This was a fun, festive evening, hosted by Tammy, Mission’s Rep, who
along with Wayne, chose the wines for our evening.
We were fortunate to have two of their premier Jewelstone range, to
savour, along with a Rose’ from Stables to compare with a Jewelstone
Rose, plus Mission’s Brut Cuvee bubbles, made in the champagne way.
Tammy updated us with the news that the CEO for the last 30 years was departing for other pastures. So they now have at Mission a new CE, new-ish vintner and new web page with new motto – ‘History in the Making’! Exciting times!
This evening 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:
Mission Fete Brut Cuvee – Pinot Gris from Mission’s Home Block at Taradale, zesty with delicate pear and apple and fine mousse.
2025 Stables Rose – made from a mix of grapes, to be used as an aperitif, cheap and cheerful
Jewelstone Rose [noting that 2024 has recently been released and is now called Blanc De Noir], This will cellar well for another five years if you want to. Handpicked whole bunch pressed organic Merlot grapes from Mere Rd in the Gimblett Gravels.
2022 Jewelstone Chardonnay – these grapes were from their Green Meadows site in Taradale, made up of two clones, hand harvested and gently pressed, the firstly placed in French oak before spending time in neutral barrels.
Mission Reserve Syrah – Gimblett Gravels grapes, a nice light-ish wine, from a single vineyard. Can be kept for up to five years.
Mission Reserve Malbec – light, dry and on oak for 12 months, this can be cellared for five more years if you wish.
Mission Estate Late Harvest Riesling – this was a nice light-ish desert wine, and as well as going well with our Xmas fare provided by Wayne, it would pair nicely with lemon meringue pie.
Although our numbers were down a little with 27 attending, the evening went with well Rockburn’s Canadian Cellar Door Manager, Alex Crone being both informative and engaging.
The wines produced were a little different to what we are used to, which was exciting for a taste test, with a Fume’ Blanc on the menu for the evening! This was a blend that had been in old oak barrels and was advised as best being served just chilled a little bit. It could also be cellared for up to 10 years.
Their Pinot Gris had a lovely colour, due to half of the wine content having skin contact before being barrelled with the other half of the harvest. A nice touch that added to the taste experience.
Their chardonnay was in a Chablis style, with 60% being barrelled in neutral oak, so the wine didn’t have the normal oaky chardonnay taste we are more used to, none the less a taste experience.
We had the privilege of having a taste of their first vintage of Rockburn Crimson Peak Pinot Noir [2023] – a tasty drop, along with their ‘star wine’ the 2023 Rockburn Pinot Noir.
A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
Welcome Wine – 2025 Stolen Kiss Rose’
2024 Pinot Gris
2024 Fume’ Blanc
2023 Chardonnay
2023 Crimson Peak
2023 Pinot Noir
2022 The Art Pinot Noir
They no longer do a Reisling! But Alex advised that if you could pick up one of these from wine suppliers around Wellington, it was worth a try.
Please note some of this information is from Cambridge Road’s website.
At the Luna evening in August, the presenter Joel Watson mentioned that a fellow local
vineyard, Cambridge Road Vineyard, had been experimenting using 90-year-old Totara barrels with two of its wines. So, I contacted the Vigneron, Lance Redgwell to find out more as I was immediately alerted to a potential story, as my husband who writes about whisky, has discovered that a NZ distillery, Pokeno, uses newly made totara barrels for some of its production. These have won gold medals overseas in blind-taste competitions!
The casks in question, crafted in the 1930s, are a far cry from the standard oak barrels of today. Hewn from the forest that carpeted this country, they hark back to a time before Stainless steel and imported European woods. The coopers tradition travelled with the early winegrowers to New Zealand and with them the first wines from this country began to emerge in the late 1800’s.
Ranging from 2,100 to 2,900 litres, these large-format casks, foudre or botte are commonly found in northern Italy, Germany, Austria, and Alsace and often used for high-acid varietals like Nebbiolo, Riesling, and Grüner Veltliner. “They provide lower oxidation levels and a more neutral wood profile,” explains Lance. “But beyond that, they carry mana, history, and a spirit that transcends a mere flavour profile. This is about rekindling a connection to the past and the
early history of winemaking in New Zealand.”
Discovered in a mothballed winery in the far-north town of Kaikohe, these barrels were traced back to the Brajkovich family, best known for their work with Kumeu River Wines in West Auckland. To bring the wood back to life, their restoration comes with immense challenges.
“Like restoring a vintage timber boat, it requires traditional techniques. We’ve had to use draw saws, working with the grain as they would have in the 1920s.
The wood is brittle, and every step requires immense care. It’s an ongoing journey, and we’re not there yet, it will take time.” says Lance Redgwell.
While this is a long-term project, the scale will always be limited by the number of barrels available.
“My hope is that this effort will keep these barrels in use for another 95 years, inspiring future generations to take pride in New Zealand’s winemaking heritage,” says Lance. “And ultimately, my goal is to craft the most distinctly Kiwi wines on the planet— wine that speaks not just of place, but of history, tradition, and the land that nurtures it.”
Cambridge Road has two current wines released which employ Totara cask ageing:
2023 Crystal Veil – rediscovering NZ’s winemaking heritage – a Sauvignon Blanc born in Totara – Sauvignon Blanc Crystal Veil 2023 is both clean and complex. The Totara cask imparts subtle structure and texture, what Lance describes as “a phenolic gift,” giving the wine tension and finesse, along with a faint, lingering memory of fennel seed on the finish. Whole bunch pressed, wild fermented, and left on lees for nearly two years. With zero skin contact, low sulphites (23ppm), and an alcohol level of 12%.
2023 Cloudwalker – this is an orange wine, with varietals of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir. This year’s Cloudwalker sees a more delicate extraction than typical, making it more flexible in terms of end use and food matching. Again, it’s a single vineyard expression looking into the stony, sandy, windswept fringes of the Dry River southwest of town. The Pinot Gris brings colour, spice and stone fruit dimensions, modest levels of Riesling engage further spice and citrus lift. Beyond this a subtle gift of Pinot Rose’ smooths the complexion ever so slightly. This is a wine to enjoy immediately or sometime in the next 5-6 years. Lean toward aromatic curries, brown butter, nuts and mandarin, green peppercorn, white fish & capers, that kind of direction for food matches.
Wow! What an enjoyable evening. Most people would have known or visited this local vineyard, although it’s now, thanks to Transmission Gully, simply a short drive north of Wellington.
We had 30 people turn up for the evening and we were entertained and informed by the vineyards CE, Donna and Jo Scully. They opened with a Karakia which was a change from the norm for our evenings, then went on to explain that their winemaker was Jayne Cooper, a well known winemaker
and wine judge.
Visit Ohau wines
They had got up to 4ha of grapes at one stage but were now down to 25ha as a business decision and better knowledge of their grape varieties and the land they grow on. One side of their land used to be used to farm horses, the other as a produce farm, so they are blessed with highly fertile growing soils with a high amount of organic content.
Their wines have been vegan since 2020, but this doesn’t hold them back at all!
As all their wines are ‘made’ in the Wairarapa, they truck their grapes over the hill for production.
This leaves extra barrel time for the grapes to be in contact with their skins, so the wine can have different expression at the end of its journey, when compared to similar varietals grown by other wineries.
As a reminder the wines we tasted on the evening:
View toward Tararua Forest Park
Not the Norm Rose 2020 – opening wine – a lovely drop, liked by all that is substantially Pinot Gris with a small amount of Pinot Noir for colour. This is their second vintage.
Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris 2023 – fruit forward and aromatic; they leave the grapes on the vines longer before harvesting this batch to bring out fuller flavours.
Ohau Gravels Chardonnay 2024 – they plant their Chardonnay on either side of SH2, as the tarmac provides a natural heat source for these vines and the traffic keeps the flow circulating!
Selected Vines Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – made using more than one clone of Sauvignon, this is fully oaked with wild ferment but no added yeast – the French have been ‘oaking’ Sauvignon for yonks! A nice change to the usual taste of Sauvignon for non-white drinkers.
Not the Norm Sauvignon Black 2021 – this is made with a mix of skins cold-pressed; stainless steel barrel and oak barrel with wild ferment. Sauvignon drinkers will like this!
Ohau Gravels Pinot Noir 2024 – 80% stainless steel / 20% oak cask, this was a light but flavoursome drop.
Not the Norm Te Tihi – this is in effect a fortified Pinot Noir. A drop that came about because of COVID lockdown and a cancelled export order of their WovenStone Pinot Noir. The staff thought laterally and took this batch of red to the Brewtown people, asked them to add a white spirit and whala! They have their version of a lighter sweet red – well worth the taste experience, and one of our members of taking it around the country to family this Christmas!
Well worth a visit, their cellar door is open from Tuesday-Saturday.
Wednesday 8 October, 8 pm
Door Price: Members $18 / Guests $22
A pure expression of Central Otago
Alex comes from a background in hospitality and tourism back in Canada.
Moving to Aotearoa last year to pursue opportunities in the heart of Pinot Noir territory, Central Otago, she found her place at Rockburn. Alex has held positions from the cellar door to marketing but loves getting to chat about wines and finding the best fit for every individual palette-there’s a wine out there for everyone! When not at the winery, she spends her time in the
mountains skiing and hiking or diving deep into vintage jazz tracks and dances.
Gibbston Valley Back Road Vineyard reflects the unique terroir.
Rockburn is a wine producer in the Central Otago region on the South Island of New Zealand. The estate makes a range of wines but is perhaps best-known for its award-winning Pinot Noirs – the flagship variety of region.
The winery was founded in 1991 by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Richard (Dick) Bunton, who planted some of the first vines near Lake Hayes. Over the years, Rockburn expanded its vineyard holdings, with significant sites in Gibbston and Parkburn/Pisa on the shores of Lake Dunstan. In 2002, the brand name changed from Hayes Lake to Rockburn, reflecting the rugged, schist-laden terrain and the region’s distinctive character.
Today, Rockburn remains proudly independent, with the James and Halford families as key stakeholders. Longstanding winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis, who joined the team in 2005, continues to lead the winemaking, focusing on minimal intervention and precision to express site and season. A new winery opened in 2016, designed around Rees-Francis’ winemaking approach. This year marks his 20th vintage at Rockburn.
Rockburn’s signature varietals are crafted to highlight the vibrant purity and cool-climate elegance of Central Otago.
Rockburn produces a diverse portfolio of wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and the Stolen Kiss Rosé, alongside other labels such as Crimson Peak and Devil’s Staircase. All wines are made at the Cromwell winery, with fruit sourced from premium vineyards across Gibbston and Parkburn/Pisa.
Wines for the night are:
2025 Stolen Kiss Rose’
2024 Pinot Gris
2024 Fume’ Blanc
2023 Chardonnay
2023 Crimson Peak
2023 Pinot Noir
2022 The Art Pinot Noir
To help members have an easy payment method on the evening, there will be an EFTPOS machine to process orders.
Sustainable, restorative farming, letting the fruit do all the talking
What a fabulous evening for everyone who attended. With an entertaining presenter and wines made in the Alsatian style that were different, for our tasting pleasure.
While the wines were above our normal price range, people enjoyed the different wine styles and orders were healthy. This is encouraging to your committee. Their cost to members was offset by a generous discount and the waiving of the delivery fee. Thank you Luna Estate for your support and
great tasting.
A reminder of the wines we tried on the night:
Luna Brut Rose a delightful welcoming wine for the evening
Luna Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023 a blend of two very different blocks from Bue Rock Vineyard
Luna Estate Pinot Gris 2023
Luna Estate Pinot Meunier Rose 2024
Luna Estate Eclipse Chardonnay 2023 mature vine fruit used for this drop
Luna Estate Blue Rock Pinot Noir 2021 a blend from both of their vineyards
Wednesday 10th September, 8 pm start
Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18
Authentic wines with a unique aromatic expression, making award-winning wines since 2009. Ohau is a relatively new wine sub-region, situated to the south of Levin. Since their first harvest in 2009, they have been growing exceptional aromatic varietals and producing award-winning, authentic wines that reflect the unexpected, unique regional conditions.
Wines for the evening are:
2020 Not the Norm Rose – opening wine
2023 Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris
2021 Not the Norm Sauvignon Black
2012 Selected Vines Sauvignon Blanc
2024 Ohau Gravels Chardonnay
2024 Ohau Gravels Pinot Noir
2022 Not the Norm Te Tihi
This promises to be a special tasting with two interesting surprises for club members.
The first wine of special interest is the 2012 Selected Vines Sauvignon Blanc! No, that isn’t a typo. This wine has been made especially with aging in mind, and so it will be very interesting to compare it with the 2021 vintage that we will also be tasting.
The second wine of special interest will be our last, the 2022 Not the Norm Te Tihi. This is a fortified Pinot Noir and, at 20% alcohol, is probably more akin to a port. The tasting notes talk of an aroma that is a complex bouquet of dried fruit, fragrant toasted spices, hints of roasted almonds, and a subtle note of sweet toffee. I’m really looking forward to finding out if this really is Christmas cake in a glass.
Wednesday 13th August, 8 pm start
Door Price: Members $12 / Guests $15
Sustainably farmed, gently handcrafted
“We look after our land and soil, employing regenerative and organic farming principles and practices across both of our vineyards.
Sustainable, organic principles drive our farming processes, and in the winery, we let the fruit do all the talking.
Properties are at:
Blue Rock Venue/Vineyard – 284 Dry River Rd, Martinborough
Luna Estate Cellar Door & Eclipse Restaurant – 133 Puruatanga Rd, Martinborough
“We are proud growers and wine producers, turning all we grow into delicious produce using our own winery. This is truly what it means to be an Estate.
90% of winemaking happens on the land. Our careful practice in the cellar ensures that the unique character of our vineyards shines in your glass.
Skillfully grown fruit, minimal handling and patience are the three main ingredients in our wines. No animal products used.
Our people are our greatest asset. Call in to our cellar door and restaurant, visit our winery or vineyard, or chat to our admin team and you’ll find a diverse group of passionate individuals who love what they do. At different times of the year, you might find admin staff in the restaurant, winemakers in the Cellar door, or hospitality staff out in the vineyard.
Whatever needs doing, we’re there supporting each other to make sure that our guests enjoy the very best of what we have to offer.
We won’t lie, it’s a lot of hard work, but we make sure to find time for fun and enjoy regular team get-togethers. Supporting our employees to live rich and fulfilling lives outside of work is just as important, and we ensure our staff have a good balance between work and play.
Call in and see us one day – we’d love to see you”
What a brilliant evening, presented by the owner’s son, who is someone who is involved in all aspects of the vineyard and grew up helping with the set-up and expansion of the same.
We had 34 club members attend, with a good number of orders.
The wines are made in the Alsatian style, rather than French or Italian style, which makes them on the slightly drier side, and entirely enjoyable!
It was nice to hear the pitfalls that the owners have gone through with the set-up involving the terroir and the different varieties they wanted to grow, the solutions that were presented to them that they accepted and the way the business has grown with that vision intact.
The wines we tasted during the evening were:
2023 Pinot Noir Rosé
2023 Pinot Gris
2023 Sauvignon Blanc ‘Five Barrels’
2024 Riesling ‘Eight Rows’
2023 The Sum of Us (Gertz, Pinot Gris and Riesling)
2024 Gewurztraminer ‘Tilly Vineyard’
2019 Pinot Noir
As a reminder to members: Bladen is now closed for tastings for the Winter; reopening 25th October 2025, at 83 Conders Bend Road, Renwick.
Cellar Door Bladen Wines – 83 Conders Bend Road, Renwick, Marlborough
In 1989, Christine and Dave Macdonald left their city lives behind to realise their dream of establishing a vineyard and winery. With caravan in tow the family embarked on a national tour to find the ideal winegrowing region and vineyard location.
Settling in Marlborough, they planted their vineyard by hand, initially growing grapes for local wineries before creating their own wines under the Bladen name. Chris and Dave quickly developed a reputation for making exceptional cool climate wines.
The Bladen name refers to Chris and Dave’s children – Blair and Deni – who were toddlers when the vineyard was developed.
Chris and Dave Macdonald are proud to be amongst the pioneers of the Marlborough winegrowing region. There were only eight wineries in the Marlborough district in 1989 when they established their vineyard.
Blair will be presenting the following wines at our tasting:
2023 Pinot Noir Rosé
2023 Pinot Gris
2023 Sauvignon Blanc ‘Five Barrels’
2024 Riesling ‘Eight Rows’
2023 The Sum of Us (Gertz, Pinot Gris and Riesling)
2024 Gewurztraminer ‘Tilly Vineyard’
2019 Pinot Noir
Bladen is currently closed for the Winter, reopening on 25th October 2025.
Wayne, with Michael and Murray presenting to the Club
What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne, who purchased the winning wines in a timely manner so he could secure every one that he wanted, and part hosted by Wayne, with Michael and Murray added to the panel presenting to the Club members.
We had 36 members turn up for the tasting, so the reputation of this evening from last year has grown!
Wayne had tasting notes for each wine to refer to, and club members were asked what they tasted, liked and towards the end of the evening there was a vote on the best wine of the evening – it was a fairly close call on that point!
The below wines were what we tasted on the night, and may available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.
2024 Leftfield Pinot Gris, Marlborough
2024 Wairau River Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
2024 Sileni Advocate Grand Reserve Albarino, Hawkes Bay
2023 Bladen Eight Rows Riesling, Marlborough
2022 Kirrihill Regional Series Clare Valley Shiraz, South Australia
2021 Church Road McDonald Series Merlot, Hawkes Bay
Askerne Tasting – Main Event
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