Attending end-of-year events recently was a stark reminder of how fortunate we are to be living in New Zealand with social interaction the norm, while outside our border many countries are doing it...
The red grape malbec is a native of France, where it is best known as one of the "so-called" Bordeaux varieties.
I recently attended a tasting of French wines from a specialist French wine importer based in Auckland.
This year will go down in history as a year without precedent - an annus horribilus for many. Mark Henderson recommends some wines to enjoy at the campsite this Christmas.
The Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker 2020 final was recently held at EIT in Hawke’s Bay and congratulations to Ben Toombs - assistant winemaker at Peregrine Wines - who in...
Warmth, fresh air and the sun caressing the hilltops in a cloudless sky at the end of a busy day begins to tickle the Mark Henderson's urge for a glass of chilled rose.
A RRP (recommended retail price) is reached by adding a percentage mark-up to the "standard price" of a bottle of wine. This can be indicative of the final selling price when a retailer buys a few...
The Muscat grape comes in many guises, possibly best known here in a number of fizzy, Asti Spumante-style wines from Italy and similar still and fizzy wines from Australia.
Port is a fortified wine from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. Its history dates back more than 300 years to the wars between the English and the French, which curtailed the supply of wine from France.
Mentioning the Croatian red grape tribidrag will likely result in blank looks. Its claim to fame, however, is that it was the end point of a great deal of research and DNA profiling centred around...
Feeling like a wine-focused weekend away? Then the Alexandra Basin Winegrowers Annual New Releases Tasting might be just the push you need.
Often when I’m deciding on what I’m going to taste for this column, I endeavour to maintain a bit of variety.
After making my way through today’s selection, I was left thinking that things are very positive in the world of New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
The old adage "variety is the spice of life" is never truer than with today’s selection of New Zealand white wines that include a few lesser-known grape varieties.
The stresses and strains of 2020 have led many to rediscover the joys in simpler pleasures. Among a number of wine-loving friends and contacts a common thread has been opening “special” bottles of wine.
Wine lovers of a certain age will remember references to a characteristic called "Kiwi green".
Mark Henderson samples some fine chardonnay.
I recently caught up with the M&Ms (Murray and Matt) of Marlborough’s Dog Point Vineyard as they traversed the South Island in a rental camper van, doing their version of the 2020 Kiwi road trip.
The majority of grape varieties that we grow in New Zealand, and certainly our most popular, emanate from France. Over centuries, particular grape varieties became most favoured in each region due...
Expectations are a funny thing. Naturally, I try to avoid them when I’m tasting, as they could cloud one’s judgement and impartiality.
