Larry "McPinot" in Dublin next Month

Classy Pinot Noir double from Hawkes Bay

Pinot Noir on the double from Hawkes Bay

Bilancia, Pinot Noir 2006, Hawkes Bay (NZ), 13.5%, €22.45, Karwig Wines 

This medium red coloured wine is nice and bright considering it is 2006. On the nose, it is classic red fruits, cherry and raspberry. In the mouth, it is juicy and beautifully fruity and very well balanced (the balance,  a prime aim of the makers Leheny and Gibson). The flavours have been enhanced by 15 months in new and old French oak and it finishes long and well. Very highly recommended.

More about Bilancia, which translates as balance, here 

Tahuna, Pinot Noir 2010, Hawkes Bay (NZ), 13.5%, €15.40, Karwig Wines 

This is quite a light red, again with the classic nose. On the palate, the feel is light and the wine is fruity for sure with a smooth dry finish. It is made for "early enjoyment". A comparative juvenile that lacks the adult heft and sophistication of the Bilancia. Nonetheless a lovely wine and a very pleasant companion, they suggest, “for hearty pastas, duck and lamb”. Highly recommended.

More about Tahuna here 

Little Beauty Comes Home

Little Beauty Comes Home

Bringing Gold

Maurice O'Mahony of Wine Alliance introduces
Little Beauty's Fleur McCree.

Little Beauty’s Fleur McCree says demand is high for her 600 cases of limited edition Riesling. She even sells it into Germany and has had a recent query from Japan where the grape is "all the rage with the young affluent Japanese woman”. It will be all the rage in other places too with yesterday’s news that her 2010 from Marlborough has won the New Zealand Regional Award (for Riesling selling at under fifteen pounds sterling) in the Decanter World Wine Awards!

The wine, made from less than 2 hectares of vines, is a “refreshing lemon lime” and “deliberately made dry”. It is the drink anytime wine, the “lager of wine” according to Fleur who loves it with roast pork.

The second wine at last week’s tasting in L’Atitude 51, who supplied some really tasty bites for each wine, was the Pinot Gris, again from less than two hectares of vines. “Pinot Gris loves the stones, the water, and the sun.” It just takes off in these conditions and that can, in the wrong hands, lead to quantity over quality.

So it has to be reined in. Bunches are removed. Must be done by hand as machines can’t decide which bunches to discard. “Concentration in Pinot Gris means quality” and it is “the most pampered variety in the vineyard”. Here you have lip smacking flavour, oily, yet drier than the Riesling. Don’t over chill it and use with nuts, pork crab and so on.

Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps the typical Marlborough wine. Little Beauty’s 2010 is, I think, a little bit more restrained than the usual Marlborough and the better for it. The different blocks around the vineyard ripen at different times yet the intense fruit is preserved and there is “a build-up of layers of flavour to enhance the experience. Mango, Passion fruit at the start followed by Citrusy flavours mid-palate and then basil at the back of the tongue”. Really top notch.

The Gold medal news was the first surprise at the well attended tasting. You can’t taste gold medals but we could taste the second surprise: the Black Beauty Edition of Sauvignon Blanc. Only 200 cases were produced from a few selected rows and this was a world first for Ireland. “...quick harvested...and then put into small old barriques (French), barriques that are ten to twenty years old...no stainless steel is used..fermentation is in the barrel...no cultured yeast...just the local wild yeast”.

And that intensive management pays off. “It is a beautiful fruit wine..lots of texture..creamier...richer...use with pork chops and garlic.”

“Hello, you exotic Little Beauty”, was Fleur’s greeting to the next wine, the Gewurztraminer, as she sniffed the Turkish Delight on the nose. This comes from two different one hectare plots, from two different clones of a variety that is “lazy in the vineyard”.

Its sweet fruitiness is balanced by “a clear acidity”. “It is a food wine, very versatile.” She advised us to try it with Cheeses, Foie Gras, Terrines, spicy crab and fragrant curries.

Now it was time for the final wine, Pinot Noir, the only red in the Little Beauty team. The Marlborough sun will not ripen the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz and so Pinot Noir is the most common red variety in the area.

This, hand harvested from between six and seven hectares, has a short spell in stainless steel before aging for 12 months in oak. It is a terrific example of the variety. “Complex but in a friendly way! Soft silky and a hint of tannins. Enjoy, definitely, with Pan-fried duck breasts.”

Just another Little Beauty in a beautiful wine tasting in L’Atitude’s superbly appointed upstairs room, made for just such an occasion. May there be many more of them. 

Little Beauty wines are imported by Wine Alliance. It is widely available around the country so check out the stockists here.

Wine Geese events

Tuesday May 28th, Cafe Paradiso: Presentation & Tasting with winemaker Emma Cullen of Cullen Wines, Margaret River, Australia in Café Paradiso in association with Liberty Wines.

July 11th, Crawford Art Gallery: “A Bordeaux Evening in Cork” with Pierre Lawton, Bordeaux and Ted Murphy, author of “A Kingdom of Wine – a Celebration of Ireland’s Wine Geese”.

 (Part Two)

Little Beauty Comes Home

 (Part One)

In 1825, thirty year old John Cox welcomed his new son William into the world in Passage West, Co. Cork. William, who married in 1846, was one of the first Europeans to settle in New Zealand and died there in 1899.

William was the great, great great grandfather of Fleur McCree, co-owner of Marlborough winery Little Beauty, who was back in town last Thursday evening, her tutored wine-tasting, in Union Quay’s L’Atitude 51, part of the current Wine Geese Series.

“Marlborough is the home of Little Beauty and a very important place for me,” she said. “There we have 2,500 hours of sunshine annually and clear skies. If you go to New Zealand be sure to have your sunglasses with you when you land in Auckland, it is so bright.”

Marlborough is into farming both on land and on sea and has “a huge reputation for such a little place”. But its grape history is a very short one. The first were planted in 1972 and the hopeful farmer was told he “was bonkers”.

Fleur, who had always had a terrific affinity with nature (sleeping as a child on her trampoline under those bright bright stars),decided in the late 90s to get into wine – for keeps!

The apprenticeship took quite a while. Scouting trips to Alsace, Burgundy, the Douro, Napa Valley and Mendoza (among other places) yielded valuable knowledge before she and her partner decided to settle back home. But then they spent years in London, working to raise capital before eventually starting up in Marlborough where they now farm 41 hectares of vines, which is a tiny area, considering that there are 33,000 hectares under production in New Zealand.

They first planted in 2002/3 and then of course they had to wait for their first harvest. But two years later they were in for a big shock when a severe frost wiped out blocks of their Sauvignon Blanc. And two years later again, a once in a sixty year flood caused major damage again. Tears then but only for a brief period. “Then I realised we were essentially farmers. This was what we had to deal with.” And deal with it they did. It is not an easy life ”but rewarding”.

Labour is scare here and machines are necessary (though not used in all areas, Pinot Gris and Noir are hand harvested for example). The versatile tractor is put to good use. To preserve the freshness and flavours, they have to use the machines to make the harvest “really quick”.

Perhaps one of the most ingenious machines is what looks like a windmill and nine of these are scattered around the vineyard and used to prevent the blanket of frost settling. While New Zealand enjoys long hours of sunshine, the day’s highs (maybe late twenties) can be followed by very cold nights. But the blades on these machines oscillate and rotate and succeed in fighting off the frost.

A state of the art technology network across the site captures real time data variables from Mother Nature and, among other things, helps dictate when the wind machines (and which wind machine) comes into play. The use of stainless steel, copied from the thriving local dairy industry, is widespread, though oak barriques are also used in Little Beauty.

The fledging Little Beauty earned its early keep by selling its Sauvignon grapes to Cloudy Bay. The cash helped them develop the vineyard and then they got a huge boost when Eveline Fraser, then head wine-maker with Cloudy Bay, decided to join the rookies!

You’ve often heard of the passionate vineyard owner. Last Thursday night we saw one in action in L’Atitude. “I’m very fussy over where Little Beauty goes. Come hell or high water, you’ll never find Little Beauty in a supermarket. It goes only to good homes. Integrity is very important nowadays. A wine made with integrity or an accountant’s wine. Which would you prefer?”

I reckon William Cox would have been proud of his great great great grand daughter!

Fleur also had a couple of real surprises for us during the tasting and I’ll have that and more on the Little Beauty wines themselves in Part Two tomorrow.

This Sauvignon Blanc is a Sophisticated Beauty

Fleur McCree (centre) at L'Atitude
with Beverly (left) and Emma.

Sophisticated Beauty

Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc Limited Edition 2010, Marlborough (New Zealand), 13.5%, €17.99-18.99,  stockists

Aromatic, with a pale yellow colour, this wine is, they say, “a fine example of an intense and mouth-watering single vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc”.

And it is all that, and a little bit more sophisticated than some of its neighbours. Maybe that is why this fine and elegant wine is holding top spot as the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at London’s Claridge Hotel. It is also a Gold Medal winner at the Mundus Vini International Wine Awards.

So grab a bottle or two while you can as this is only ever going to be available as a limited release. In fact, so limited “my annual production volume represents a tiny 0.0005% of total market share in the UK”. Very Highly Recommended.

Fleur McCree is the face of Little Beauty wine in these parts and she will be here on Thursday May 16th in Latitude 51 (No. 1, Union Quay) as part of the ongoing WineGeese series.

Fleur will retrace her family steps back to Cork in a presentation and tasting of her wines in association with Maurice O’Mahony of Wine Alliance. Varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Check with the venue ((021) 239 0219) for tickets details.

Massive Pinot Noir Event in New Zealand

Sam Neill

Massive Pinot Noir Event
 in New Zealand


Actor and now wine-maker Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Reilly Ace of Spies, The Piano, The Dish, Dead Calm, Hunt for Red October) will be among the speakers when Pinot Noir 2013 NZ gets underway on 28 January 2013. Emmanuel L.T. Bourguignon, Tim Atkin MW and Ned Goodwin MW are listed among the other speakers.

New Zealand wine-maker Larry McKenna, during his recent visit to Cork, told me enthusiastically about the huge wine event on the Wellington Water Front. No surprise to see Larry pushing it. After all he is better known as Larry McPinot and makes some fantastic examples himself as he showed recently in Ballymaloe.

Pinot Noir 2013 NZ  is going to be massive. The website tells me there are over 120 days to go and there will be almost as many New Zealand wineries there showing their examples of this grape. Some competition here for Burgundy!

All the country’s famous wine regions will be represented: Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Wairarapa/Martinborough, Marlborough, North Canterbury/Waipara Valley, Waitaki and Central Otago. Many of the wine-makers will be unfamiliar to us but some that I know are Tim and Judy Finn’s Neudorf, Villa Maria, Cloudy Bay and McPinot's own Escarpment.

"Initiated in 2001, and now dubbed as the "fresh thinking" event, Pinot Noir NZ digs deeper into New Zealand's five Pinot producing regions, bringing the latest developments from the grass roots level. Learn of new innovations direct from the winemakers as they make available over 300 wines to be tasted and reviewed. Freestyle forums allow for uncensored opinions to be heard on the fastest growing wine story of the 21st Century.

Guest speakers offer fresh opinions on the latest international thinking about Pinot. At previous events speakers have included Jancis Robinson MW, Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin MW, Allen Meadows, Claude Bourguignon, Andrew Caillard MW and more.

Pinot Noir NZ pushes Pinot to the limit, testing whether Pinot really is one of the most versatile red grape varieties to match with food. Both the wild and the raw are explored as guests are offered the freshest cuisine from the welcome party to the final gala dinner.

The Pinot story in New Zealand is continuing to develop at pace. Pinot Noir NZ is the place to be to keep ahead of the game.”

Delegate registrations are open now and you can find all the contact information here! Bon voyage and Bon Pinot!

Outstanding New Zealand Wines

Outstanding New Zealand Wines at Ballymaloe

Sunday afternoon’s trip to Ballymaloe  proved to be a very rewarding one. Not alone did we taste some terrific wines from New Zealand but we were entertained and educated by two of the beautiful country’s top winemakers, Larry McKenna of Escarpment and John Hancock of Trinity Hill.

Ironically both are Australian and went to High School together. They later combined in an early venture in New Zealand before going their separate ways. They are still great friends and a terrific combination at evenings such as this.

While John recognises the importance of terroir Larry, also known as Larry McPinot, is “unashamedly a terroiriste” and tries, very successfully, to emulate Burgundy.

The pair were introduced to the Grain Store audience by Anthony Tindal of the Tindal Wine Company, their distributors in Ireland. John told us that Trinity Hill has been established for just 15 years as he introduced the first pair of his wines.

The first up was the Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2011. Beautiful aromas, “Turkish delight!” John said. Even though the wine is a dry one, it has a magnicient texture and fullness and “makes food look good”. This is perhaps the best Pinot Gris I’ve tasted.

Then we tasted the Gimblett Gravels Viognier 2011, another standout wine and again one of the best Viogniers I’ve tasted. Loved its apricot and floral aromas, the rich and soft texture. John recommended trying it with Asian food.

The first of the Trinity Hill reds followed, a Hawkes Bay Merlot 2010, 87% Merlot to be exact, the balance of the blend shared between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This, with an abv of 14%, is “more about the fruit. It was a very successful year. This is good value and a great seller in New Zealand. Try it with lamb and rosemary.”

The next wine, the Gimblett Gravels ‘The Gimblett’ 2008, was built to last longer than the Merlot. Is uses the traditional five varieties of Bordeaux (Cab Sauv 43%, Merlot 41%, Petit Verdot 7%, Malbec 6& and Cab Franc 3%). 

“The fruit is from low yielding vines. It is more intense, more concentrated. It is made to age and needs it. It spends 18 months in oak, has good depth, is well balanced and will age for another five years. A food wine!"

All along the evening, the pair had some good discussions and good answers to questions from the audience. Larry told us that almost all the wine is made on the sheltered east coast as the NZ weather comes from the west, just like Ireland’s.

John explained that tannins come predominantly from the skins, also from the seeds and pips, and give the wine that grippy feeling while Larry said that, without tannins, wine has no backbone.

While Larry grows Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay on the Escarpment, the site is “a great place to grow Pinot Noir”. It is a bit of a Prima Donna – Larry described it as genetically instable – but he does very well with it, as his four examples underlined.

First up was Escarpment The Edge, Martinborough 2011. “No oak, simple..fruit driven..for immediate drinking.” Simple maybe but still full-bodied and with a lingering finish.

The Escarpment Pinot Noir, Martinborough 2010, was a “step up in quality” “it was a good year, very healthy grapes...we picked when we wanted to pick over a number of sites. This is what we call a district blend and a fantastic example of what we should be doing.”

The first two were good but the second two, each from a single vineyard, were even better, described as absolutely beautiful by Anthony Tindal and virtually everybody else I spoke to.

The Escarpment Te Rehua Pinot Noir, Martinborough 2010, showed how well Larry emulated Burgundy, though his site has its own characteristics of course. Made from 25 year old vines the wine showed unique complexity along with the usual black cherry and plum flavours.

Really good and then came another gem: Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir, Martinborough 2010. “The density of planting in this vineyard, our oldest, is similar to Burgundy” and the wine was ”impressively velvety and supple...huge concentration of flavour...I am very happy with it..and really looking forward to seeing the Kupe in 25 years time!”

Nice stories too behind the labels and you can read all about them here. For more info on John’s wines check Trinity Hill.

Alain from the Vanilla Grape in Kenmare enjoyed his trip to Ballymaloe and he stocks the wines. There is a discount available at present and to see more about the wines in Ireland check Tindal Wines. Remember when using the internet that while a company may have with 100s of wines in stock, they may not all be listed on the site; sometimes you may have to phone.

Good Value NZ Pinot Noir

Tahuna, Hawkes Bay (Australia), Pinot Noir 2010, 13.5% abv, €13.50 at  Karwig Wines

The white Kiwi feather features on the neck of the bottle from this winery which has vineyards in both Hawkes Bay and Marlborough .

Colour is light red, not see-through, while you'll get scents of cherries and raspberries on the nose. The same fruits feature on the elegant palate. It is juicy, slightly spicy, with a smooth lingering dry finish. Flavour rich, easy drinking and good value.

The winery's aim is to "produce rich, soft and approachable wines of exceptional quality"'. Exceptional might be pushing it but it is certainly very good. Recommended.  

You may take this Little Beauty anywhere..

Little Beauty's Fleur McCree with
Maurice O'Mahony of importers Wine Alliance

You may take this Little Beauty anywhere, but she's a star in Asia.

 Little Beauty, Pinot Gris 2010 (Limited Edition), Marlborough (New Zealand), 14% abv, €19-21 various stockists countrywide.

You may take this Little Beauty anywhere but she shines in Asia as I found out more by accident than design.

Colour is just about present in the tasting sample in the glass, just pale hints of gold, grey and green. Nose is tempting; aromatic and musky notes draw you in. On the palate it is fruity and dry with an excellent finish. Orange zest and apricots, some would say, according to her cheeky label. She is a little forward but I wouldn’t disagree.

It is full, almost creamy, a really delightful example of the grape’s potential and, as I found out, excellent with Asian Cuisine. Have you been following Rachel Allen’s Easy Meals on RTE TV? I have and last weekend matched Little Beauty with her Thai style Pan-fried Chicken with Mango Salsa and also with her Grilled Squid starter. Little Beauty handled both without a bother. QED.

For more on the wine and her equally attractive cousins (including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir) check here www.littlebeauty.co.nz

White Weekend

White Weekend

Gareth York of Mont-Marcal

Mont Marcal, Penedes 2010, 12.5%, €8.49, Curious Wines.

This is a lively little gem. The initial feel is almost creamy and then you note the lively fresh citrus fruits, though with sufficient acidity. An excellent wine from the Catalonia area and so well priced. Recommended.

Use it as an aperitif or with fish and salads. Got that off the label! The labels are really well designed. They are not large but give all the necessary information (in a few languages) in a clear and precise way.

The grape varieties in this wine are Xarel-lo, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and the producer website is www.mont-marcal.com

Santa Digna, Fairtrade Chile, 2010 Gewurztraminer Reserve, 13.5%, €8.99, Bradley’s Off Licence.

Information on the Fairtrade bit, which I haven’t seen before on wine, is here www.fairforlife.net. The producer is the famous Miguel Torres and the web address is www.migueltorreschile.com

Nose here is aromatic, floral. Quite a pleasant flavourful mouthful with an excellent dry finish. Full bodied with those tropical fruits prominent yet it finishes dry. Well balanced and fair trade to boot and a good one to start with if you haven’t tried Gewurz before.

Ideal for shellfish (particularly recommended for oysters) and most fish dishes. Good price. Recommended.

Tinpot Hut, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (NZ), 13.5%, €16.99, Bradley’s Off Licence.

This superb wine has a colour of pale straw with an exotic aromatic nose. The palate says great! An immediate thumbs-up. A mouthful of fabulous flavours from the Beautiful Country, exotic to the North Atlantic palate, and blessed also with a terrific finish.

Marlborough is indisputably, I think, the top standard for New World SB and this Tinpot  is one of the best from the region. Well done to Fiona Turner (right) whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Electric a few months back. Congrats too to Liberty Wines for supplying us with such a gem. A bit pricier than the others but Highly Recommended!

Little Beauty Comes To Town

Fleur (centre) with L'Atitude owners Beverley (left) and Emma

Tom (left, Fleur and Cathal

Fleur with Maurice of Wine Alliance

Little Beauty Comes To Town

In 2002, the land in Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand, where the grapes for the Little Beauty wines  now grow, was a sheep farm. Fleur McCree and her partner spotted its potential and got to work, planting from scratch and patiently waiting three years for their first crop.

“It was exactly the kind of place we were looking for and we wanted to work it,” she told the appreciative audience as she held a tutored tasting of the wines upstairs in the newly opened L’Atitude Wine Cafe at No 1 Union Quay.


There were many hurdles to overcome, including starting to sell their first wines as the recession hit. But sell she did and sell she does, this Irish call the prelude to trips to Scandanavia and Russia and maybe a call to Pro-Wine.

She sells these wines to luxury hotels in the UK and the prices there really underscore the point that Little Beauty’s Irish Importer Maurice O’Mahony of Wine Alliance  makes frequently: these wines over perform at their price points.

Irish stockists sell the range at anything from €15.00 for the Sauvignon Blanc to 25 for the Pinot Noir. In the likes of Claridges, the Savoy and the Gleneagles you’d be paying anything from 50 pounds sterling to 70.

Prices could well rise here. The emergence of China, Hong Kong and Japan as big markets for NZ wine has pushed Ireland from 5th to 8th in the league of NZ wine importers. If that trend continues, it is possible that less and less wine from that beautiful far country will find its way here.

We started off with the 2009 dry Riesling. This was bursting with flavours, fine, balanced and refreshing. A Bronze Medal Winner at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Challenge, this wine is currently being presented at 2* Michelin Restaurant, Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Scotland.

Marlborough is the home of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and when you know that the Little Beauty winemaker Eveline Fraser was “stolen” form Cloudy Bay, you know this is going to be good, and it didn’t disappoint. It is indeed “A fine example of an aromatic, intense and mouth-watering single vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc”.

The limited edition Pinot Gris was next up and by the way all the wines were accompanied by really tasty nibbles from the kitchen at L’Atitude, quite a reminder to the punters that this a venue worth visiting on a regular basis. The pale Pinot Gris had a fresh and inviting aroma and felt full and creamy on the palate, a step up for sure on some regular Pinot Grigio visitors to these parts.

Fleur and yours truly

Next tasting was the 2009 Gewürztraminer. This was strongly aromatic and pleasingly luscious but stopped well before reaching full sweetness. Goes well with Asian cuisine.

And then came the Pinot Noir, the silky star of an altogether excellent show, and Fleur recommended matching it with lamb. It is a gorgeous wine, full of plum, raspberry and red cherry flavours. It has an attractive background spice and has benefitted from 12 months in new French oak.

A Little Beauty to finish a delightful session in L’Atitude. The Wine Cafe intends holding a series of these events and the next, on the Rhone (presented by Simon Tyrrell of the Wine Store), takes places on Monday March 5th. Check with the venue for tickets.

And that isn't all. L’Atitude also holds classes for both novices and those interested in going further and indeed the next series is due to start shortly. The contact number is 021 2390219 or email: info@latitude51.ie. Also keep an eye on their Facebook page

Little Beauty and the ladies of L'Atitude

Little Beauty's Fleur McCree hits Leeside next week!

Maurice O'Mahony, the man behind Wine Alliance, has been in touch about an exciting event at the new Wine Cafe on Union Quay, L'Atitude 51. We'll let Maurice take over and tell you all about it.
No better boy!

Its an honour for Wine Alliance to be part of L’Atitude 51′s first event in their “Meet the Winemaker” series

Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty of Marlborough, New Zealand will present a flight of five of her limited edition wines in a guided tasting in the newly opened L’Atitude 51 Wine Workshop (on the first floor) of . . . .

L’Atitude 51.

1 Union Quay,

Cork City 

021 2390219

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Entrance Fee is just €12 and places are very limited.

The line up includes a tasting of  . . . . .

• Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc
• Little Beauty Riesling
• Little Beauty Pinot Gris
• Little Beauty Gewurztraminer
• Little Beauty Pinot Noir

Canapés & Snacks will also be served on the evening

Fleur will walk us through the New Zealand wine landscape and will then focus on her beloved Marlborough and her privately owned vineyard. If you want to read up on Little Beauty, check out their website here

L’Atitude 51 is the perfect location for a tasting. Centrally located in in the heart of Cork’s city centre, the owners Beverley Mathews and Emmanuelle Legrand offer a beautiful selection of wines (including a big selection by the glass), craft beers and gourmet coffee and tea. They also offer a delicious selection of homecooked food in a lovely relaxing setting on the banks of the lovely Lee across the road from Cork’s City Hall.

So why not come along and sample each of these beautiful limited edition wines for yourself

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

To book a place, call L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219

See Fleur YouTube video here 

SAUVIGNON BLANC: KIWIS OUST CHILE CHAMP

M & S SAUVIGNON BLANC, LIMARI VALLEY (CHILE) 2008, 13.5%, €13.99


I chased this one down because it was a Decanter Regional Trophy winner for a Sauvignon Blanc at less than ten pound sterling.

Colour was very pale and the nose was herby and grassy, green fruit. On the palate, there is a good balance of fruit and acidity. It is tingly and refreshing, savoury too, with a fine dry finish.

Other Regional Trophy winners I found to be quite impressive but there was a tinge of disappointment here. Nothing at all wrong with the M & S offering, I hasten to add, but it was unlucky to follow an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, a 2010 Neudorf from the Nelson area.

The Chilean might have won on price – the NZ comes in around the twenty euro mark – but was otherwise outclassed. By the way, the Neudorf didn't figure at all in the Decanter list from New Zealand.

The New Zealand edge is further underlined by the fact that Decanter awarded their two international Sauvignon Blanc trophies to the Kiwis. Waimea Estates (Nelson), also available at M&S, took the honours in the under £10.00 category while Vavasour (Awatere Valley, Marlborough) won the over £10.00 trophy.

A nod is as good as a wink. And I've given you three!

NEUDORF WINEMAKER DINNER AT STAR ANISE

NEUDORF WINEMAKER DINNER AT STAR ANISE

At Star Anise last night with Judy and Tim Finn (right).

“We were pioneers,“ declared Judy Finn from the Nelson winery Neudorf. “There was no wine industry in New Zealand at the time we started; we didn't know what would work.”

Judy and husband Tim were in Star Anise last night to introduce us to their stunning wines from the South Island . They started there in 1978 and, after 34 years, they still learn from each vintage and still enjoy the chase. You may read more about the vineyard and its people here. 

One of their top aims is to make wine of some substance. They believe that virtually anyone can make a big fruity wine, like making pop music. Drink it and forget it. But the Finns are always working not just for flavour but to give some more interesting layers that will draw you back for more.

They call it “the second glass appeal” and they certainly got that right in the first wine we tasted. Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is a terrific example of their work, closer to the Loire than the New World, powerful and smooth, fruity, herby and memorable.

It was also a terrific match with our starter: Crispy Ham Hock with Beetroot Relish and Mustard Cress, itself maintaining the high standard already set by the Amuse Bouche of Cream of Cep and Truffle Oil.

And the Star Anise kitchen again hit the high spots with the next dish: Pan-Fried Halibut with Cockles and Samphire, Lemon & Herb Beurre Blanc. Neudorf Chardonnay 2009 was an excellent match.

The vineyard’s Chardonnay has been much praised over the past twenty years and indeed cool climate Chardonnays, such as this, have been credited with the grape’s revival after the excesses that turned many people off.

Complete and harmonious are the descriptors you’ll find on the site. Judy said that Chardonnay wines “reflect the winemaker”. Tim was rather modest about accepting the accolade but it is a lovely refreshing style and “you feel like another one”. That second glass appeal again!

Judy loves her Pinot Noir and we had the Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir 2008, a beautiful subtle and elegant wine. While Judy was delighted that it had just received 92 points from the Wine Advocate, that didn't change her pretty low and earthily expressed opinion of wine guru Robert Parker.

Again, Star Anise had the match for the Pinot: Braised Chuck of Beef with Thyme, Parsley Puree, Horseradish Mash and Glazed Baby Carrots. The beef was so so tender and the whole plate was a perfect combination of flavours. Gorgeous.

It was a horrible day in Cork with the rain coming down but we did have a lovely evening thanks to Star Anise and Neudorf, a great combination. Great too to chat with John and Julie from Dillon’s in Timoleague and with Richie (and his bay moustache) from Blair’s Inn. And a big thanks too to Viginie and her team in the restaurant and to Conor and James Nicholson Wines (who distribute the Neudorf range in Ireland).

Neudorf Wine Tasting Dinner at Star Anise

Wine Dinner at Star Anise November 2

Neudorf Wine Tasting Dinner, Star Anise Restaurant, Bridge Street Cork.

Join Tim & Judy Finn from the Acclaimed Neudorf Winery in Nelson New Zealand at Star Anise restaurant, Cork. Price €65. To Book call Star Anise on 00353 (0) 21 455 1635

Neudorf may well be now an "acclaimed" winery but its wasn't always like that. Here, Judy Finn takes us back to the beginning:

1978 and the New Zealand fine wine industry was almost non existent. We (Tim and I) were fresh from the “back to the land” movement of the late sixties. We wanted to make beautiful wine. We figured Tim’s masters in Animal Behaviour along with my unimpressive journalism career would be beneficial. Wrong. However we did have youth (temporary), self belief (unwarranted) and friends. At one stage we had four mortgages and three jobs each. The old house at Neudorf had electricity in two rooms, an outside long drop, an inefficient wood stove and no hot water. I look back with no regrets.

Because there was so little known about basic viticulture in New Zealand we planted many varieties to see which ones were best suited to our soils. Merlot came and went as did Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc and the dreaded Muller Thurgau. We were a bit hasty in rejecting Gewürztraminer and may look at that again. But we did it. Very few misgivings. Making wine is constantly scary and stimulating. We survive on hard work, high hopes and a dollop of common-sense and cunning.

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Dinner and Wine Evening
With Tim & Judy Finn from Neudorf Estate
Wednesday, 2 November 2011

James Nicholson Sparkling Wine

Amuse Bouche of Cream of Cep and Truffle Oil

Crispy Ham Hock with Beetroot Relish and Mustard Cress

Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Pan-Fried Halibut with Cockles and Samphire,
Lemon & Herb Beurre Blanc 

Neudorf Chardonnay 2009

Braised Chuck of Beef with Thyme, Parsley Puree,
Horseradish Mash and Glazed Baby Carrots

Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir 2008

Star Anise Dessert Plate
Tea & Coffee