Looking Back – to our Bubbles Evening

This was a superb evening featuring worldwide bubbles.

The special food matched some of the wines and was well thought out and tasty. It is always interesting to see what change the food makes to the wine you drink.

This has left everyone with some thoughtfully selected wines to source for Christmas celebrations.

As a reminder of what to put on your shopping list, the wines we tasted were:

  • De Bortolli Family Selection Sparkling Brut NV – Australia
  • Graham Norton Prosecco D.O.C. – Italy
  • Perelada Brut Reserva Spanish Cava – Spain
  • Pongracz Sparkling Brut – South Africa
  • Hunter MiruMiru Marlborough Methode Traditionelle Brut – New Zealand
  • Aimery Grande Cuvee 1531 Cremant De Limouix Rose NV – France
  • The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz NV – Australia
  • Pegasus Bay Encore Noble Riesling 2007 AND 2017 – New Zealand

It was an interesting and fun evening for everyone, thanks to Wayne, Murray, Terry Gayl, and everyone else who helped with the food on the evening.

Clearview Tasting – Sept 23

The evening was well attended, and our presenter was Tim Turvey, winemaker, vineyard owner and the person who had returned tanned from Australia the day before after planting a pineapple plantation.

Tim regaled us with the history of how and why he set up the vineyard, built the house, established a native tree nursery and the expansions through to other regions of New Zealand for the different grapes he wanted to be able to use. He has 28 grape varieties they currently work with, plus a 100-year-old Olive tree that the original property owner, Vidals, planted.

He told us how the ‘White Caps’ range got its name, simply by white caps being the only colour available at the time for the new wines.

Our special treat was the extra tasting of their 2022 Reserve Chardonnay with a big buttery nose and taste from a challenging vintage, so it is in short supply.

The evening was finished with their Sea Red Dessert wine, a nice sweet touch.

A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:

  • 2021 Clearview Sparkling Blush arrival wine
  • 2023 Clearview Coastal Pinot Gris
  • 2022 Clearview White Caps Chardonnay
  • 2020 Clearview Reserve Semillon
  • 2021 Clearview Martinborough Pinot Noir
  • 2021 Clearview Cape Kidnappers Syrah
  • Clearview Sea Red Dessert Wine [500ml]

Mid-Winter Club Dinner at Le Marche Francais, July ’23

The evening was a success, as usual, with 36 happy diners.

On arrival, complimentary petite onion tarts were handed out with Club’s bubbles, followed by miniature croque-monsieur, before we sat down to start our meal.

The tables were set up for lots of mingling, wine-sharing and chatting.

As a reminder, our menu for the evening was:

  • Entrée 3 mini entrees served to each person
    (Quiche Lorraine, petite French onion soup, mini goat cheese salad)
  • Mains
    Beef Bourguignon
    Monkfish with Saffron Sauce
    Chicken Provencal
  • Dessert 3 mini desserts in the style of petite fours

Sadly, local fish supplies could not provide the monkfish, so Chef Vero replaced that with Blue Warehou, which was equally enjoyable.

The evening finished with a nice surprise when Chef Vero served us 5 petite fours to finish the night, all entirely delicious!

Looking Back – Victor Kattenbel, Confident Wines Apr ’23

Wow, nine wines!

This was an interesting evening full of updated information about the Esk Valley region and touching on areas of Portugal that most members present hadn’t been to, yet.

The variety of wines was great, beginning with Linden Sparkling Rosé from Esk Valley, a blend of Merlot and Pinotage, a delicious start to the evening. The rest of the evening’s selection was:

  • Confidencial Reserva Rosé – 10-grape blend
  • 2020 Casa Santos Lima Chardonnay
  • 2022 Moutere Hills Riesling
  • 2020 Waipara Downs Pinot Noir
  • 2020 Confidencial Tinto-Red – 10 grape blend
  • 2019 Mosaico De Portugal
  • 2017 Colossal Reserva Casa Santos Lima
  • Parcelas Portuguese Tawny Port

Most of the wines for the evening had received at least one gold medal in competitions, with some receiving 10 gold medals.

 

Looking Back – Forrest Wines with Carlos Rojas Stiven, March ’23

The Forrest Range
The Forrest Range

This was an evening of tasting grape varieties from around the world but produced right here in NZ.

Adding to this international flavour was our presenter Carlos, who was born in Chile and came to NZ in 2010, and now resides in Marlborough with his wife and daughters. Carlos informed us that Forrest is now second-generation owned and operated and that they loved working with many different grape varieties.

As a reminder of the wines we sampled during the evening:

  • The Doctors Riesling 2021 – German style wine
  • Forrest Albarino 2022 – Spanish/Portuguese grape variety
  • Forrest Chenin Blanc 2022 – French/now South African grape variety
  • Forrest Gruner Veltliner 2022 – Austrian grape variety
  • Tatty Bogler Pinot Noir 2020 – Burgundy French grape style
  • Forrest Lagrein 2020 – Piedmont Italy grape variety
  • Forrest Botrytised Riesling 2018Forrest has approximately 150 ha of grapes plants in Marlborough, with additional plantings in the Waitaki Valley, with the latter having limestone ground, similar to Burgundy conditions.
Visit Forrest
Visit Forrest

70% of their Sauvignon Blanc goes overseas each year, with 100 cases to Waitrose per year!

Notably, most of their Forrest Botryised Riesling, with a honey/marmalade taste – is made for and sold to Air NZ. So when COVID19 hit NZ, the unwanted stock was stocked by NZ based stockists – a bonus for the NZ public.

There were 15 orders from Club members for this tasting, evidence of just how much this tasting was enjoyed by our members.

Thank you to Carlos and Forrest Wines for your support of our club.

Celebrating wines of Victoria with Keith Tibble – Feb 2023

With most of the club familiar with Australian wines, but not necessarily Victoria wines, this was an interesting introduction for most of us.

Keith introduced firstly, Mount Langhi (Ghiran) is an extremely famous cool climate-based winery in the Grampian range of Northern Victoria, established 1969 by the Fratin Family.

Secondly, we were introduced to Yering Station is an acclaimed producer almost as famous for its cellar door and restaurant as their amazing Yarra Valley Wines. Originally the first grapes were planted in 1838 by the Ryrie brothers.

The styles included a Prosecco to start [yes it was sourced and made in Australia], as well as two each of Chardonnay, Pinot and Shiraz.
That everyone present enjoyed Keith’s presentation and wines was reflected in the excellent orders received. Thanks again to Keith and EuroVintage for their continued support of our club.

UPDATE: We have just been advised that these are now in transit from the Auckland Warehouse, despite the logistical delays [weather issues etc.] and will be delivered to you, via Murray, either this weekend, or early next week.

Club BBQ at Derek’s – Jan ’23

Looking Back – Club BBQ at Derek’s

The BBQ at Derek’s was the usual success with the weather playing its part.

Thanks to everyone who brought a salad or a dessert, but special thanks to:

  • Anne for her painting and sprucing up of the area
  • Derek for letting us use his home and welcoming us all once again.
  • Check out the pics.

 

Evening of Bubbles Fun, Nov 2022

There was a good turnout for the evening, although numbers were down due to illness, and in one case, nearly the whole table was absent due to Covid. We hope everyone is feeling much better at this stage.

Wayne had organised this evening on his own and had a bit of a shortbread competition with his wife – not mentioning who won!

The first half of the evening was simply tasting some of the wines and discussing the different grapes and countries these came from.

The second half of the evening was a taste and tipple scenario. We had shortbread, strawberries, cheese & crackers, and Christmas cake to sample after we had had our first taste of each wine. This was to see if our taste buds registered any meaningful changes to the taste and texture of the wines.

The wines we sampled were:

First half

  • Lindauer Free ‘non-alcohol’ Brut was our surprise starter. It was made from Chardonnay and Pinot noir grapes and was poured blind. Whist some thought it was closer to a cider in taste and style, nobody guessed what this was correctly!
  • Tosti Prosecco DOC form the Piedmont region in Italy
  • Perelada Brut Reserva Carva NV –Spain
  • Morton Estate Premium Brut – NZ

Second half

  • Grant Burge Petite Bubbles Dry Sparkling – Australian
  • Louis Bouillot Perle De Vigne Cremant De Bourgogne – French

Two more mysteries to go with the Christmas Cake to finish off – these were also both poured blind:

  • Charles de Casnova Champagne – Reims, France
  • 2017 Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvee – NZ

Check out  the Complete Guide to Sparkling Wines.

Panel discussion on NZ Rosé, Oct 2022

28 Club members chose to attend this diverse and interesting pink evening, but those that did were pleasantly surprised by most of the wines tasted, educated and now appreciative of Rosés.

From when to drink Rosé, regional styles, and the variety of grapes now used for the various wines, from the opening bubbly, everyone connected with and enjoyed the tastings. Opening with a Toi Toi Sparkling Rosé, which comprised of a mixture of Riesling and Merlot, through to the last McArthur Ridge Lilico Pinot Rosé, the diverseness of the 21st-century Rosés was indeed on display. Rosé is a style of wine, not a grape variety.

The wines were selected from wine sites and supermarkets, which were below the $20 mark, so they can be purchased and enjoyed by everyone the next time they’re shopping or browsing the computer. The wines we sampled during the evening were:

  • Toi Toi Sparkling Rosé NV – Riesling and Merlot blend from Marlborough
  • 2021 Giesen Estate Riesling Blush – from Marlborough and Waipara
  • 2022 ME by Matahiwi Estate – Pinot Noir from Masterton this was thought to be the best value for money in wines
  • 2021 Haha Hawkes Bay Rosé – Merlot and Malbec from Hastings and Bridge Pa this is a Bordeaux blend with added Cab Sauv and Cab Franc
  • 2020 Left Field Moon Shell Moth Rosé – Arneis, Pinotage and Merlot from Hastings
  • 2020 Middle Earth Pinot Meunier – a faux pas for the evening, turned out to be red! A Pinot Meunier – this was enjoyed by everyone nonetheless and will go on to be purchased
  • 2019 Spade Oak Voysey Blonde Rosé – Tempranillo, Albarino, Syrah, Viognier and St Laurent from Gisborne – this was indeed Blonde! And was a special blend as this vineyard has been on-sold since this mixture was bottled
  • 2019 McArthur Ridge Lilico Pinot Rosé – Pinot Noir – from Central Otago

Bistro52 Weltec Training Restaurant

On Wednesday, 3rd August, some Club members attended the last evening meal put on by WelTec’s Bistro52 Training Restaurant for this year. It was a well-balanced and portioned meal with well-matched wines.

The food was prepared, presented, served to a high standard, and was top-grade! The menu we savoured included:

Tasting Menu
Sourdough Bread, Cultured Butter, Kapiti Sea Salt
Course One
Prawn Chorizo Sausage, Puffed Pork Skin, Scallop XO, Almond Crema, Nashi Pear Compression
Wine Match: Sauvignon Blanc
Green gages on the tongue, this wine took away some of the saltiness of the food and smoothed things out.
Course Two
Salt-Fish & Potato Churro, Fennel Bulb Confit, Saffron & Tomato Sofrito Miso
Wine Match: Te Mata Chardonnay
Wine toned down the spiciness of the food on the back of the throat, nice.
Course Three
Slow Cooked Lamb Rump, Leek Custard, Lost Bread, Puy Lentils, Pickled Mushrooms, Red Wine Salt
Wine Match: Babich Syrah
Smooth, divine, blackcurrants on the tongue, the food made the wine almost caramelly.
Course Four
Hangi – Kumara Steamed Pudding, Kumara Skin Infused Buttermilk Ice-Cream, Spiced Caramel, Torched Mandarin
Wine Match: Veuve du Vernay
I’m sure we’ve had this at the Cellar Club; bottle fermentation left a light fizzing on the tongue, and the food brought out extra fruit flavours in the wine.

The only query I had for the Maître that evening was course three: at our table, we debated if the ‘lost bread’ that accompanied the lamb rump was a euphemism for mountain oysters! It wasn’t, but the Maître was both amused and said he would speak to the chef about perhaps changing the description of the petite loaf that came as part of the meal!

Esk Valley and Gordon Russell, Aug 2022

In 2018 we contacted Gordon Russell to see if he could present a tasting some time, and he said yes, he would be delighted, but it would need to be 2021!

Roll onto 2021 when sadly, the Covid levels meant that our Esk Valley tasting had to be postponed to that year. So, imagine your committee’s disbelief when Gordon contacted us in the week of our tasting to say sadly that his wife had COVID-19 and that he was having to isolate himself. He said he was disappointed but then offered to fast courier the tasting notes and wine to us so the meeting could continue. Thankfully, Richard Taylor then stepped up to the plate and, using the tasting notes, entertained us with an interactive evening that went down well and was much appreciated.

The club’s appreciation of the wines presented was subsequently reflected in the 141 bottles ordered by members.

The wines for the evening were:

  • Hawkes Bay 2022 Rose’ – was our mix and mingle wine and a beautiful shade of almost metallic pink, gentle on the nose, smooth in the mouth
  • Hawkes Bay 2021 Pinot Gris had a slightly pinkish colour with greengage on the tongue – it was a lovely extra tasty Pinot Gris which comes from free-draining terraces with the grapes themselves approaching 20 years old! Interestingly it has some oak barrel fermentation too
  • Artisanal Hawkes Bay 2021 Chenin Blanc – this is a new brand that has only been on the market for 12-18 months; it was a pale shade and, at the moment, has baked apple/citrus/peach on the tongue
  • Great Dirt Seabed Chardonnay 2020 – this is their premium label and was buttery on the nose and white peach on the tongue. The terrain where these grapes grow was tidal river territory before the 1930s Napier earthquake.
  • Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Grenache 2021 – nice dark red colour; this is a low-yield crop and is 100% Grenache, fermented in open-topped concrete carrels
  • Artisanal Gimblet Gravels Tempranillo 2021 – almost purple in colour, dry on the nose, dark berries with a hint of vanilla on the nose – has been in American and French oak and comes from a single block in Te Awa planted in 2018
  • Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Malbec, Cav Sauv, Merlot 2000 – again almost purple in colour, blackberry/currents on the tongue. This would go well with Venison. Again this is a low-yield crop, fermented with wild yeast in concrete open-topped barrels and kept until 2032!

Of the above, the most ordered was the Chenin Blanc. This reflected both the quality of this wine and likely the fact of how starved we are of this variety in New Zealand. Thanks again, Richard, for arranging this tasting and then stepping in to deliver it for Gordon. I am told that Gordon has already offered to do this again in 2024. You would be most welcome, Gordon.

Field & Green, mid-winter dinner – July 2022

This was held at Field & Green in the Wellington CBD last month. It was well attended, albeit we did have a couple of last-minute cancellations due to Covid, which meant we did not hit the maximum seating of 48 that we were booked for at the beginning of that week.

Everyone was welcomed with a glass of the Club’s bubbly, and a good variety of wines was brought to create a jovial atmosphere for the evening. The food was well presented, and the committee received a host of favourable feedback after the event, indicating that this was a venue that members would like to attend again sometime in the future.

We know members particularly enjoyed the Treacle Tarte with clotted cream. Laura, the chef at Field & Green, has kindly agreed to share her recipe with club members, and you will find it as a separate attachment to this newsletter. Thanks, Laura and thanks, Helen, for securing this for us.

We thank Terry Friel for suggesting Field & Green and working with them to produce an excellent menu for the night.