http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.joellethomson.com en-us Sat, 12 Sep 2026 04:50:31 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169845/wine-of-the-week-from-gimblett-gravels-17th-annual-vintage-selection/ This year marks the 17th year of the Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection wines which were officially announced in August. I will post all of my independent reviews of the 12 wines here over coming weeks now that I have tasted through the selection, which features six Syrahs and six reds made from classic Bordeaux grape varieties, all from the 2024 vintage. This year's release wines were, as always, independently selected by Master of Wine Andrew Caillard every year. The 2024 is a... Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169845 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169779/australian-alternative-white--wine-of-the-week/ Talk about a surprise. Well, not exactly. Australia has been taking me by surprise this year for all the obvious reasons - it's warmer than New Zealand and it's bigger so it has more going on in some spheres, including when it comes to trialling lesser known wine styles made from European grapes that are not mainstream. Enter this wine of the week. It is the most vibrant Australian white wine I've tasted this year and has the fresh acidity that I've come to expect from New Zealand wines rather t... Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169779 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169735/bragato-spearheads-new-environment-wine-waste-project/ A new environmental project by the Bragato Research Institute in Marlborough could see thousands of tonnes of the region's winery waste turned into a valuable resource for vineyards through a new regional programme.The Institute is spear heading the Marlborough Circular Wine Programme which will see it collect winery lees, the sediment left over from winemaking, and combine it with materials such as compost and biochar to produce a safe, beneficial soil amendment. The initiative aims to reduce w... Sun, 06 Sep 2026 19:50:40 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169735 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169730/westwood-rose-release--dry-polished-expression-of-waiheke-island/ 2026 Soho Westwood Rosé RRP $32Westwood Rosé puts Waiheke Island’s freshest foot forward in this newly released 2026 wine, which comes to market in ideal time for spring. Light in colour, dry in taste and a flavoursome expression of Syrah and Merlot blended together, this wine delivers dried red fruit aromas, flavours of fresh watermelon and a twist of citrus on the finish which adds vibrancy to each flavoursome sip. The grapes in Westwood Rosé were grown on Soho’s Onetangi Vineyard on Wa... Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:31:31 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169730 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169651/keeping-it-in-the-hawkes-bay-family/ Four homes in nine years is a lot for anyone, even more so when it involves wine tanks, barrels and infrastructure but now Radburnd Wines has a permanent new home at one of Hawke’s Bay’s most meaningful winery sites - the former Stonecroft Winery.The announcement means that Hawke’s Bay wineries are creating a legacy in the country’s relatively short wine history with Kate Radburnd’s formal news this week that she has purchased Stonecroft Winery premises from Fistonich Family Vineyards.... Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169651 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/168968/finest-foot-forward-for-2024-in-aotearoa/ Is it really 25 years since Craggy Range harvested its first grapes and made its first vintage? The official release of the winery's Prestige Collection wines this week on 1 September, marks the 25th vintage for Craggy Range. It's an auspicious release for the winery any way you look at it because this family owned wine brand has the best vintage of the past four years to mark as its 25th year - and 2024 was an exceptional vintage. Volumes were lower than usual and quality was significantly high... Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post168968 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169365/thought-provoking-wine-of-the-week-from-a-thoughtful-producer--two-paddocks-dry-riesling/ Here in Western Australia on a family visit, it’s refreshingly warm, the ocean is crystal clear and the sand feels like velvet underfoot following a brutally chilly winter in New Zealand. So it would be natural to expect a wine of the week that reflects this country but here goes with a pristine wine that drinks well in this climate. More to come on Western Australia and the greatness of its wines, which have been keeping my palate refreshed and interested.In the meantime... my wine of the wee... Sun, 30 Aug 2026 01:34:17 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169365 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/169318/twenty-years-in-the-making/ If Pinot Noir seems to have risen from zero to hero over the past few decades, it has - almost - but it's not only volume that has grown, it's also diversity. This year, winemaker Helen Masters marks her 20th vintage at Ata Rangi with the release of (among other wines) four Pinot Noirs from a year that was excellent for quality and a massive relief for winemakers following challenging years in 2022 and 2023. The latter proved to be so challenging that Masters didn't make the flagship Ata Rangi P... Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post169318 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/168951/will-michelin-bring-a-long-term-boost-to-wine-sales-and-hospitality/ As timing goes, the inaugural Michelin Guide New Zealand 2026 awards could barely have been better. Like almost every industry across the motu right now, it's been tough for wine. There are many factors coinciding to place pressure on wine at a time when its quality has never been better. Two of those pressures are rising costs of living and rising unemployment figures across Aotearoa. The arrival of the Michelin Guide to this country has been met with cynicism in some quarters but it's als... Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post168951 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/post/168811/the-pinot-files--blue-earth/ Pinot Noir is the most significant red grape variety in New Zealand with 75% of the country's 6,804 hectares of reds, the vast majority of which are planted in the South Island. The most important North Island region for Pinot Noir is the Wairarapa but since there's a plethora of regions beginning with 'Wai' (don't get me started), let's focus for now on Martinborough, the heart of this high quality, often wind-beaten wine region.The wines have been impressive from day one in the late 1980s but ... Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:58:26 +1200 http://www.joellethomson.com/blog/#post168811