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Six winemakers are flying into Wellington to host our sparkling Saturday in store at Regional of their top shelf bubbles from Central Otago, North Canterbury, Marlborough and Martinborough. This is a great opportunity to get your minds and mouths around some of New Zealand's best top shelf wines (and, it has to be said, some of the most under rated, over performing wines made in this country). This Saturday afternoon tasting is open to all and tasty finger food will be served to complement the sparkling wines No bookings necessary. Meet the bubbles makers  This is an opportunity for all wine lovers to meet the makers of some of the world’s best value, tastiest and most under rated traditional method sparkling wines. Traditional method bubbles The words traditional method are the official EU term for making sparkling wine in the most complex method, which used to be referred to as the champagne method. Traditional method sparkling wines in New Zealand are * Fermented and made into a still 'base' wine * Made from traditional grapes grown in the Champagne region * These grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir * Second fermentation in the bottle to gain CO2 and complex flavours from yeast autolysis (the breakdown of yeast cells as they disintegrate into the wine following the second fermentation). The wines, the people, the wineries Quartz Reef of Central Otago with Rudi Bauer Alan McCorkindale Wines of North Canterbury Saint Clair Wines of Marlborough with Sarina Ibbotson No 1 Family Estate, Marlborough with Virginie le Brun Nautilus Estate of Marlborough with Claudia Yanez Palliser Estate from Martinborough with Sandy Moore The full line up to taste Quartz Reef Brut NV Quartz Reef Blancs de Blancs 2013 Quartz Reef Rosé Alan McCorkindale Rosé 2009 Saint Clair Dawn 2015 No 1 Family Estate Assemble NV No 1 Family Estate Calibre 70 Cuvee No 1 Family Estate Blancs de Blancs NV Nautilus Brut NV Nautilus Rosé Palliser Estate Methodé The Griffin

Vegan wine may seem like a strange concept, given that wine is made from grapes, so in theory, at least, it is a vegetarian product.  So where do animals come into it? It's all about appearances. Most people tend to like wines (and anything they drink) to look clear rather than cloudy. And guess what the quickest way to achieve this is? Fining agents. Two innocent little words that have historically implicated animals in the winemaking process because high protein by-products can easily be used to coagulate with floaty pieces in wine after fermentation. Egg whites, dried blood, fish bladders, gelatin and milk based casein have all been used as fining agents to make  wine look clear and bright. And while the dried blood has long since been outlawed by the EU, all of the other products remain in common use today. As are bentonite (clay), peas and potatoes.  Horses were also used historically to plow vineyards in traditional winemaking countries and, ironically, they are being used again today because the gentle trod of an animal is considered far less aggressive on soil than a man made machine. No surprises there. So, while vegan friendly wine sounds great to some, in theory, it might be far more environmentally friendly to utilise horses, animal manure and egg whites because the alternative could just be far worse. Just a thought. In summary, there is no straightforward answer to the overall question of how to figure out if your wine is vegan friendly, unless the winery in question is determined (as some listed below are) to stamp out the use of animal by-products. On the upside, the fact that the vegan-friendly wine question has gone from kooky to mainstream is a positive indication that we are all more aware of the need for transparency in both the use of ingredients in fast moving consumable products and in their labelling.    Vegan friendly wines Akarua - some Astrolabe - some Blackenbrook - some Brightside - some Leconfield wines - all vegan-friendly wines are labelled Yalumba - every Yalumba wine is vegan-friendly Yealands - some Marks & Spencer wines, UK, 70% labelled vegan-friendly.

Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) has announced the results of a new survey that reveals it as the leading organic wine region in New Zealand.  The association conducted a survey of members after the 2019 harvest to assess the level of certified organic and biodynamic vineyards Central Otago. Results showed that 17% (320 hectares) of vineyard land in Central is now fully certified in organic and biodynamic production with another 6% (115 hectares) of the region in the official three year organic conversion process. Land must be managed to a certified organic standard for three years before full organic status is granted by an organic certifying body; the leading one in New Zealand being BioGro NZ. This means 23% of the region’s vineyard land is now being farmed under certified organic or biodynamic practices.  Organics has been a long term focus forCentral Otago's winemakers. In 2007, Central Otago Winegrowers Association members gave a clear directive to move towards a collective approach to adopting organic practices. Moving towards achieving this goal was accelerated by funding received from Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) to design and implement a pilot programme for Central Otago to support winegrowers to transition towards becoming organic.  Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ) has been instrumental in helping to achieve this high proportion of organic winegrowing, through projects such as the Organic Focus Vineyard project and other industry-led workshops.   

Pop in to Regional for organic wine tastings between 17 to 23 September 2019 The first ever Organic Wine Week in New Zealand was held around the country last year and so successful that it's happening again. This year Regional Wines & Spirits is getting in on the action, with tastings of organically certified wines, information sheets about what organic wine is - and isn't, and information on which wineries are producing organically certified wines. Who runs Organic Wine Week? Organic Wine Week is the brainchild of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ). This down to earth organisation is run by members who grow grapes and are passionate about sharing their love of organic and biodynamic wine. Over 10% of New Zealand wineries hold organic certification, including many of the country's most respected and awarded wine producers," says the OWNZ website. What is organic wine? Like any organic product, an organic wine can only be called 'organic' if it has organic certification with an independent organisation. The leading organic certifier in New Zealand is BioGro NZ. There are other certifying bodies and there is also biodynamic certification, which represents the next level of organic land management and farming. "Organic growers aim to produce wines that are true to the earth, and to take care of the land we all share. No synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides are used. Instead, organic producers are careful cocreators with nature. We build healthy vines by building healthy soils, and by nurturing a diverse, rich community of plants, soil, insects and microorganisms."​ Click here or above for info' about OWNZ. Organic Wine Saturday at Regional Wines 21 September 1pm to 5pm... Join us any time from 1pm to 5pm in store at Regional to taste organic wines from all over the country. We will open a bunch of the best from the deep southern region of Central Otago - this country's leading organic wine region, in terms of the number of certified organic wines made there - right up through other wine regions to Auckland, where Villa Maria makes an organically certified Verdelho. No bookings necessary for this tasting. * Come along and learn about what an organic wine is on Saturday 21 September from 1pm to 5pm - taste a great range of high quality organic wines, pick up our information sheet and learn.

Spain continues to reign supreme when it comes to popular grapes and wines from the Iberian Peninsula, but the grape we now know as Albarino originally comes from Portugal. The north west, to be precise. It is called Alvarinho in Portugal and Albarino in Spain, and it's now  finding a firm footing in New Zealand too. The first Kiwi winemaker to spark interest in this bright, fresh white grape was John Forrest of Forrest Estate in Marlborough.  He always reckoned that Albarino's naturally high acidity and propensity for growing well in relatively damp climates would mean that it suited the hot days, cool nights and maritime climate of New Zealand.  Albarino's success in New Zealand It turns out that John Forrest was right on all counts - and more. Albarino is the most successful of all the lesser known European grapes that are currently being trialled in New Zealand. This coming Saturday we will crack open a bottle of the latest Forrest Estate Albarino, which is one of our top picks of this promising newcomer to the New Zealand national vineyard area. Its aforementioned natural high acidity makes it an ideal contender for the relatively cool maritime climate of this country - a climate that is surprisingly similar to north west Portugal and north west Spain; the two traditional homes to Albarino and Alvarinho. In their latest mammoth tome about wine, Masters of Wine Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding call the grape Alvarinho and its original homeland as north eastern Portugal. Read their whole description of Alvarinho and it turns out that this grape basically comes from the border of Portugal and Spain. The Albarino grape makes up 90% of the vineyard in Rias Baixas in north west Spain. And it's a key ingredient in Vinho Verde from Portugal.   Regional's Albarino tasting... join us for a glass... Pop in this Saturday 3 August from 1pm to 5pm Here's the line up 2016 Barbuntin Albarino, special $21.99 (RRP $23.99) 2017 Forrest Albarino, special $22.99 (RRP $24.99) 2018 Nautilus Albarino, special $26.99 (RRP $28.99) 2017 Senorio Rubios Albarino, special $26.99 (RRP $24.99) 2017 Terras Guida Albarino, special $31.99 (RRP $35.99)

Having angered the whisky gods with a lineup of no age statement single malts at the previous tasting, it was time to atone, and thus we found ourselves, once again, before the sacrificial altar at the chapel of Bruce Mclaren, with seven single casks from BenRiach. We’re all searching for a way to crack the conundrum that is purchasing single cask whiskies - that hack or cheat that will demystify the problem and avoid the disappointment of getting home with a $250 whiskey and realising you should have just bought another bottle of a’Bunadh. You can go by colour, or type of cask and number of fills, but, as this tasting proved, there’s really no other way than tasting the damn things.  In essence there were only two cask styles on show, port and sherry casks, and two styles of malt; peated and unpeated, so they’d surely be easy to pick right? But as any chaos theoretician will tell you - simple procedures can often result in highly complex outcomes, and like a fractal of flavours unfurling before us, these whiskies presented a diversity of style, and to be fair, a diversity of quality too, so much so that to simply pick these whiskies at face value by reading the cask type off the label would be nigh on impossible. There were two un-peated sherry casks that were light years apart in quality, despite being from the same batch and vintage, a port pipe masquerading as an oloroso cask and four peated malts that had integrated so well into the cask profile, that they too became hard to decipher in terms of cask provenance.  Here’s how they tasted (and scored for those who are interested). BenRiach 2006 11yo #2406 Batch 15 - (port pipe) 58.7%  (score 8.6) Honey hits the senses from the get go - is this really a port pipe? The nose opens further with hints of stewed pears and apricots and develops into caramel, vanilla, xmas cake and walnuts and certainly seems more reminiscent of oloroso. After time, licorice spice and and overripe bananas soaked in something strong and eau-de-vie-like appear and give it an ester-driven lift. The palate is all sweet caramel and ginger spice served in a bowl of sugar puff cereal. Where’s the port? Who cares, this is top notch European oak (I’d imagine) and tastes marvellous. BenRiach 2005 12yo #5014 Batch 15  (oloroso sherry butt) 58.1% (score 7.2) The first of our unpeated oloroso butts - the tasting having started with two clean cask styles to hopefully guide us onwards and give us a taste of what was to follow, however, this one is a ultimately a red herring, with way less of an oloroso quality than number one from a port pipe, and proves that a below-parr cask is a simply a below-parr cask - no matter the style. Savoury linseed, pine and butyric notes akin to a minted yoghurt on a Doner kebab certainly have it appearing complex - but this is xmas tree not xmas cake as we might have hoped. Rum and raisin notes try to quiet the exaggerated oak but fail. The palate is a touch out of balance, and with a savoury profile it misses the mark; Xmas turkey, onions and sage stuffing and sprouts - but no Xmas cake unfortunately. Did this need a dose of peat to bring it together? BenRiach 2005 12yo #2682 Batch 15 (port pipe, peated) 53.9% - (score 8.07) Ahh, here’s some peat, it jumps out the glass and grapples with the nostrils before surging straight into the brain and evoking all manner of strange recollections that manifest as a lurid and slightly surreal dream. A game of chess, with plastic pieces, played in a dusty old church hall, the floors of which have just been disinfected. Your opposition, sat so close he is invading all senses, is rolling a cigarette, his fingers stained green from the fresh tobacco, and is struggling with one arm in a sling and bandaged from recent surgery. He stares at you as he plans his next move - has he spotted the obvious chequemate you have unfortunately given away with the last, stupid move? As he ponders, he eats salami and strawberries from a plate at his side - and as he spots the killer move, he drops a strawberry and it lands in his ashtray. Lost in the game and focussed on the killer blow he is about to administer, he mindlessly plucks the strawberry from the ash and places it in his mouth, and you watch as he chews it down unawares….   BenRiach 1995 22yo #7383 Batch 15 - (peated, oloroso butt), 51.1% (score 8.34) Another imposter in this lineup of pleasingly dirty, grunge-some yet characterful whiskies. The dusty old man of the tasting, surrounded by boisterous youth, and happy to put his be-slippered feet up next to the coal fire and smoke a pipe as the others vie for attention. The nose is all dried fruits and cough sweets, licorice and dusty old furniture and an appearance by some black doris plums could have it confused for a port pipe. The peat has receded with age, like an old, sherried Bowmore and the palate is gently spicy and finishes long like a spoonful of spotted dick with extra custard. Gorgeous stuff that could have won another tasting IMHO but was overpowered on this occasion. Mystery Whisky - Benriach 2005 12yo Cask#2679 Batch 14 (1st fill port pipe/peated 53.1% 700ml  (score 8.48) Pleasant earthy forest floor qualities combine with stone fruits and waxy, snuffed candles that develop into savoury, dried, meaty aromas. The palate is sweet with toffee and coffee notes and finishes with woody sultanas and spiced complexities. BenRiach 2005 12yo #2565 Batch 14 - (1st fill oloroso butt) 58.8% (score 9.07) Our winner on the night - and the first oloroso cask to fulfill its promise. But wait, this is so caramel and vanilla driven that surely there’s a good bourbon cask hiding in there somewhere? Was this re-racked from bourbon to oloroso at some stage - or is this just quality American oak? The nose is like a visit to the sweet shop - caramel candy, crunchy bars and vanilla milk chews. There’s Xmas cake in there too, served with generous dollops of brandy butter. The palate continues in the same vein, with sweet vanilla and caramels that combine with a crispy skinned, chinese, chicken dish of some description. BenRiach 2008 9yo #2047 Batch 14 - (port pipe, peated) 63.2% (score 8.49) It’s an evening with uncle Pete, who Mum calls dirty Pete and would rather you didn't spend too much time with, and who she claims she saw eating a bacon sandwich off the dirty floor of the pinball hall after having dropped it. The smell of cigarettes follow him around and combines with cherry cough sweets that he habitually takes to dull his tickly smoker’s cough. As an amateur comedian, he often performs at the local pub as the “Stand Up Chameleon” and tonight you’ve been dragged along for support. As he returns from the stage to a ripple of muted applause, the smell of his rubber chameleon outfit combines with aromas of leather upholstery and turkish delight air freshener from his ford fiesta (which you’ve been told never to get into) and mingle in the dank confines of the tar stained ceilings and thousand year old, booze soaked carpets of the Nag’s Head. As he sips his vodka and grapefruit juice laughing loudly to Mum’s disapproval, he’s definitely a hero in your opinion, after all, how many other uncles tell such funny, dirty jokes...

Here at Regional Wines we will be celebrating International Pinot Noir Day with an instore tasting on Wednesday 21 August from 1pm to 5pm... Join us to taste great Pinot Noir.... and pick up a bottle or a case to take home while you're at it. Pinot Noir is New Zealand's most popular and successful red grape variety. Growth of Pinot in this country has been tenfold since 1987 when Pinot Noir vineyards numbered a modest 524 hectares, compared to today's 5653 hectares, which represents 72% of all red wine grapes planted in this country.  Pinot facts and stats * There are 5653 hectares of Pinot Noir vineyards in New Zealand * Pinot Noir is the second most planted grape in this country after Sauvignon Blanc, which towers over it with approximately 27,000 hectares * Pinot Noir was previously known as Pineau and, prior to that, as Morillon, Noirien and Auvernat * The first mention of Pinot Noir in writing with its modern spelling was in 1375 in Belgium * Central Otago's vineyards are 80% planted in Pinot Noir * Pinot Noir also grows successfully and makes high quality wines in North Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, the Waitaki Valley and the Wairarapa  * It is also one of the key two ingredients in this country's high quality sparkling wines made in the traditional method (like champagne) * The first known plantings of Pinot Noir in New Zealand were in 1883 at Lansdowne Estate in the Wairarapa by William Beetham and his wife, Marie Zelie Hermanze * Lansdowne Estate remains in the Beetham family today but no longer with a vineyard * The Lansdowne Estate vineyard was revived by the Hagar family, who produce small amounts of high quality Pinot Noir in the northern Wairarapa.  * Germany has the most Pinot Noir planted after France and the Germans called it Spatburgunder * Pinto Noir also grows with increasing success in Switzerland, Tasmania, Patagonio, Oregon, Sonoma, Carneros, Monterey in California, Chile and parts of Victoria in Australia. #lovenzpinot

Primitivo is a big selling Italian red for good reason - it consistently over delivers on flavour for the money it costs to buy a bottle. Read on to find out why, preferably with a glass  of this dark, velvety red in hand... Gnarled grapevines and olive trees stretch as far as the eye can see in the vast flat land of Puglia in southern Italy. The 400 kilometre long wine region runs from the spur of the boot right down to its heel and is constantly drenched in sun, rendering the land an arid look of tinder dry wheat fields, interrupted only by the vibrant green of alborello grapevines and olive trees. The name alborello is the word the Italians give to the untrellised bush vines that thrive in this climate, gaining heat from the land at night and shelter from the sun during the day - thanks to their canopy. Puglia is home to Primitivo, Bombino Nero, Negroamaro, Pampanuto, Susumaniello, Uva di Troia and many more besides. Not to mention all the usual international suspects that big wineries have brought here to ripen in the incredibly reliable consistent climate. It’s a dream for profit and for Primitivo, among the many other indigenous grapes that give this region its uniquely Italianesqueness when it comes to grapes – namely, more unusual grapes grow here that are not only never seen in other places but are never heard of outside of their own region. Primitivo is the most famous and it’s one of Regional Wines & Spirits’ biggest sellers from our Italian wine shelves. It offers exceptionally good value for money, as the top wines below show, but first a little information about this great red.   Primitivo facts and figures   The name Primitivo comes from the Italian word ‘primi’, which means first – this is one of the first grapes to ripen in its home region of Puglia. Primitivo originates in Croatia where it is known as Cranagl … It is also known as Zinfandel in the United States Primitivo from Italy tastes very different to Zinfandel, despite being the same, genetically identical grape variety. It’s best known home today is the sun drenched southern Italian region of Puglia – Italy’s third biggest wine region after the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. There are two main styles of Primitivo made in southern Italy; big bodied, high alcohol, intensely fruity wines and drier, more savoury styles. The fruitier styles tend to come from Primitivo di Manduria with the more restrained styles coming from Gioia del Colle. We have both styles in store at Regional – see our top picks below.   Top Primitivos in store at Regional…   2016 Fatalone Primitivo Gioia del Colle $30.99 Click here to buy   2017 San Marzano Il Pumo Primitivo $18.99 Click here to buy   2015 GIorano Primitivo di Manduria $27.99 Click here to buy

Welcome to 2019 #Sherry Week Saturday 9 November 1pm to 5pm – our first official International Sherry Week tasting... Welcome to 2019 #Sherry Week - the first time that Regional Wines & Spirits has hosted an official Sherry Week event... and we are excited to introduce wine lovers in the capital to what we believe is the city's best range of sherries - and one of the best ranges available anywhere in New Zealand.    We will open four sherries for our event. They will range fom the classic dry Tio Pepe Palomino Fino to the salty pleasures of the stunning Bodegas Hidalgo's La Gitana Manzanilla to nutty and dry Lustau Amontillado before finishing on a deliciously decadent note with Gonzalez Byass Nectar PX. Come and taste sherry in all its glory from dry to luscious alongside tasty snacks to accompany these great classic wines of the world. This is the teaser. More to come. Watch this space.

Meet an Italian winery that breaks the mould. It's a cooperative that makes only high quality wine, only in the best years and which is unafraid of not producing wine at all in less than great years. It is Produttori del Barbaresco. The words high quality and co-op are not usually uttered in the same sentence, in wine circles, so it may come as a surprise to find not only that Produttori makes outstanding wines, but also that its bottom line is not as important as its reputation. The winery began when Barbaresco began. It was originally founded in 1894 as the Cantina Sociale Barbaresco by a talented young Italian winemaker called Domizio Cavazza, who bought a castle (as you do) and invited a bunch of Barbaresco grape growers to submit their grapes to him to make wine. And make wine he did, until the 1930s when the Cantine closed due to fascism, The Depression and World War I.  It was revived in 1958 as the Produttori del Barbaresco, situated right in the heart of the town of Barbaresco and managed by Aldo Vacca, who is a former assistant to the great winemaker, Angelo Gaja. All of the grapes used by the Produttori come from the Barbaresco appellation and every year the coop produces a classic Barbaresco. This is a great wine at a (relatively) affordable price, given the nature of Barbaresco and its pricing. But the best wines produced by the Produttori are the nine single vineyards, which are only made in great years. A bunch of new releases from 2014 have just landed in New Zealand and arrived in store at Regional Wines from the top nine cru of Barbaresco: Click on each wine to buy it at Regional Wines. The most approachable Barbaresco cru Asili Pora Rio Sordo   The middleweight Barbaresco cru Muncagota Ovello Pajé   The most full bodied and age worthy Barbaresco cru Rabaja Montefico - sadly, we have no 2014 because it is so popular Montestefano   The cru wines were first released in 1967 with five of the nine crus. These wines drink well when they are eight to ten years old but the most age worthy clearly have another decade (or more) up their vinous sleeves. Read more about Produttori del Barbaresco here.  

The 2016 vintage in southern Rhône A new benchmark! The best of the century! Unmissable! These are just a few of the accolades garnered by the, already it seems, mythical 2016 vintage in the southern Rhône - and so it was with a sense of trepidation that I finally got to taste some of the best in the Regional Wines tasting room last month. Surely they couldn’t live up to the expectation fluffed up in us all by the hype and frenzy of the wine press in full pomp? But they did. The wines were amazing. This is a vintage that offers it all and seemingly defies the laws of nature. Many of the wines were concentrated yet with delicate florals, ripe yet fresh with an electric acidity and somehow balanced and immensely approachable. In 2016 the darker broodier fruits of Syrah and Mourvedre are in check and seemingly play second fiddle to the pinot-esque red fruits and spice of the Grenache, creating wines of real drive. Yet, the florals of Syrah are still strikingly there, as too is the underpinning dark tannic foundation offered by the Mourvedre - creating wines of structure that build in the palate. You might be tempted to stylistically compare Châteauneuf with Bordeaux in a typical vintage, big full bodied wines that aren’t shy, but if anything, these wines had me thinking of ripe and floral Cabernet Franc from the Loire in a decent vintage, or even Burgundy. And so, are these typical southern Rhônes? Absolutely not in many cases in my opinion - but then that is their charm, and their sheer uniqueness and age-worthiness will make this one to have in the cellar, for the next twenty years. Here’s a few of the highlights - available either in store or online here. 2016 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape - $86.99 - The closest to what might one call typical Châteauneuf but still with fragrant raspberry that combines with cassis and autumnal herbs and spices on the nose. The palate is rich, dark and opulent - silky even - with fine ripe tannins helping the dark fruits glide over the length of the palate. 2016 Domaine de la Charbonniere Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix - $95.99 - A wine that flirted with being “overripe” but managed to keep just on the right side. Compote and caramelised red berries are lifted further by mulled spices and a deft grind or two from the pepper mill.The palate has fantastic acidity that balances well with ripe tannins and red and black bramble fruits. Finishes long and elegant. A few more years will draw it all together. 2016 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Les Grames - $49.99 - a beautifully perfumed nose with aromas of doris plums, kirsch and black forest gateau that seem to be emanating off a platter served in the very heart of the garrigue strewn hills of the Rhône as the sun beats down. The palate is clean and crisp and dark fruited.  2016 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau - $153.99 - Wow. I bought a case of the 2001 vintage when I lived in London many years ago, and this is absolutely nothing like that. This is definitely Burgundy meets Châteauneuf with that amazing contradiction of concentration meets delicacy. Absolutely electric - with raspberries fusing with spice and pepper to create a new fruit that does not exist in the mundane relaity we typically live in, and has me coming back to the glass time and time again, as if out of fear that it might disappear and I’ll never have the chance to smell it again. Beguiling... 2016 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - $86.99 - One of the big names of the region and this is a big wine. Everything dialled up but with immense acidity and some savoury stalkineess to boot. Bubblegum and strawberry florals on the nose lead to a palate that is cassis and red fruits with a graphite edge. This will need a couple of decades but has immense promise. 2016 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cairanne Maximilien - $30.99 - Midnight deep in the glass but still offering red fruits that combine with the black doris of the Mourvedre. Sumptuously ripe and full bodied in the mouth and stood proud due to its high proportion of Mourvedre. The cheapest of the tasting and absolutely fantastic value.

Zen breaks the Chardonnay mould Buy your bottle of Zen here... Everyone's trying to make the Chardonnay to top all others and this week we have tasted one of the best to vie for this position. It's called Zen and comes from one of this country's kings of Chardonnay, Tony Bish. The Hawke's Bay winemaker released his first vintage of Zen this year and he claims it's a world first because it is the the first Chardonnay in the world to be made exclusively in an ovum. If you haven't heard of wine made in an ovum before, you're not alone. It's an egg shaped vessel made from French oak, which was made by Taransaud in Cognac near to Bordeaux. "The shape of the ovum helps the Chardonnay to form rich flavours and textured wines thanks to the unique convection currents it produces," says winemaker Tony Bish. “Having spent a year with the ovum in my cellar it gives a very calming, positive vibe to the place. It is an incredible piece of craftmanship and extraordinarily beautiful. To name this wine Zenwas an easy choice to be honest."   How Zen was made Hand picked Mendoza clone Chardonnay grapes were harvested from the Skeetfield Vineyard in Hawke's Bay They were whole bunch pressed No settling or any additions were made at all The old-vine juice was fermented with indigenous, wild yeasts from the vineyard for 2 to 3 weeks   The winemaker philosophy “The yeasts played a critical part in the development of the wine,” says Tony. “We add nothing at all to the juice so the native yeasts were able to flourish with each yeast adding its own nuances to the complexity and differentiation.” Natural malolactic fermentation followed the primary fermentation. Maturation took place in the temperature controlled barrel room. The wine was left in the ovum for 12 months allowing the yeast derived complexity to fully develop. It was then racked several times so it could be bottled without fining or filtration. "This adds to the purity and elegance created by minimum handling, to protect vineyard character and integrity." The old dry farmed vines Tony is a big fan of dry farmed vineyards and rates Skeetfield as one of the best, partly because it is never irrigated. This encourages the vine's roots to go deep into the soil, drawing from the mineral, nutrient and water reserves in the ground.   Tasting note by Joelle Thomson Writer and wine programme director at Regional Wines 2017 Zen Chardonnay $139.99 Next level Chardonnay. Bold, powerful, rich, subtle; all these factors are present and counted, thanks to its pronounced flavour intensity (think, citrus, nectarines and white peach) and beautifully balanced by creamy, nutty notes and a dry, long finish. The new 2017 Zen Chardonnay has far more in common with its French counterparts from Burgundy than with most wines from down under. There's a savoury flavour that adds depth, interest and deliciousness to this great new wine. Pop into Regional to purchase yours or buy here.  

Volcanic wines are hot, literally. It’s no secret that Mount Etna in Sicily, the Canary Islands and the Yamanashi region near Mount Fuji are all home to some of the world’s most diverse and exciting wines, which is why one of the leading authorities on volcanic wines is coming to New Zealand to host tastings on Saturday 28 July and Sunday 29 July. Volcanic wines at Regional... Regional Wines & Spirits has a growing number of high quality wines from volcanic wine regions, particularly Mt Etna on Sicily and from the Canary Islands. Buy Sicily's Girolamo Russo volcanic wine here... And buy Sicilian I Vigneri (old vines) volcanic white here... The above wines are the tip of a longer iceberg of hot reds and whites from volcanic soils. Come in store and ask for more.   The Auckland tasting in August...   Master Sommelier John Szabo will lead two tastings on volcanic wines at the New Zealand School of Food & Wine’s annual W&F Celebration. He was the first Canadian to add the letters MS (Master Sommelier) to his name, in 2004, and has since written Volcanic Wines, Salt Grit and Power – a book about volcanic wine regions. Auckland is a fitting city to host Szabo since the greater Auckland region’s volcanic field has at least 52 volcanoes. The city’s scoria cones range from 10 to 120 meters in height, contributing an unexplored aspect to Auckland’s wine terroir. “The question is how we can enhance the reputations of wines grown in the Auckland region, given most of this region’s wineries are on volcanically derived sedimentary rock,” says Celia Hay of the NZ School of Food & Wine. Szabo will speak at the school’s annual Wine & Food Celebration on Saturday 27July and Sunday 28 July in central Auckland. Register for John Szabo’s tasting here: https://event.foodandwine.co.nz/event/international-volcanic-wine-tasting-john-szarbo-ms

As I cleaned the tables after the second night of the tasting, I discovered a spillage of whisky that had soaked into a tasting mat. It had drawn ink out of the paper and into the wooden table top, and had left an indelible, if somewhat indecipherable, tasting note stain, which would not come off for love nor money. It appeared the whiskies had left a lasting impression. As you may know, we enjoy a single cask here at regional; something independent or rare with an almost angular attitude that has not been smoothed away by blending, vatting or house styling. However, It has to be said, this line up of (relatively) cheap cask strength official distillery releases was, well, pretty impressive.  The lineup was like a coming together of old friends, the reliable ones that have constantly been there for you year in year out, and on this occasion, they didn't disappoint. Nothing tanked and the scores all came in around 8 and above - one even hitting the nines. But that is exactly the selling point of these whiskies - you may pay more for a no age statement than you might for, say, a distillery's twelve year old, but with this trade off comes a dram at cask strength with great depth of flavour.  The Glenfarclas 105 was our opening gambit - the old stalwart of the cask strength official bottling scene and which pretty much invented the style. Originally bottled as a Christmas gift by George S. Grant for distillery workers and friends, the 105 was officially released way back in 1968 - 105 being the British proof for 60% abv. It held up well, with its big hit of oloroso, tobacco and mothballs freshly picked from a dusty of wardrobe, but was quickly eclipsed by another classic, the Aberlour a'Bunadh. One of those go to drams that rarely fails to raise a smile, and which has always done well at Regional tastings, notably winning our Best of the Best tasting two years ago. This was a plate of Peking duck with plum sauce eaten off a sandalwood table, followed by treacle tart doused in star anise and cardamom custard - a real mouthful!  People talk of a perceivable drop in quality for the a'Bunadh over recent years, fuelled by a demand from supermarket chains in the UK that they simply can't keep up with. Always hard to comment on such gradual changes, but if you were lucky enough to attend our a'Bunadh vertical a couple of years back, you might remember that the whiskies showed no perceivable drop in quality between batch 46 and 58 (somewhat proved by tasting them young to old on one night and then old to young the following night - on both nights the whiskies were simply perceived as better the later they were in the lineup (which in itself  is a topic for another day)). However, interestingly, on that occasion they mostly scored in the high eights and nines, whilst at this tasting, the mighty a'Bunahd only managed a paltry 8.6 - food for thought indeed. The a'Bunahd was followed by the Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch #5 59.1%, a whisky which recently popped up at our Malts of the Midlands tasting where it scored a very respectable 8.58. This certainly showed some pleasant cookie dough qualities often associated with the central belt, but was outshone by the rich sherried flavours of those around it, and notably limped away with a much lower 8.03. At the Midlands tasting, it had formed part of a second flight at cask strength following four whiskies in and around 43% - so was this solely cask strength tasting showing how differently we score when the playing field is levelled? Cask strength whiskies have always done well at the Regional tastings, but string seven of them together and the scoring is moderated, it would appear. Next up were a brace of peated whiskies, starting with the Kilkerran 8yo 56.5%. This was a real belter of a whisky; a serving of peppered mackerel on lightly charred rye bread and drizzled with lemon juice. It came last, unfairly in my opinion, but then its peaty profile had it at a slight disadvantage from the get go. The Ardbeg Uigeadail was its peat partner on the evening, a whisky I've been wanting to get into a blind tasting environment for a while now, it being the go to Ardbeg (IMHO) and typically offering very handsomely integrated peat and sherry flavours, delivered at a high abv and moderately priced to boot. It certainly held its own, but didn’t wow, placing 4th with a score of 8.41, and had me wondering if we should have gone with the Corryvrecken? The final pair were the show stealers by far, and both with a proven track record at Regional tastings. The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso 60.3% made a recent appearance at the Myshterry tasting last july, where it came second behind the Glenburgie Gordon & Macphail 1995 - 2017 22 years 56.5% which went on to win Best of the Best last year, so it would obviously take some stiff competition to beat it. This was duly provided by the Tamdhu Batch Strength #3 59%, a marvellously complex number with Crème brûlée balanced by savoury walnuts, and which seemed to dance in the palate with a quicksilver lining. It scored in the nines, and rightly so.  So, a tasting that raised more questions in the age-old debate of vatting and house style versus the single cask. For every person singing the praises of distillery style, there is a voice championing the single cask or independents bottler. When you look at aged whiskies - 15 years and above - official distillery releases becomes pricey very quickly, and are typically delivered at 43-46%, and In this bracket, it’s fair to say that the inde bottlers come into their own. In the same breath though - the Glenlivet Nadurra and Tamdhu were available on the night for around $100, and, at that price, you would certainly struggle to find an independently bottled single cask whisky matching the quality they showed... Here are the scores,with links to purchase. Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength 60% 1L - 8.2  Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 61 60.8% - 8.63 Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch #5 59.1% - 8.03 Kilkerran 8yo 56.5% - 7.98 Mystery Whisky - Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2% - 8.4 Tamdhu Batch Strength #3 59% - 9.07 Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso 60.3% - 8.88

Barossa blockbuster... To say that Stonewell Shiraz is a wine for the cellar is to make a major understatement. It's made mostly from vines that were planted in 1885, which typically crop up to 1.5 tonnes per acre. Miniscule, in other words. And we will have it open for tasting as a one off special on Saturday 6 July from 1pm to 5pm. The first vintage of Stonewll Shiraz was 1987 when Peter Lehmann wanted to make a top notch Shiraz and is named after Stonewell, the district that he believed put Barossa Shiraz's best foot forward.  The 2013 vintage was one of the driest on record in South Australia and the harvest was early, as a result of the arid growing season. Crops were smaller than usual, which is saying something when it comes to the vineyards this wine is made from. Speaking of which, the 2013 Stonewell Shiraz also includes grapes from a higher altitude vineyard in the Eden Valley which is owned by a long term grape grower who supplies to Peter Lehmann Wines.  The 2013 Stonewell Shiraz was partially fermented and then matured in French oak hogsheads.  The cellaring potential is 12 to 15 years from vintage. But history suggests we could add "and then some", provided the wine is cellared in a cool, dark, temperature stable cellar. 

Te Kano Wines is about to become the newest winery on Central Otago's golden mile on Felton Road, Bannockburn. Bannockburn, Central Otago, rows of Pinot Noir vines...   The first Te Kano wines were made in 2016 at VinPro by Dave Sutton, who was on staff at VinPro but has since jumped ship to work full time for Te Kano. His new a role offers him the chance to shape a new wine brand from its inception and he is producing an interesting range, mostly using Pinot Noir to make two tiers of red Pinot  and also a Blanc de Noir (white wine from red grapes). He also makes a dry Pinot Gris. The overall production of Te Kano wines is rising slowly and is likely to grow to 3000 cases this year. Small, in other words.  * Te Kano winery owns three vineyards and will open its new cellar door and tasting room on Felton Road in September this year.    Taste Te Kano   2018 Te Kano Blanc de Noir Central Otago This blanc de noir (white wine made from black grapes) is made from grapes grown on Te Kano's Felton Road vineyard opposite Mt Difficulty’s winery and on heavy soil, which produces big bunches with low colour, large berries and less suitability for dry red Pinots than a dry white, so this wine was a natural fit. It's dry, light bodied and fresh, thanks to vibrant acidity.  Winemaker Dave Sutton is aiming for a dry wine (less than 2 grams residual sugar per litre) and he builds in texture with lees work, adding weight to the mid palate. The wine spends no time on skins during or after fermentation.    2018 Te Kano Central Otago Pinot Gris Clean, clear, fresh and dry with good weight, thanks to 5% botrytis in the wine, which gives weight and unctuousness and finishes on a crisp fresh note, thanks to the balance of acidity. Long finish. Very good quality.     2017 Te Kano Pinot Noir Medium ruby colour, lovely dry, savoury style with a small amount of whole bunch (less than 5% of the whole blend) and a blend of barrel selections made from two of the winery's three vineyard sites. Aged 12 months in barrel, unfined and unfiltered, 28% new oak. Te Kano's new cellar door opens in September.

Organics and biodynamics are big buzzwords in food, clothing and winemaking today but they need to be backed up by certification, if they are to have meaning.  Enter Frederic Coulon from Domaine Beauregard in the southern Rhone Valley. He visited New Zealand this week and popped into Regional Wines to meet our staff and show us two of his biodynamically certified red wines; a Chateauneuf du Pape and a Rasteau. Talk about impressive wines. The story is even more so. Frederic described how his father inspired his family to take the journey into organic and biodynamic winemaking. The seventh generation French winemaker said his father used chemicals on the winery’s vineyards in the 1950s, but encouraged  change from his sons. So they did make changes. Dramatic ones. Today, biodynamic certification is more important than organic certification because it is better for the land, said Frederic, when talking about the work he and his family put into keeping the vineyards chemical-free and full of biodiversity, which is paramount for producing high quality grapes from the land.  Organic and biodynamic certification Domaine de Beaurenard's vineyards are certified organic with Ecocert and biodynamic with Demeter.   The land Today all 60 hectares of Domaine de Beaurenard’s vines are grown organically and biodynamically with certification to back it up. The family owns 32 hectares of vines in Chateauneuf du Pape (the most famous appellation in the southern Rhone Valley) and another 25 hectares in Rasteau, which was elevated to a Cotes du Rhone cru appellation in 2010, due to the quality of its wines and the focus of its winemakers. The Rasteau appellation is also home to vin du natural fortified wines, but we looked at two dry reds with Frederic Coulon this week. The Coulon family continue to use all 13 grape varieties allowed in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, including the white grape varieties of Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Picardan and Picpoul.  Old vines, low yields, high quality The average vine age in their Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards is 45 years old and yields of grapes are low. Which is why the quality is so high.   Domaine de Beaurenard wines that we stock 2017 Domaine de Beaurenard Rasteau $44.99 2016 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape $87.99 2016 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape Boisrenard $136.99