New Zealand Pinot Noir Part 1: Central Otago, North Canterbury, Nelson, Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay.

New Zealand Winegrowers Inc - Mishas Vineyard, Central Otago.

This stunning shot of Misha's Vineyard in Central Otago reminds us this wine region in the south-of-centre of New Zealand's South Island is distinctly 'cool climate', to coin that overused term. The Pinot Noir variety has adapted well to the climate and landscape here; and local winemakers can confidently claim to be producing some really delicious and fine Pinots, even if, inevitably perhaps, these wines now represent some of NZ's most expensive.

Languedoc and Roussillon: Terroirs & Millésimes 2023

A series of wine tasting and touring reports from a recent trip to the Languedoc and Roussillon will be published on the site piece by piece over the coming months. In the meantime, I've already posted photos of favourite bottles, smiling winemakers, tasty food, pretty locations and historical sightseeing spots on Facebook.com/WineWriting.

Rioja: 10 to 20 year-old reds.

This selection of eight gracefully maturing reds in some ways epitomises what many people would consider 'old' cask-aged Rioja to be all about. Although, as seen in three previous posts (Rioja 5 to 10 year-old red wines, Rioja reds less than 5 years old, Rioja 15 white wines), with a new generation of winemakers challenging the narrow perception that barrel age equals quality, there are plenty of great wines to be enjoyed from younger red (and white) Rioja too. This snapshot spans vintages 2012 and 2011 to 2004, 2003 and one delicious wine exceeding twenty years of age, 2001 (a Rioja odyssey?).

New Zealand: 16 Chardonnays & Pinot Gris/Grigios.

New Zealand white wines kick off a new mini-series of postings on WineWriting.com, with further ramblings to follow on red wines - mostly about Pinot Noir and Syrah with some Cabernet Merlots thrown in - and a touch of bubbly. The source of all these tasty wines sampled and regurgitated here was a recent New Zealand Wine tasting in Dublin. Photo: New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, Elephant Hill (Chardonnay).

Rioja: 5 to 10 year-old red wines.

As promised, the Rioja quest on WineWriting.com has turned increasingly geeky with this selection of 16 smoothing reds aged for 'five to ten years' (in cask and bottle).

The focus is the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 vintages: some of these wines are traditionally categorised as Reserva or Gran Reserva, while other winemakers featured here ignore these rules simply because equating a mandatory amount of barrel-ageing with quality is indeed a daft idea.

Rioja: reds less than 5 years old.

Part two of this WineWriting.com Rioja feature moves on to red wines - the first instalment highlighted 15 delicious white wines (all tasted in Dublin last month: click/tap to read more). As an appetising entrée, 15 varied red Riojas have been chosen here which are 'less than five years old', to coin a cunning theme that will be developed in two further posts ('5 to 10 years' and '10 to 20 years' old).

Rioja: 15 white wines.

The first of a few tasting reports gleaned from a right royal Rioja tasting in Dublin (by coincidence, Rioja resembles a word in Irish meaning majestic) focuses on white wines. Rioja Blanco was traditionally once as well known as the region's red wine, usually well-oaked in style, which over the years declined in fashion while reds became more and more in demand; but their white wines are definitely now making a welcome comeback.

Malta & Gozo: food, wine and beer.

Not surprisingly perhaps, given their history and proximity to Sicily and southern Italy, Italian cuisine is commonplace in the Maltese islands in all its forms and price ranges. We discovered the particularly good family-run restaurant ('for three decades') Il Galeone in Sliema, a short ferry-ride across the water from Valletta (35 Tigne Seafront: galeonerestaurant.com).

10 wines and a cider of the moment.

D'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2021 McLaren Vale, South Australia (14% abv): Asda £10 on offer, normally £13. Stylish and unusual full-bodied white, floral nutty and exotic with zesty yeast-lees and citrus tones; generously textured mouthfeel from a small portion of each variety being barrel fermented, otherwise not noticeable.

A handful of unoaked white wines

A wide variety of five good-value unoaked white wines originally featured on WineWriting.com on Facebook (more photos there):

The Winery of Good Hope Chardonnay 2021, South Africa (12.5% abv). Flavoursome textbook unoaked Chardonnay from the western Cape: £8.50 The Wine Society.

Roussillon: a dozen Vins Doux Naturels.

The fourth and final part of my summer Roussillon review features a (baker's) dozen Vins Doux Naturels (plural, VDN(s) for short), probably more naturally translated as (sweet) fortified wines, some of which are anchored in regional tradition while others are relatively 'modern'. Including whites - although their colour is often far from it for reasons explained below, a style called Ambré - and reds from Rivesaltes, as well as Maury and Banyuls, also white and red, of various types and ages.

Roussillon: 36 whites and rosés worthy of your fridge (but not at the same time).

Hot on the heels of two pieces showcasing 40+ stonking reds from the North and the Centre & South of the Roussillon, it's time to switch the limelight onto some of the region's flavoursome white and rosé wines. There's a blurb about the wineries mentioned here in those two previous posts: tap the links to discover more including which outlets stock their wines. So this time then, less blah blah and more wine. Photo: old vines in Les Aspres zone.

Roussillon - the south & centre: 16 reds to knock your socks off (part 2).

These plush reds represent more of my favourites from a recent Wines of Roussillon tasting in London (part 1: the north, is here). Featuring wines from 2019, 2020 and 2021 plus some more mature or rarer vintages produced by various wineries in the centre and south of the Roussillon, aka 'French Catalonia, wild wine country' as in the title of my book.

Roussillon - the north: 27 reds to knock your socks off (part 1).

This spicy variety of reds features some of my top picks from a Wines of Roussillon tasting in London (in June), and other recommendations from recent wine shopping. These include reds from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages, as well as a few older, more mature and sometimes special bottlings. They were made by different-sized wine producers across the northern Roussillon - Les Pyrénées Orientales is the département name - or 'French Catalonia' as I coined in the subtitle of my book on the region.

June wines of the moment

A mixed baker's dozen (plus) of wines worth taking bad photos of...

M&S 'Found' Weißburgunder 2021, Pfalz Germany (12.5% abv): Or Pinot Blanc to use its more familiar French name (Pinot Bianco in Italy). This juicy zesty pear and nectarine tinged dry white is from talented winemaker Gerd Stepp, who's made other tasty 'modern' German wines for Marks including delicious Riesling and Pinot Noir. Resembles Alsace Pinot Blanc in style but with more flavour. £9.50

Irish craft beer: 'Belgian Style' Saison & Foxes Rock

The Crafty Brewing Co label is an 'exclusive' range brewed by the Rye River Brewing Company in Co. Kildare for Lidl Ireland. Their deliciously refreshing Belgian Style Saison (4.8% abv), whatever that means, is very aromatic and crisp while full-flavoured. The brewery's (edited) tasting note says it all (and much more...): 'Hazy and unfiltered with a stiff rocky foam that exudes an aroma of fruits, spice, bubblegum and herbs... (and) subtle notes of Sauvignon Blanc (it really does) from a late hop addition finishing dry.' Good with Thai green curry. €1.99 (500ml).

More Chardonnay: France, Spain, Chile.

Languedoc-wines.com/Limoux

Following on from my '50 years of Chardonnay' in Australia feature, five other gratuitous Chardies enjoyed recently include:

Le Stopgap Chardonnay 2021 Vin de France, Jacques Depagneux (13% abv): 'Much of the blend comes from Limoux with a little from the central Languedoc and essential dash from the Mâconnais...'

Australia: 50 years of Chardonnay.

Indeed, fifty years young. As Wine Australia put it in the intro to a recent celebratory tasting: "With the first varietally-labelled Chardonnay produced in Australia in 1972, now is the perfect time to revisit the story of Australia’s most iconic white wine. From the first vine cuttings in the 1830s to the big buttery wines of the 1990s, to today’s regionally distinct refined styles, Australian Chardonnay has come a long way."

(Tyrrell's, Leeuwin, Forest Hill, Penfolds, Moorooduc, Giant Steps, Shaw&Smith, Tolpuddle. And a wine geek warning!)

Spain: Cava Cabré & Sabaté.

Cabré & Sabaté is yet another packaging guise created by bespoke-label Cava maestro Jaume Serra for Mercadona and other supermarkets in Spain; this impressive winery also produces very good fizz for several UK retailers (Asda, Aldi, Morrison's...).

Grenache: white rosé and red.

Lo Cometa Garnatxa Blanca 2020 Terra Alta, Catalunya (organic, 13.5% abv): Which is Catalan for Grenache blanc, this unusual full-bodied dry white is more about flavour and texture than aroma. Subtle honeyed notes with yeast-lees, white peach and pears edged with aniseed and blanched nuts; quite powerful while juicy and concentrated with lingering mineral freshness. £7.25 The Wine Society (out of stock, wait for the 2021), €6-€7 Germany (Lidl has some 2019 left), Netherlands €9.

Serious rosé

For those of us who enjoy (proper) dry rosé all year round, not just in summer (it's a good compromise for a white wine drinker and a red wine drinker sharing the same meal and bottle), it's no surprise that 'serious' rosé does exist. But some people in France and someone in Italy had the bright idea of creating the Rosés de Terroirs association as a collaborative marketing project to promote the regions and producers who are famous for making this type of full-on pink wine.

Pays d'Oc, South of France part 4.

Poet Frédéric Mistral.

These eleven wines (we go that one extra, so "these go up to 11") were worth typing about picked from the latest batch of diverse samplings from IGP Pays d'Oc (essentially the entire Occitanie region although these are all from the Languedoc), boldly billed in the press release as 'Pays d’Oc wines for every festive occasion.' Previous posts on Pays d'Oc include these linked below (there'll be more if you can be bothered to look, use the search doofer on the right):

Part 1: IGP and Vin de France.

Part 2: half-a-dozen varietal wines.  Part 3: rosé.