Life & Style

Food & Wine

Wine Reviews

I’ve been tasting some of the lesser known (in NZ) grape varieties recently and wanted to showcase three excellent examples that would be great introductions to their respective varieties. These won’t be that easy to find, so contacting the wineries may be your best bet.

Chenin blanc

New Zealand Winegrowers, on its website, records 22ha planted and in production. This variety’s spiritual homeland is the Loire Valley in France where its versatility sees it craft bubblies, dry, off-dry and sweet wines, though to luscious dessert examples with many capable of incredible ageing potential. The wines of Vouvray are possibly the best known examples in New Zealand. It can also be found in the south of France where it is prized for its ability to retain acidity in those warmer climes.…