Wine Events – Page 28 – The Real Review

Great wine is more than fruit

The pros and cons of wine competitions are widely debated; so are the shortcomings of the judging process. It’s a truism that there is no perfect way to evaluate wine, and none of the methods – including wine shows – should be taken as gospel. One area where I believe the shows have been losing credibility is their tendency to give major awards to excessively young red wines. These infant wines have yet to demonstrate their true worth – they’re what Len Evans termed ‘callow’ wines.

Burgundy or the bush

Pinot noir must be the most dissected and psycho-analysed of all wines. It fascinates and frustrates all of us, whether winemakers or drinkers. At the many pinot symposia, such as the annual SIPNOT (Stonier’s International Pinot Noir Tasting) pinots from Australia, New Zealand and the US are tasted blind and compared with Burgundies. The Burgundies are often found to be disappointing. In the three SIPNOTs I’ve attended, as a panel member but still tasting blind like the audience, the most expensive wines, the grand cru Burgundies, are often the most disappointing. The highest-rated, on the other hand, are usually New Zealand and Australian wines. They are deemed the most enjoyable on the day. Inevitably, a question is posed, along the lines of: “”Why is Burgundy still regarded as the benchmark?”” And “”Why do these Burgundies cost several times as much as the best Australians and Kiwis, which were preferred?””

A decade of top wines at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards

I once asked a past chairman of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards what it took to win the trophy for champion wine of the show. “A bit of luck and a lot of quality” was his sage reply. Champion wine of the show brings instant fame and a fair bit of fortune. It’s the country’s most prestigious wine award. In the past ten years Marlborough has earned the lion’s share with Hawke’s Bay in hot pursuit. Pinot Noir seems to be the most favoured wine style although in recent times Syrah seems to be getting the nod. Villa Maria must be top producer – it’s the only winery to win the trophy more than once.

Seeing red – New Zealand red wines reviewed

Pinot Noir has become the “meat and three veg” in the average Kiwi wine drinker’s diet. I confess that I, like many, have become so dazzled with the quality of New Zealand Pinot Noir that I am guilty of overlooking alternative red wine styles. Two good reasons to look for pleasures beyond Pinot are that a solid diet of anything can become boring and Pinot Noir can be expensive addiction.

What to Drink with Chinese Food

Don’t know about you, but when I’m heading off to a BYO Chinese restaurant (which I do often) I usually take a carry-bag containing a chilled bottle of either riesling or Hunter semillon, and a pinot noir. Between them, they cope with most of the flavours and textures encountered on the plate in a Cantonese, Beijinger, Shanghainese or Sichuan restaurant.

New Zealand vs Australia

At a dinner party recently I posed the question, “which country makes better wine, New Zealand or Australia?” It caused surprisingly heated debate not the least because a couple of the guests were Aussies. The group eventually came up with an answer. “New Zealand makes better white while Australia makes better red wine”. That’s the perception. Reality is slightly different.

New Zealand’s best reds

Are you one of the many people who believes that New Zealand the best whites and Australia the best reds? Life’s not quite that simple although if you insert the word “value” into the equation you might be getting closer to the truth.

Ask Bob

We are holding a fashion parade/wine & cheese for 70 women for 2 hours – how much wine do you purchase and in what ratios?
You don’t mention the time of day (consumption is lower at lunch and near zero in the morning) so I’ll assume it’s an evening function.