blue Earth, Craggy Range, Equilibrium, Escarpment Vineyard, Mason and Te Tera. I will host an in-depth tasting of whites and reds from Te Muna as well as the story of this stunning valley's transformation from farming to wine.The f...

What's in my glass this week... maverick wines

A chilly barrel tasting of Lagrein at a small New Zealand winery this week sparked a conversation about climate change, diversity and the need to future proof our wine industry. It can be challenging to find ways of future proofing ourselves in a world where the climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable and yet it was exactly that sentiment that leads winemaker Jane Cooper to explore grape varieties that are off the beaten track. Lagrein is one of the quirkier grape varieties that she is ex...

Homage to Winetopia - wine without pretence

Winetopia founder and organiser Rob Elliott is a man on a mission: to bring wine to the masses in a chilled, buzzy and fun environment, without a hint of pretence. The event is an annual fixture in central Wellington and Auckland each year, having begun life in 2016 and, despite a few hiccups thrown up by covid, Winetopia continues to grow, both in the confidence of those taking part and in wine lovers' perceptions of the event. It is a great place to go to taste wines most people would rarely g...

Winetopia Wellington - join me for great wines

Winetopia starts in Wellington today Friday 7 June and runs through from tomorrow afternoon into the evening, Saturday 8 June, at the TSB Arena in Wellington. Join me and other wine lovers at Winetopia for wine, food and music and a great time. The focus is on having fun in a stimulating, interesting, informative - and completely unpretentious - environment. It 's a privilege to host sessions at Winetopia each year. I select the wines for all of my sessions and prepare fresh informatio...

Cyclone's heartbreak highlights wine community's warmth

May you live in interesting times is one of those phrases that is often attributed to ancient Chinese wisdom but which apparently originally came from an American politician called Frederic Coudert, in 1939. If he was alive today, he would've made a fortune on merchandise, social media and possibly even in mainstream media too. We are certainly living in interesting times. For many, the interesting bit is a euphemism for not great and that is the story of the 2023 vintage in Hawke's Bay whe...

Minimum alcohol levels for 100% Marlborough wine

Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) has introduced a minimum sugar ripeness level for all wines bearing its trademark of authenticity. “Now more than ever, consumers can be assured that every one of our AMW certified wines is an authentic, quality expression of our region. It’s a measure of our members' commitment that this has been passed unanimously," says AMW Chairperson John Buchanan.The organisation was founded in 2018 to guarantee that all member wineries would use g...

Short, sweet and smaller than usual

Dr John Forrest is soaking up in the last chilly rays of sun on a late autumn afternoon when we talk about vintage 2024 in Marlborough. He describes the 2024 vintage as one of the best and one of the smallest in the past decade."It was definitely a year for using stalks in the Pinot ferments and I'm usually sitting on the fence about stalky ferments so it is an exciting year for quality," says Forrest, when describing vintage 2024 in Marlborough.It was far from smooth sailing, however, despite t...

Judgement of London closes the gap in wine thinking

The win of New Zealand's best dry Riesling at The Judgement of London competition last week on Tuesday 20 May closes the gap between the terms Old World and New World, showing that great wines can and do come from all corners of the world. The overall winning wine is Pegasus Bay Riesling Bel Canto Riesling 2011, which won the top spot and two other categories, including best white wine and best textured white wine.“My family has always made wines that we feel truly reflect our location and eac...

Oscar Wilde on the weather and my wine of the week

Posted Friday 10 May 2024 PS   Five of the best Pinot Noirs blog will follow this weekend, giving readers a sneak preview of some of the smallest volume, highest quality red wines in New Zealand today.Oscar Wilde is famous for many reasons, including his quick wit, which translated to an enormous range of thoughtful comments when he was alive. One of my favourites is about the weather. Unless there is a reason to discuss the weather, I have always felt a sense of suspicion when it is m...

Early days point to outstanding vintage in Aotearoa

It has famously been said that there is nothing permanent except change, which seems like a brilliant way to get to grips with a friend's change of plan, a rainy day or any of life's interesting curve balls and when it comes to wine, it couldn't be more apt. Innovation and experimentation are alive and well but if there's one thing every winemaker has to hold onto their seats for each year it's vintage variation; that constant variable that keeps winemakers on their toes. The past two vinta...

What's in my glass this week - White Rioja and Pinot Gris

If you love wine, want to know a little more about it but don't have the bandwidth to do a night course, a day course or sign up to serious, qualification based study, what do you do?One of the best places to have fun while you learn about wine is Winetopia. Organiser and owner of the event, Rob Elliott, devised Winetopia with a fun approach to wine knowledge in mind and I am pleased to announce today that I will be part of the team again for the fourth (or is it the fifth?) year running. The ev...

To hell and back in vintages

It was one hell of a ride, the 2023 vintage, with colder temperatures and more rainfall than usual. The words are Adam Eggins', who was chatting with me on the eve of vintage 2024 earlier this year. It's a stark contrast to 2023 in South Australia (and in New Zealand, incidentally) and is much appreciated as a result.This year has been a walk in the proverbial park by contrast to 2023, which says a lot about the interesting times we live in. Anyone who doesn't seem to believe in the concept of c...

Libraries and wine

Wine of the week2014 Folding Hill Cellar Release Pinot Noir Libraries are always fascinating places, even more so when they contain wines that have been aging in bottle (or barrel) for a decade or more. The 2014 Folding Hill Pinot Noir is a small volume edition from one of the driest, warmest and windiest corners of Central Otago; Bendigo. This wine expresses the arid climate and summer heat of Bendigo in a wine with density, full body and a solid tannin structure, all of which suggest the ...

Marlborough wine drives authenticity forward

Appellation Marlborough Wine has appointed its first chief executive this year to drive forward the organisation's stamp of authenticity - all wines bearing the official AMW letters must be made from 100% Marlborough grown grapes.The new role is now filled by Michael Wentworth, who will oversee, promote and protect the AMW mark of authenticity. The AMW organisation was formed in 2018 and now has 50 member wineries. The organisation's key goal is authenticity and the guarantee that wines be...

Chardonnay comeback highlighted in Bay

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers has announced its fourth annual top 12 Chardonnays, all selected by wine consultant Cameron Douglas, MS, from the 2022 vintage.The wines are the current releases from most of the wineries and were chosen from a wider tasting of 42 submissions, all from Hawke's Bay. Douglas says he reaffirms his belief that Hawke's Bay's best Chardonnays can rival top Chardonnays from other countries and wine regions, including Burgundy, France.Chardonnay is one of the most significant v...

Craggy Range makes top 50 list - again

One of New Zealand's highest profile wineries has made ranked in the world's top 50 Most Admired Wine Brands for the fifth year running.The independent top 50 list is compiled by Drinks International magazine, whose editor commissions a global group of sommeliers, wine buyers, wholesalers, Masters of Wine and writers to pin point their best wine brands. Competition gets tougher each year, says Drinks International editor Shay Waterworth."What's particularly important to me is that...

Pinot dedicated winemaker brings great change

It's never comfortable having to tighten our belts, literally or metaphorically, and with the rising price of, well, everything, these days, it has become extremely difficult for many wine retailers to keep their prices in check. Examples I could give from first hand experience in wine retail are numerous and range from low priced French rosé which is RRP $21.99 one month and $25.99 the next to top value Spanish wines which were RRP $23.99 on the shelf on one and are now $37.99. The wines remai...

Methodé in Marlborough's mad growth

Forgive the use of the word 'mad' in the heading above, which is used purely to describe the frenzied rise in volume, both of vineyards planted and wines produced, in New Zealand's biggest wine region. There is precious little madness (other than fast and furious growth) to be found in Marlborough and the last Friday in March every year is reason to taste, learn and enjoy the region's sparkling wines, whose producers are slowly but steadily growing the awareness of a formal wine body they have c...

All about ageing - new ten year old wines show rewards of cellaring

PS: If ageing wine seems too tricky, the current releases of the two wines on this post are also stellar examples of the best of New Zealand wine and they put North Canterbury's finest vinous foot forward. Apologies for the long headline. It is always with a sense of dread that cellaring wine enters the discussion because most wine drinkers prefer to purchase their wine now to drink it now rather than invest now and wait a decade in the hope of... not being quite sure what to expect. It was exac...

In praise of Riesling - an oldie but yes it's amazing

It was International Riesling Day last week and I nearly marked it by stamping my last Riesling tattoo (a transfer, in case it's not obvious) on my forearm, only the tattoo was so dried out that the plan failed. It was the last one of about 100 Riesling transfer/tattoos I bought about a decade ago when the global Riesling movement was having its day. Those of us who dived down the Riesling rabbit hole may never have achieved a global following for this great white grape and the incredibly comple...