Mr Grumpy: Wine & food mis-matching
OPINION: Kingsley Wood, owner of First Glass Wines & Spirits in Takapuna, is a man of habit.
The first 13 "brands" were prepared by Regional Wines in Wellington while I added the last two names.
- Te Mata Coleraine
- Stonyridge Larose
- Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
- Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay
- Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
- Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir
- Craggy range Le Sol
- Kumeu River Mate's Chardonnay
- Dry River anything
- Sacred hill Rifleman's
- Esk Valley "The Terraces"
- Trinity Hill Homage Syrah
- Church Road "Tom"
I added another couple ...
- Destiny Bay Magna Praemia
- Bell Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
I explained to the audience that in my view there were two sorts of cult wines:
"Spice Girls" – Where the brand was conceived and managed with cult status in mind. Destiny Bay and Te Mata Coleraine are good examples.
"Nobel Prize" – Where the brand owner is lucky or clever enough to plant a vineyard in a special spot and works hard at making the best wine they can until one day someone taps them on the shoulder and says "congratulations you've won the Nobel prize". Ata Rangi Pinot Noir and Kumeu River Chardonnay are possible examples.
We tasted six of my selected wines and I asked the audience to vote on whether they deserved iconic status, cult status or neither. Here is the result:
Iconic Status
- Cloudy Bay 2014 Sauvignon Blanc
- Kumeu River 2013 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay
- Ata Rangi 2013 Pinot Noir
- Te Mata 2013 Coleraine
Cult Status
- Dry River 2014 Gewurztraminer
- Destiny Bay 2010 Destinae
