Pol Roger Rose 2002

To poorly mis-quote from one of my favourite films, Serendipity "The Ancient Greeks did not write obituaries, they simply asked 'Did he have passion?" So, as expected, the sad news of a loved one passing brings questions of how to live ones life and whether one will be happy with the view when one looks back over the years.

I am a big fan of Pol Roger personally as was former Prime Minister Winston Churchill the former inhabitant of No.10 Downing Street where my grandmother worked in the 60's. So when the chance appeared for some Pol Roger 2002 rose, I felt it would be a fitting toast to a woman who lived a long and varied life.

Medium salmon-pink in appearance with tiny, fast moving bubbles forming fine beading on the rim. Crisp red fruits and savoury notes combine on the nose with hints of cocoa and quince. These flavours continue onto the palate where hints of vanilla, Iberico ham, crunchy red apples and citrus. 

This wine is still in its infancy with many years ahead of it but it was delicious despite its youth. So after much pondering I figure one should drink the good bottles not look at them, buy the nice biscuits, kiss the wrong boys and take that trip. 

Life is for living and I want to look back at my life having drunk some incredible wines not just read about them. I want to see the world and all it offers and when I'm sat with my grandchildren in my 90's I'll have stories to tell about the life that I lived. Thank you Granny.

Joyce Haslam-Stuart

No.101 Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir 2010

Bird in Hand winery sits atop an old gold mine in Woodside, South Australia. Back in 1997 Andrew Nugent decided that the Adelaide Hills was where he wanted to be to create something in what was then an emerging wine region.

The sparkling Pinot Noir rose has a pretty quick turn around from vine to glass as I was treated to the 2010 vintage when I tried it at Capri in Wellington. A pretty, pale salmon-pink rose the nose is a soft, ripe confected hullabaloo. Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, vanilla, red apples, strawberry laces, play-doh and a touch of candy floss abound in a whirligig of ripe red flavours. From that I was expecting something far sweeter than the palate actually delivered.

The very ripe flavours on the nose are there but more muted and a slightly more serious side emerges with crisper redcurrants and rosehips with darker notes of cocoa and liquorice making their way into the fold. Bird in Hand is an off-dry sparkler which I think would work well with some spicy nibbles such as satay pork and sweet chilli chicken. The mousse is creamy in the mouth and the acidity is balancing but not overly racy so the sweetness would easily take the edge off a spicy dish.

From the nose I was expecting a fluffy flibbertigibbet of a wine but the palate has a well structured seriousness that contrasts yet enhances those flighty flavours. 

It's not officially on the list of 100 Australian sparkling wines to try but to be honest it really ought to be so No.101 it is!

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.