Yellowglen Cremant 2007

The last night in Wellington was an emotional one as I was heading back to glorious Tassie to start work but it meant saying goodbye to my small friend. My small friend is not a plastic giraffe but she is a very, very funny 1 year old so we had a big family dinner to see me off to Tas and them off to Thailand.

Having spent a whirlwind week which saw me toast my wonderful grandmothers long life with Pol Roger Rose 2002, Sunday lunch was a more muted affair with our usual roast chicken and a bottle of something. Off-dry and easy drinking according to the blurb I thought I would give Yellowglen another try after the success of the Yellowglen Perle 2006.

After writing up the Rosemount Ruby O it is interesting to go to another big branded sparkler and get such a different response.  Pale lemon with small fast moving bubbles and some beading on the rim the nose had toasty notes, baked apple, yeastiness and tropical fruits all thrown in.

Ripe and fruity on the palate the residual sweetness added a roundness and softness to the wine and it doesn't become cloying due to the fresh acidity and crisp lime and lemon citrus elements.

The wine held up to gossiping and a fine roast chicken so it did its job for the evening. Some tears, smiles and giraffe impressions later we were all off on to the next adventure to see what life has in store for us all.

Rangipo Desert, New Zealand

Rosemount Ruby 'O' 2009

So fashion and sparkling wine...... Many years ago when God was a boy and dinosaurs roamed the earth I modelled some clothes from the local designer store and was given a comfortable amount of Moet Rose for my trouble (and a faaancy black dress).

When I was told there was to be a lingerie fashion show with drinks I had high hopes. Sadly this didn't go quite so well on either front. I was hoping for the sort of lingerie a Bond girl would wear or something that Scarlett Johansson would wear in those Dom Perignon adverts and the bubbles to match.

The lingerie wouldn't have covered a mouse and the wine also did not elicit excitment nor luxury. They are indeed high-ball glasses with ice which contains the Ruby O in the picture above. Made from non-specific varietals in the year 2009 the Rosemount Ruby O is a spectacularly non-descript wine.

Pale salmon pink with medium sized bubbles and aromas of cherry and redcurrant. On the palate wild strawberries and candy floss get in the mix to create a ripe and fruity wine. I don't really have much more to say about this to be honest. There's nothing wrong with it, not chock full of sugar or anything like that but it's just....fine, which I appreciate is up there on the insult scale of calling something nice but it is just fine.

I'm sure this is the sort of wine that would go down a storm on Ladies Day at the races and hen nights but the highlight of the evening of me was the cake, chocolate dream from Floriditas. If you're ever in Wellington, pop down to Floridita's for a Jansz rose and cake and pick your own undies! A far superior combo and more fun without a shadow of a doubt.

Capri Bar & Eatery, Wellington

If you ever find yourself in Wellington, it would be worth taking an hour or so out of your day for a fortifying glass of bubbles and for that Capri will more than suffice.

Apart from my recent success with the bubbles (Bird in Hand & Veuve Clicquot) I'm a fan of the decor which is well styled without being too try-hard, the music, which at one point was straight out of Steve Wright's Sunday love songs and the well thought out wine and spirit selection.

It appeals to the Stepford Wife in me, all white tables and chairs, pretty dresses and champagne but luckily without the mind-controlled robots and Bette Midler. I'm not going to be in Wellington for a long time but I'm happy to know that I can definitely be here for a good time. So ladies, curl your hair and slick on the lipstick, gentlemen polish those shoes and put on a clean shirt there's some stylish drinking to be done.

Capri Bar & Eatery www.capribar.co.nz

146 Featherstone Street, Wellington +64 4472 2613

Veuve Clicquot NV

It's been a dogs age since I reviewed any Champagne so when the girls suggested we went down to Capri for a cheeky glass of Veuve Clicquot I hot footed it down there.

It's really easy to forget about the big brands as they are everywhere and one assumes that everyone will have tasted it. As my friend Ging says, "Assumption is the mother of all f#%k ups" so one review coming up...

Tight, tiny bubbles formed some fine beading on the rim and the nose had rich and toasty notes with stone fruits, lemon, bread and biscuits coming through. On the palate I found it a little youthful and the dosage slightly clunky, maybe to try and even out the green flavours. 

That aside the toastier notes from the nose do make it through onto the palate and hints of lemon, quince and honey combine to make the youthfulness less obvious. I would probably say this non-vintage could do with spending a bit more time ageing before release to be shown at its full glory.

Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle NV

Many years ago when God was a boy and dinosaurs roamed the earth I tried Quartz Reef Pinot Noir at Majestic HQ for our first training day. It was a good day. When I discovered that they made a sparkling wine it was time to bring out the happy dance.

For those who don't know Duke Carvell's in Wellington it's a lovely little bistro situated just off  Cuba Street with a fairly awesome wine list and a friendly team. Slightly more importantly they have a comfortable amount of interesting wines by the glass including the Quartz Reef.

 

A blend of 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Chardonnay with the fruit sourced from Bendigo in Central Otago this sparkling is made in the traditional method with the second fermentation taking place in bottle.

Pale lemon with tiny, fast moving bubbles the nose is a delicious mix of apples, bread, yeast, honey, citrus  and wild strawberry. At this point I knew I was in for a treat and the palate didn't disappoint. Ripe apples, biscuit, grapefruit and honeyed pineapple add to the flavours present on the nose making a really classy and elegant glass of bubbles.

This is the first New Zealand sparkler I have tasted from Central Otago and it is good to know that alongside all that world renowned Pinot is some seriously good sparkling. I'm not sure if much of this leaves the country but if you happen to stumble across the Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle wherever you may be don't let this gem pass you by. Bring on the happy dancing!

Hippopotamus, Wellington-High tea and bubbles

Cake and bubbles; it's a perfect combination, it's the reason I still love birthdays. If a dapper gentleman were to knock on my door on my birthday offering cake and fine champagne my day would be complete. If he took me out to high-tea, I may be in danger of swooning!

High tea at Hippopotamus in Wellington is just divine. I am still in danger of coming over all giddy and over-excited at the thought of it. Situated on the waterfront in Wellington the restaurant is on the fourth floor offering glorious views of the mountain range and buzzing harbour. The staff are superb, friendly and professional they were the right balance of chatty and welcoming without being intrusive. Also there isn't even a hint of the sneeriness that can affect those working at high-end restaurants, bars and designer clothes shops....

A glass of Dibon Cava Brut reserve came with high-tea and it was very impressive. Showing apples, fresh bread, almonds and lemons on the nose the flavours follow through to the palate with grapefruit, baked apples and a hint of honey balancing out a rich earthiness. A real creamy mouth feel the cava went perfectly with the little delicacies on offer.

The tea menu for the day consisted of pork belly and apple, filo tartlet with a tomato salsa and parma ham, pesto with cherry tomato, onion jam and peas on bruschetta and a cucumber sandwich for the savoury options. For sweets I had blueberry cheesecake, lemon macaroon, raspberry filled choux pastry and a pineapple ambrosia. The lemon macaroons were the best I had tried outside of Paris, superb!

Once I had my fill of little delights I felt it would be rude not to have a cheeky glass of Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV, possibly New Zealands most famous sparkling wine from one of NZ's most famous producers.

Light and delicate it couldn't have been more different to the Dibon Cava. Crisp and floral with a freshening acidity it was the perfect end to high tea. The base wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are vinified in a variety of vessels; stainless steel, large oak vats and small French oak barrels which give texture and complexity to the finished wine. 

The non-vintage spends two years on its lees before release and the final result is one of subtlety and elegance. Fresh citrus, apples, quince and honey combine with a light nuttiness and a slight autolytic and yeasty finish. If big, bold flavours are your thing then the Pelorus probably won't hit the right spot but for restraint and elegance Pelorus gets it just right, just like high-tea at Hippopotamus!

Gustave Lorenz Cremant d'Alsace Rose Brut NV

Now I'm not the kind of girl to spend my time hanging around the back streets of a town but sometimes needs must when there's good wine to be found at the end.

Down a sneaky alley next to the Bank of New Zealand is where I found Edward Street and the very lovely Vivo. Vivo was recommended to me because they have a very good selection of sparkling wines by the glass and an indulgent international wine list. 

It is definitely indulgent for me as they've gone past the local bubbles, cava, prosecco to include a Cremant d'Alsace and they have Charles Heidsieck by the glass which is a result in my book!

I have tasted a few Cremant d'Alsaces on my journies and I'm pretty impressed by them. The Gustave Lorenz Cremant d'Alsace Rose is 100% Pinot Noir but it isn't trying to be a champagne. A family owned company they have been producing wines since 1836 and the grapes for this wine come from two sites they have in Kanzlerberg and Altenberg de Bergheim which are both Grand Cru sites.

 Deep pink in colour with small fast moving bubbles and some fine beading on the rim the nose has characteristics of raspberries, strawberries, cherries, vanilla and redcurrants with a little light spice and cherry blossom.

On the palate it isn't a fruit bomb, crisp and dry the fruit flavours do carry through but there is a savoury and almost farmyardy note to it that brings a level of depth and complexity. Combined with a creamy mousse this wine is a real treat to drink, its simplicity is its success. Crisp, dry, lots of fruit a little of something more and really well put together I would recommend this for a nice aperitif or for a glass of something cheeky on its own at any time.

Wineseeker sparkling tasting, the Pretty Woman version

Now sometimes as wine folk it's very easy to forget that spending $60 on a bottle of wine is not a bargain to a lot of people. It's also quite easy to forget that some people don't know where Rioja is, or that Montepulciano is both place and grape. It's also really easy to forget to be nice to people.

The scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts is still dressed like a hooker and she walks into the dress shop in order to get herself into some decent garb and is soundly rebuffed is a little too common in the wine world sadly. 

As I don't look like the sparkling wine goddess that I am, I have been into a few wine merchants and been looked up and down and then ignored because I don't look like I'm going to buy the good stuff. The problem with that is, you're a shop and I spend my money on wine, books and dresses that's about it and in that order. 

Luckily Wineseeker in Wellington isn't like that at all, they cover the two essential factors a wine shop should have, after nice wine of course, they are intelligent and nice.

I stumbled across their shop after about a day or so  in Wellington and the manager Rebecca was friendly and passionate about wine even before she found out I was also a wine nerd. They have several tastings at the store and on the Friday before Valentines Day they did the decent thing and held a sparkling tasting.

The two sparklers on tasting were Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blancs 2002 and Jean-Marc Vigreux-Frere NV Champagne.

The Daniel Le Brun was a sneaky little wine whose youthful freshness belied its almost 9 years ageing.  Sprightly and full of fresh lemons, baked bread and dairy notes on the nose the palate followed through with some baked and fresh apple flavours and a lot less maturity than I expected particularly considering it has spent 6 years on the lees.

I was reliably informed that the Huia Blanc de Blancs 2004 that they tried at a tasting earlier in the week is far closer to what one would expect from a  B de B with a little age on it.
 
The Jean-Marc Vigreux-Frere was  actually the first champagne that I have had in  a little while as I'm trying to stick to my New Years resolution of drinking local. Produced by a family who have been a going concern since the mid-80's it was a tasty treat.

The wine showed nougat, candied fruits, baked apple and hints of ground almonds with a creamy mousse and a very pleasant finish.

Wineseeker have a great selection of wines and are truly passionate about their wines in the way good wine merchants should be. Wine isn't only for us chosen few, it is for everyone to enjoy and if there were more places like Wineseeker then the wine buying public would be a little bit happier and less likely to buy mass marketed tat than they are now.

Contact them for future tasting details and general wine purchasing at...
Wineseeker,  86-96 Victoria Street, Wellington, 04 473 0228
www.wineseeker.co.nz