Fine Wine Cellar Journal are excited and privileged to offer you the most outstanding new vintage release ever of Craggy Range’s Prestige Collection.
 
Craggy Range’s ‘Prestige Collection’ are amongst New Zealand’s very greatest wines, many would argue THE greatest. Wine Spectator’s Harvey Steiman for one, is in the latter camp saying; “Craggy Range is clearly the best all-around producer in New Zealand today; no one else makes such a diverse array of outstanding wines.â€
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Hi to all our valued cellar and selected premium wine customers,
New Zealand Pinot Noir has struck again, this time awarded ‘Best in Class’ with a gold medal at the UK International Wine & Spirits Competition. Magnificent, organic Martinborough producer, this is a class act. We’re lucky to have secured a tiny 72 bottle allocation!
Whilst on the topic of Pinot Noir, I was digging through my cellar this weekend and found a lone bottle of La Strada Marlborough Pinot Noir 1999 – my first thoughts was this would probably be past its best (admittedly I took home the new vintage Craggy Range Calvert Pinot Noir 2009 as a backup). However, to my surprise, after a quick decant, this Pinot sprung to life with plenty of red fruits, cherry, cranberry and spice on the nose and followed up on the palate by hints of primary red and black fruits, touches of forest floor, mushroom, new leather and nutmeg spice.
Every once in a while when I’m talking to wine collectors, they tell me of wines they thought were past it and simply throw it out or give it away without even trying it. I shudder to think of how many great wine experiences that have been missed out on. If you’ve cellared it all that time, it is always worth opening up to see what it is like, you might just get lucky.
If you’ve had a similar experience, it would be great to hear about it so please comment below or contact me directly greg@finewinedelivery.co.nzÂ
Cheers, Greg
Hi to all our valued cellar and selected premium wine customers,
This week sees four highly cellar-worthy wines brought to the table. The highly revered Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2009 which has already been awarded two major 5 star ratings, plus three spectacular red wine opportunities including a very limited Italian star that has just achieved the highest possible accolade an Italian wine can achieve!
For this week only, I will give away a bottle each of the Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2009 and Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2008 to one lucky person that sends me an email with their thoughts on this week’s wines and any older vintages of these that they have tried. Comment on our Blog or contact me directly greg@finewinedelivery.co.nz I’ll draw the winner, close of business tomorrow.
Don’t forget it’s whitebait season and what better reason to open an aged Barrel Fermented Sauvignon, a Sancerre or good French Champagne.
Cheers, Greg
Hi to all our valued cellar and selected premium wine customers,
Spring is finally upon us, the sunshine and BBQ’s are starting to come out and so has the long awaited new release Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2007 and Craggy Range Te Muna Pinot Noir 2009.The hype around these two releases is always exciting and they notably sell out well before they receive their highest accolades.
I feel compelled to tell you about our amazing experience at the French Cafe last Friday night. Tracey and I went for our 6th wedding anniversary wanting a fabulous food and wine experience. The French Cafe over deliver and it is easy to see why they have been one of the best restaurants in Auckland or should I say NZ for over 30 years. The wine list was vast and tempting with a great range of aged wines and wines by the glass. We both chose a glass of the John Forest Collection 2004 Chardonnay – it is rare to see a Chardonnay with age available by the glass. The wine was poured at the table, served at the perfect temperature (just slightly chilled) and of course in correct and elegant glassware. We chose tea smoked quail which was just exceptional and a French goats cheese tart which was a vibrant, superb start to our meal.
For mains we chose a beautifully cooked crispy roast duckling and first light venison loin – both spectacular. A bottle of the Te Mata Coleraine 2005, one of our favourites and an excellent vintage, opened and decanted at the table and served in fine Bordeaux style glassware.
What makes the French Cafe an experience – the service is seamless, they serve their wines at the perfect temperatures in the perfect glassware. The food is truly amazing, refined and certainly something I wouldn’t be able to replicate at home. All these elements combined with a certain X factor that gives ambience and an exceptional overall experience, makes The French Cafe one of my favourite restaurants. Before you ask, I’m not giving them a plug for any reason other than I just wanted to share our great experience with you. Enjoy!
Remember, serving your wine at the right temperature and in the right glassware makes a huge difference. You’ve invested in a great wine, make sure you get the full experience from it.
Cheers, Greg
Hi to all our valued cellar and selected premium wine customers,
The 2010 Tri-Nations Wine Challenge has recently taken place, the results have just been released and our premium NZ wines did us proud by winning 6 trophies followed by Australia with 5 and South Africa winning 2.
This is a unique competition where entry is via invitation only. Wines are selected by a top judge from each country who seeks out the best wines from their homeland for an elite blind tasting. Bob Campbell MW (NZ), Huon Hook (AUS) and Michael Fridjhorn (SA) are the highly acclaimed panel each with national pride on the line. They put forward only the finest from their respective countries to secure a much coveted trophy in this fiercely competitive challenge.
We have three exciting big name winners on offer including the Mt Difficulty Target Gully Riesling 2009 which is dripping in accolades. We are also giving away the chance to win a trip for two with Mt Difficulty to Queenstown – full details below.
If a Sunday long lunch at one of Waiheke’s greatest wineries sounds tempting, then join Jeff, Virginia and the team at an exclusive 4 course long lunch at Te Whau on Sunday the 31st of October 2010. For full details and menu, click here. There’s only 40 seats available and 18 have sold since I released it last week – don’t miss out on this brilliant experience.
Enjoy this weeks Cellar Journal and remember, the only things that makes wine taste better is great food and great company.
Cheers, Greg
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