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Planet Wine Blog
The Long and Winding Road
Dutch couple Clara Verheij and André Both have found themselves in the hills, NEE of Malaga, making wine and delicious food. When they still lived in Holland, they had accumulated a large cellar of excellent wines and often entertained and tasted wines with good friends. Frequent holidays to France and a quick tour into N [...]
The world’s best wines for you, in Kumeu
Chris Carrad’s previous roles in the industry – running large wine shops in London and as tastings co-ordinator for Wine magazine – gave him the opportunity to travel the world’s top wine regions, meet the greatest winemakers and try the best wines. At Wine Circle in Auckland’s West, he’s put that experience and those connections [...]
Teusner Wines – The new face of the Barossa
Beer plays a big role in Kym Teusner and Mick Page’s lives. They hatched the plan that saw the birth of Teusner Wines over a few ‘coldies’ and you’ll see your fair share of freshly emptied bottles if you visit the estate. But when it comes down to business, it’s dinkum good wine the Barossa [...]
Bouchard Finlayson – South Africa’s home of pinot noir
In New Zealand we have good reason to consider that we boast some of the Southern hemisphere’s top exponents of pinot noir. It may surprise you to learn that in a hidden valley on the South-East coast of South Africa, a country better known internationally for its fuller bodied reds, a handful of winemakers can [...]
Mullineux & Leeu – South Africa's modern Revolutionaries
The Swartland husband and wife team of viticulturist Chris and winemaker Andrea Mullineux started their wine business less than a decade ago and yet they have already established a reputation as one of the leading producers in the competitive South African field. And Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines’ achievements have been rewarded with the industry’s [...]
Unison Vineyard – Elegant wines from Classic Soils
As the saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In the extremely challenging conditions of the cool, damp 2012 New Zealand vintage, Unison Vineyard – one of the most consistent premium small-batch producers of Hawke’s Bay and Gimblett Gravels – showed its true mettle. A number of wineries, including New Zealand [...]
Customer is King for Liquorland’s Bennett Smith
With a long family history in the industry, it was almost inevitable that Bennett Smith would follow in his father Keith’s footsteps. The two own a successful Liquorland franchise in Northcross on Auckland’s North Shore, where they are pushing the boundaries with a wide range of international wines. We chatted to Bennett about what [...]
AltaCima – A Boutique Chilean Winery Reaching for the Summits
The rugged grandeur of the Andes is never far from any location in the slim slither that is Chile, but at Viña AltaCima in Curico’s central Lontué valley the majestic Peteroa, Descabezado Grande and Planchon volcanoes form a permanent backdrop. So it’s fitting that owners Klaus Schröder and Katharina Hanke have christened their wines with [...]
Terras Gauda – Champions of Albariño
When some of my most loyal and knowledgeable sommeliers around town urge me to approach a particular winery, as an importer it pays for me take heed. And that’s exactly what I did when it was suggested that I make contact with Terras Gauda in Spain’s extreme north-west, home to that most distinctive of [...]
Alex Baxter introduces Auckland's North Shore to the wide world of wine
Hospitality industry veteran and wine consultant Alex Baxter brings more than two decades of experience to his popular Rothesay Bay business, The Wine Barrel. His varied background ensures that he has an excellent understanding of what his customers are after. It is no surprise then that North Shore ex-pats stream through the doors for [...]