The weather was beautiful so we hosted the event in the garden and Luke Ingram from Anzcro, our destination specialist, was inspiring with his knowledge and enthusiasm for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The wine tasting was a hit too and there were two clear favourites! Find out more below, all the wines were sourced from Waitrose!
HERE’S THE EXCITING PART IF YOU MISSED OUT: BOOK YOUR AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, OR PACIFIC ISLANDS HOLIDAY WITH US BY THE END OF JULY, AND YOU’LL GET A COMPLIMENTARY CASE OF THE WINNING WINE OF YOUR CHOICE.
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Elephant in the room – Pinot Noir (South Australia) Price: £10.99
Sourced from slow-ripening cool climate vineyards in the Limestone Coast of South Australia and blended with richer warmer climate fruit before being partially matured in French oak.
Tasting Notes: The palate is lively with a core of supple red berry flavours enhanced by some captivating spice notes. Bright acidity and fine tannins provide definition to the long finish.
Our thoughts: easy drinking, a bit thin and not as good as the NZ pinot noir we tasted.
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Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz (Australia) Price: £12.99
The Jip Jip Rocks are a striking outcrop of 350 million year old pink-red granite, which are sacred in traditional Aboriginal beliefs. Modern winemaking is combined with pristine fruit from the Bryson family’s cool climate vineyard. Environmentally sustainable practices, hand pruned, low yielding mature vines, grown on terra rossa soil, ensures this Shiraz has an amazing depth of varietal flavour, style and balance.
Tasting notes: Vibrant raspberry and mulberry aromas with hints of liquorice, spices & delicious mocha chocolate. Similar berry fruits show through on the opulent, textured palate with a lingering finish.
Our thoughts: this was the standout red wine favourite of the evening. It was described as potent (14.5%), full of flavour and body, but too heavy for some.
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Little Giant Adelaide Hills Chardonnay (Australia) Price: £12.99
Round, powerful and leaving a lasting impression – just like the wombat – this Chardonnay is a Little Giant of the wine world. Best served chilled with good company and a reminder that truly great things come in small packages.
Tasting Notes: With citrus and peach, a hint of oak on the nose, and a creamy palate with bold fruit flavours, this has a clean acidity on the finish. Try with chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce.
Our thoughts: generally good reviews on this, not too oaky, smooth and rich.
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Corryton Burge Winemaker’s Reserve Chardonnay (Australia) Price: £8.99
Crisp and vibrant, this South Australian Chardonnay offers a delightful balance of fresh fruit and a touch of oaky warmth.
Tasting Notes: Lively, creamy, subtly oaked Chardonnay with hints of peach, pear and nectarine – plus shortbread richness. Brilliant with chicken, pork and seafood.
Our thoughts: this got an okay, but the ‘general’ review was that the Little Giant was the preferred chardonnay of the two we tested from Australia.
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Villa Maria Merlot (New Zealand) Price: £9.99
Villa Maria has over 60 years of rich winemaking history and a passion for sharing the best of New Zealand wine with the world. Savour the luscious flavours of plum and dark berry fruits, with subtle hints of spice and vanilla from oak maturation, in this Hawkes Bay Merlot.
Tasting Notes: Deep crimson red hues and bright aromatics of black plums and berry fruits. Subtle undertones of vanilla and cedar from oak lead to a sweet fruited and textured palate. The generous fruit and supple tannins make this a versatile food wine and suitable for any occasion.
Our thoughts: mixed reviews on this one, some found it too light, others too heavy, but general view it was okay but certainly not the best red we tasted during the evening.
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Mud house Pinot Noir Central Otago (New Zealand) Price: £12.99
Central Otago is the central part of New Zealand’s South Island, and with its free-draining loam and gravel soils and wide diurnal temperature variation, it has become known for superb Pinot Noir.
Tasting Notes: Fragrant aromas of cherry and dried herbs complemented by scented oak and spice. Smooth on the palate with dark cherry and bramble flavours delivering a long finish with fine tannins and balanced acidity.
Our thoughts: good feedback on this one if you’re looking for a lighter red, very drinkable, but not too light, so fared better than the Elephant in the room – Pinot Noir that we tasted from Australia.
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Ara Single Estate Pinot Gris (New Zealand) Price: £8.99
Purity to Ara means from a single source. All Ara’s wines are produced from our sustainably managed vineyard – hidden in a valley in the most south western corner of Marlborough. This Pinot Gris is a pure expression of their single vineyard.
Tasting Notes: This single vineyard Pinot Gris delivers delicate aromas of pear and nectarine which flow through to honeyed floral and citrus notes on the palate.
Our thoughts: this was the standout favourite white wine of the evening, at an incredible price-point! I’ve just ordered a box of 12 for our summer party, as it’s usually £11.99… this is VERY drinkable!
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Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) Price: £10.00
This little pig went globe-trotting, discovering fine wines from the world’s best vines. The grapes for this Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc were sourced from Marlborough, New Zealand. The wine was cool fermented and left on lees to develop an aromatic texture.
Tasting Notes: Bursting with flavour, this wine is perfectly crisp and refreshing with tropical fruit flavours or pineapple, passionfruit, and citrus.
Our thoughts: Those of you who like Sauvignon Blanc really liked this one, it’s bursting with flavour and good value at £10.
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