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We’re all secretly searching for it aren’t we. You know… that whisky that costs about 60 odd bucks and somehow punches way above its weight, or speaks to you on a level that you only usually find in top-flight whiskies. Track down that dram and you’re done. You can check out of the whisky rat race and retire a happy chappy…I’m still searching to be honest, but a few at our affordable whisky tasting last month would certainly fill the gap whilst the search continues.This was a lineup of nine affordable, sherry influenced drams spanning about $50 to $100.Did they offer exemplary sherry cask maturation - well, no. But what they did offer was a lineup of interesting, well crafted whiskies - after all, let’s not forget that these drams are the result of hundreds of years of whisky making heritage. This doesn’t just evaporate when the price point drops.There was certainly a lot to be said about these whiskies (just look at write ups on the board) and they commonly offered texture, sweetness and outright quafablility.What’s more, and arguably more importantly - they achieved what all whisky somehow does. They brought a bunch of like minded people together, lubricated an element of social rapport and stimulated friendship and fun. I’m hoping the search continues as, let’s face it - sometimes it’s more about the journey than the destination...Here’s how the whiskies fared on the night (click to purchase) - a tight pack one might say.Johnnie Walker Black 40% 6.81Jura Winter Edition Sherry Cask Finish 40% 7.13Naked Malt Blended Malt Scotch Whiskey 6.6Bowmore 10yo Dark & Intense 1 Litre 40% 7.07Glenturret Sherry Cask Edition 43% 7.06Tomintoul 'Seiridh' Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish 40% Mystery whisky 7.39Glencadam Reserva Andalucia Oloroso Cask Finish 46% 7.33Glen Moray Elgin Classic Sherry Cask Finish 6.91Tamnavulin Double Cask Single Malt Whisky 40% 7.29

It’s nice to think that we’re currently in a bit of a beer boom - at the epicentre of a swirling explosion of new styles and ingenious approaches to brewing. The truth, however, is that most of what we see today has actually been done before.Today’s beer, Valkyrie, is a nice case in point. This is a German style amber made by the American outfit Enegren, who specialise in Germanic lager-like brews.It’s a nice twist on the current theme for shifts to lighter styles, as its roots are found in the indigenous German altbier - which itself was very much a deliberate movement to a lighter style of beer making back in the 19th century.In mediaeval times, brewing in Rhineland was very much about heavy ales, but when rail routes from the south began to appear in the 1800s, the influx of ‘new’ Bavarian and Bohemian lagers began to put the existence of the simple ale under threat.Altbier was the response, and the term was supposedly coined by the brewer Matthias Schumacher in 1838. “Alt” actually translates to old, so in a clever piece of spin marketing - this style gives a big nod to the old top fermented ales whilst moving stylistically closer to lager. This move is with thanks to a variety of techniques; an unorthodox yeast which is top fermented but fermented cool, greater hop additions and ageing in wooden casks. The result - a lagered, hoppy ale hybrid that will hopefully appeal to lager and ale lovers alike - and which sounds similar to a lot of brews currently surging in popularity.Let’s give it a taste!Pours deep mahogany with a dense beige head. The nose is big, malty and bready but the ale esters are absent so there’s none of the lift, and more of those heavier iron-like qualities that make this beer feel like it was fashioned on an anvil. The palate is a real contradiction too - malt driven and sweet but framed with a lager lightness and balanced with hop bitterness. It’s certainly crisp and clean and moreish…This is a clever beer! The cooler fermentation results in less esters and fusel-like alcohols and the lager like ageing allows the yeast to reabsorb the aldehydes (malts and chocolate notes) - so you get big malt without the ale hit you’d expect.It’s subjective as to how one might read this beer - It’s either a big lager or a lighter ale and the fact that it has more alcohol than a textbook altbier complicates things further.Ultimately it’s an old style beer, born from a shift to a lighter style but then re-framed in the current age of higher ABVs. Jeez… makes me wonder when beer became so complicated - but then, as mentioned before, really it always has been… Buy here.

We’ve been running with a bit of a Californian theme of late and so I thought we may as well keep rolling on, after all, California knows how to party!We looked at Anchor’s steam beer a few weeks back - one of the many examples of a beers made using a mash up of techniques. In this case, a fermentation using lager yeast, but at hot temperatures more commonly associated with ale yeast.As far as I can glean, today’s beer is a lager made as a lager, but, on another note, it offers a quick ABCDE on the topic of hop science.Hops are typically used for either their bittering powers or their contribution to aroma.Alpha acids or humulones in hops isomerize in the boil and contribute to bitterness measured in International Bitterness Units (IBUs).Beta acids, or lupulones are more soluble and therefore feed more into aroma - but can also play a part in bittering and antimicrobial action. The ratio of alpha to beta acids also dictates the degree to which bitterness fades.The single hop in today’s beer is called Cluster and is a rare(ish) example of a Dual purpose hop. These are hops that are high in both alpha acids and Essential oils - the latter being the most important factor for aroma, adding a variety of notes ranging from piney and fruity, to woody and herbal. Being highly volatile, essential oils can be driven off in the boil, so aroma hops should be added late in the boil or even in the fermenter.I found Cluster described online as clean, neutral and slightly floral - so let’s see if this is how the beer plays out…It pours a brilliant gold with a pristine white head. The nose offers a beautifully mineral quality with just enough malt sweetness to balance out some really lovely citrus and floral hop notes. Seems to venture into the realms of ale esters too. The palate is spot on - light and ethereal again with a super judicious level of hopping. Clean, crisp and with decent length on the finish - something you wouldn’t commonly say about a lager…Really lovely stuff and which has somehow transported me back to a very memorable pint of Theakston Best in a pub in Yorkshire many, many years ago.I can only conclude that cluster, our dual purpose hop, is a winner. Anchor also use their own lager yeast for this beer and I really wonder how much influence this is having on the final result, which has real depth and character despite its simple lager label.Get some!

Having been to Cologne and drunk a fair amount of Kölsch and remembering it as more like a lager than an ale, I was a bit bamboozled when I saw today's beer; a California Kölsch with the descriptor “German style pale ale”. But, after reading up on things, I see where the confusion lies. At the end of the day, it’s basically both a lager and an ale!That’s right, this is gender fluidity in beer form (fluid fluidity perhaps?); top fermented with ale yeast and then cold conditioned like a lager.Kölsch straddles other boundaries too, having both a geographical and generic designation. You’d get in trouble in the EU naming a beer Kölsch if it wasn’t brewed within 50 km of Cologne - but in the States and elsewhere - the name is more of an indication of style, and it’s down to the brewer’s take on cultural sensitivity as to whether to use it. Kölsch is one of the most strictly defined beer styles in Germany, brewed according to the Kölsch Konvention defined by the Cologne Brewery Association, so in my opinion, you should get it right if you’re going to go there.Today’s beer certainly pulls no punches. This isn’t just a Kölsch, this is a California Kölsch! I doubt the brewers of Cologne would be too happy with this, but if you take the word Californian as more of an inference to the Californian Common style - it makes more sense. The Cali Common is made by fermenting with lager yeast at warm temps and, as such, is another beer that straddles the ale/lager boundary.Kölsch is defined as a pale, highly attenuated, hoppy, bright, top-fermenting beer - so let’s see how authentic this one is…Pours a light bright amber/gold in the glass with a tight white head. The nose is light too and smells more like a lager, with neither a big malt nor hop hit being particularly evident. The palate is certainly crisp and highly attenuated, moreish and thirst quenching, with a lovely tart hop kiss at the death.This is effortlessly drinkable stuff from Ballast Point and certainly on point with the current trend for lighter styles.On the question of authenticity though - things get interesting. It ticks all the hallmarks for a Kölsch, but on the producer’s website - the beer is only hopped like a lager and there is no mention of cold conditioning. I’m not sure whether this is an oversight or not… or whether it really matters. The beer is bright (filtered and uncloudy) - does it matter how it became that way?So where does that leave us? With a beer that is technically not a Kölsch but doesn't’ really taste like a pale ale - and is this ok considering the branding?As always, it's all down to subjectivity. Are you a purist or an innovator? Perhaps like this beer, you can somehow be both… Buy here.

The award winning, world renowned Tripel Karmeliet sounds like a beer that has been around for ever, but actually it launched in 1996. That said, its roots extend much further back through time...It is brewed by the Bosteels Brewery which was started by Jean-Baptiste Bosteels in 1791, a date that precedes the kingdom of Belgium (to put things in context).The brewery has done well to keep going this long, fending off the ebb and flow of Belgian beer popularity, and has done so by adding new brands (such as Kwak in the mid 1980s) and by keeping things in the family. It is the seventh generation of Bosteels currently at the helm, and it is they who are responsible for the arrival of Tripel Karmeleit.Antoine Bosteels joined the company in 1993 with an ambitious plan to bring a Tripel to the lineup using a multigrain recipe he had been tinkering with for a while.As luck would have it, about the same time, he also discovered a historical 1679 beer recipe relating to the Carmelite (or Karmelieten) abbey in Dendermonde, and which was almost identical to his own - using barley, wheat and oats.Inspired by this serendipitous find, he honed the recipe further, launched the beer and named it Tripel Karmeliet in honour of its shared heritage.The multigrain element is supposedly key to the beer. The barley is the driving force behind the flavour, colour and body - whilst the wheat lightens the load and the oats bring a creamy mouthfeel and silky finish.Let’s see if this is indeed the case!Pours with a snow driven white head sitting above a pale cloudy gold. Savoury spice, unripe banana-wheat notes and enticing hints of green jet plane lollies leap out of the glass and suck you into a taste sensation that is beautifully full and luxuriously spreads over the palate - tickling into action taste buds you didn’t realise you had. There’s some lovely sweet and bitter interplay and fantastic length to the flavour which just keeps going…It’s a beautiful drop which actually lives up to the high expectations of such a well known beer and it seems that the mouthfeel really is key; the contradiction of light and heavy, full yet silky has the palate pleasantly confused, and is a great reminder of the importance of texture in beer!

Hawke’s Bay's Winegrowers Charitable Trust has set up a Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund to assist with the clean up of toxic silt and rebuilding infrastructure for those who have lost their livelihoods and vineyards. Funds raised will see 100 per cent of donations go to those most in need in the Hawke’s Bay Wine community. Give to the Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund for Hawke's Bay here What is the future of Hawke's Bay's vineyards? Hawke's Bay is the second largest wine region in New Zealand and contributes an enormous volume of grapes towards this country's wine exports. Its most planted varieties are Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, all of which had nearly equivalent plantings in the ground, prior to Cyclone Gabrielle. The future of many vineyards remains uncertain at this stage but clean up and rebuilding is an enormous task and vintage is a difficult task, even for those who vineyards have survived, due to loss of transport networks.  How can people help? Give to the Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund for Hawke's Bay here Many people around New Zealand have asked how they can help with the clean up and rebuild. This led Hawke's Bay Winegrowers to establish the cyclone relief fund. It will enable those who are able to contribute funds towards the rebuild to give their support.  The relief fund has been set up to take donations from residents of New Zealand and international donations and full details for both are online at hawkesbaywine.co.nz The trust will match donations up to $30,000. Give to the Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund for Hawke's Bay here

Our first whisky tasting of the year kicks off on Friday 17 Feb, upstairs at Regional Wines, and I don’t know about you, but I am super excited!Not only is it on a Friday night (which sounds irresistible), but it’s also jam packed with nine affordable and intriguing drams. We’ve sure done some high end tastings of late, and it’s going to be interesting to get back to grassroots and reassess just what makes whisky tick.The affordable whisky category is becoming a hard one to pin down. Scotch is very much still in a boom phase and prices have generally skyrocketed (as with so many other consumables one could argue). Typically these value drams are lower in abv and with no age statement. They aren’t esoteric numbers to open a discussion with - but that’s ok, as these whiskies are for drinking. Of course, they still need to be good - and value should not necessarily come at the cost of quality.In this vein, we’ll be putting these drams to the test at the coming tasting, as we always do, and they certainly won’t be let off lightly just because they’re on the cheaper side. Hopefully you have a seat, but if not, don't fret - there will be a blog following the tasting shortly afterwards.In the meantime below are some ideas for decent affordable (but not necessarily cheap) sherried whiskies to prime the palate.Sláinte GLENALLACHIE 15YO 46% 700ML $139.99 GLENFARCLAS 105 CASK STRENGTH 60% 700ML $147.99 ABERLOUR A'BUNADH BATCH 75 60.9% 700ML $136.99 KILCHOMAN SANAIG 46% 700ML $114.99

Whilst working on the Sunday mailer a couple of weeks back, which included a collection of Chardonnays spanning the country, I pondered on the notion of New Zealand’s best variety. Before I could say “medium toast” I realised a rabbit hole of epic proportions was opening up before me.  There are certainly plenty of pundits out there for whom Chardonnay fills this role - but can a country like New Zealand, with so many varieties that apparently perform so well, actually have a best variety? And, for that matter, what does best even mean? If you went by volume and sales, then of course Sauvignon Blanc tops the list. The grape performs an exceedingly valuable role here and is arguably our quintessential offering in this respect. But would you necessarily point someone to Sauvignon Blanc if you were trying to show them the best this country has to offer?  What about Pinot Noir, a grape that has gone from strength to strength on our shores and is now responsible for stunning wines from multiple regions. Of course, there’s a certain nobility regarding the grape that might just have us rooting for it with a bit more passion - to prove we can play with the big kids on the world stage.  What I really mean by this, is that our perception of a grape and its standing in the world probably affects our take on its importance. Pinot is classy, expensive and possesses a certain cachet that arguably Sauvignon Blanc does not.  Essentially, the notion of best is not absolute and is clouded by subjectivity. When it's being used in a qualitative not quantitative manner - how can it not be? My dad was over from the UK this summer and I wanted to show off NZ wine to him in all its splendour. We drank Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Bordeaux blends, Albarino, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling and almost everything in between. I couldn’t begin to pick a best from these, but it’s safe to say that this myriad of varieties really did show NZ in a great light.  It’s never really about the best variety - but more about making the best wine with the varieties available - and there are plenty of producers here doing exactly that.

This summer I was lucky enough to have eight nights in Nelson soaking up the sun, sea, and sand (not to mention a local beer or three). Whilst driving the region on many a trip to ferry the kids to the beach, the one thing that really struck me was the sheer number of hop bines on display.They’re quite alien to anyone not from the region (rising finger like into the sky and twisting gently in the breeze) as this is pretty much the only place you’ll find them.The fantastically benevolent climatic conditions (it was about five degrees warmer than in Wellington the day I arrived) and generally fertile soils make for perfect hop growing conditions. If ever there were a visceral representation of terroir - it’s what you see and feel standing in the sun, surrounded by the verdant hills in Nelson; it’s no wonder NZ hops are sought after worldwide.On this note, you may have seen a few Kiwi beers pop up in recent months sporting strange ‘elemental’ hop names like today’s from 8 Wired. NZH-102 is the catchy name for a trial hop that is currently in development through the Bract Brewing Programme.This is an initiative set up by NZ Hops Ltd which promotes the creation of new hop varieties grown in the Tasman region, and delivers them to a select group of about 60 global brewers to produce unique experimental brews.The Nectaron hop is an example of where the process leads. After 17 years of development, this hop was finally commercially released in 2021. Now you can find it popping up all over the place to great effect.Essentially, the brewers work with the trial hops and feed back to the growers, who then choose the best varieties to plant in order for them to reach maximum crop coverage.This is a key part of the whole shebang. It’s not just about making damn fine hops to make tasty beer, but also about pushing and increasing the environmental sustainability of the NZ hop industry. More and more breweries are attempting to make carbon neutral beers and the hops need to fit with this trend.Let’s get into the beer and give some feedback to the process!Pours a light amber gold with a white head. The nose is beautifully clean and enticing with ripe citrus, apricots and gentle tropical mango hints too. It’s certainly hoppy but there’s no dank armpit going on here. The palate is wonderfully light and ethereal but not at the expense of the flavour, and there’s some gentle bitterness to tighten things up too in the finish, and some savoury notes that begin to surface as the palate figures things out. Reminds me of a summer ale (when done well) - and feels like the sort of beer you could just keep drinking.Well, that’s a fabulous beer which really showcases the hop (which by all accounts has some real potential).Feedback is key in the Bract Brewing Programme and ultimately impacts on the innovation pipeline. From what I can find online, some breweries have systems in place for customers to do this… but I couldn’t find anything on the can allowing me to give my two pennies worth for this beer. A missed opportunity perhaps, after all, the opinion of “we” the consumers is surely one of the most important factors? I guess ultimately people will vote with their feet by either buying or not buying the beersSo give this beer a whirl and if you like it, buy some more - and you may just find more of NZH-102 on the shelves in the not too distant future. It might even have a proper name by then too… Buy the beer here.

Drink pink was the slogan for the relaunch of one of the world's most popular pink wines back in the 1990s and it was a campaign for one brand (Mateus Rosé) that somehow became part of the global movement that has seen pink wine soar in popularity. Rosé is delicious year round, filling the gap between fresh whites and full bodied reds, but pinkies definitely come into their own on Valentine's Day.  Here is a round up of a selection of our faves. Top pink drops - buy in store or online on links below... 2020 Wooing Tree Tickled Pink RRP $39.99 Half bottle, 375ml If a wine called tickled pink doesn't say Valentine's Day, what does? This little half bottle of sweet pink deliciousness is made from Pinot Noir grapes given a light pressing and fermented to retain natural grape sugars for sweetness; it tastes luscious and full.  Buy here Matahiwi Rosé Brut RRP $19.99 Our best value pink bubbly in store? Definitely a contender; made from Pinot Noir grapes from the Northern Wairarapa at Matahiwi Estate vineyards. Free run juice was used to make this dry, flavoursome sparkling wine which tastes dry and rocks a raspberry-meets-strawberry taste. Delish. Buy here Gatinois Rosé Brut RRP $96.99 One of the great grower champagnes at Regional Wines and a bubbly that is made entirely from Pinot Noir grown by a father-son winemaking team in the Champagne region. It tastes of cherries and spice and is dry at 6 grams per litre residual sugar.  Buy here  2022 Two Rivers Rosé RRP $24.99 Evocatively named after the two rivers running through Marlborough; the Wairau and the Awatere, whose banks are flanked with grapes, including those that made their way into this dry pinkie with its fresh summer berry flavours and lingering finish... Buy here 2021 Main Divide Rosé RRP $18.99 Lovely drink pinkie from North Canterbury with crisp dry flavours and a pale colour. Part of the exceptional Pegasus Bay wine stable and named after the Main Divide; the great dividing range that separates the East and West Coasts of the South Island via the Southern Alps. Buy here 

What's this all about then? A beer made from steam! Must be the latest in cutting edge brewing - a tipple you can inhale, and designed by brewers to open up and exploit the lucrative vape market I’m guessing…Well not exactly. Steam beer actually finds its roots in the Bavarian Dampfbiers which were brewed at high temperatures in the 1800s - and it is most definitely liquid.It’s thought the Germanic descent of early settlers/brewers in the US introduced this style to the country and, in this respect, it is very much the precursor to the Californian Common.The Californian Common is a style which falls into the American amber/brown category and is a lager made in a style more akin to an ale, using lager yeast but top fermented at warm temperatures. The style therefore straddles the characteristics of lager and ale - and has me thinking of the uber-trendy Cold IPA (which is really an ale fermented with lager yeast).The modern derivation of today’s steam beer is thought to come from the process of brewing without the means of modern refrigeration which took place in San Francisco at the end of the 19th century. The beer was allowed to cool naturally using a large open fermenter, and at night would let off steam as the temperatures dropped.Originally, these were cheap beers and were consumed by blue collar workers - but the style is now incorporated into the micro and craft brewing scene, mainly thanks to Anchor Brewing Co, who even went as far as trademarking the term Steam Beer in 1981. Let’s crack it and see why they went to such great lengths…It pours a lovely deep amber with a slightly off-white head. The nose certainly offers some ale esters and an obvious malty profile, but there’s some steely lager-like notes and citrus aromas too. The palate goes in the same direction with a Jekyll and Hyde like quality; is it a light sophisticated ale or a robust and slightly uncouth lager? There’s some lovely bitterness at the death too which makes for a pleasant refreshing mouthful…It’s a real drinker, I’ll give it that, and it does exactly what we have been led to believe it will do in regard to how it’s been made. It also fits nicely into the modern easily quaffable, lager/ale hybrid niche. This isn’t a complex beer, but there’s more going on than you’d find in a common-or-garden lager.Trademarking what is essentially a beer style is a strange notion in this day and age, especially when you consider the style had already existed for nigh on 100 years in the US, and possibly for longer elsewhere in the world. To me it seems undemocratic and prohibitive - but as we see time and time again in brewing - you can’t stop its evolution. Prevent people calling beer one thing and they will just take the style, tweak and amend it, and call it something new… and that is one of the beautiful things about the world of beer.