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Planet Wine Blog
Klein Constantia Harvest Report 2016
Harvest 2016 has been exemplary in many ways. Not often are winemakers afforded the luxury of taking time off in April, this year has been the exception to the rule. A great deal of thanks is due to El Niño which caused a very warm and dry build-up to vintage, resulting in an early harvest. Fortunately, [...]
Josh Helm – beekeeper & restaurateur
Josh Helm and Tom Hishon are leaders in an exciting new generation of Auckland restaurateurs. They take eating locally and ethically to a whole new level at Orphans Kitchen, which is partly the reason they attracted so much attention in the recent Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year Awards. Dumping his carry-on luggage to lug [...]
Murray Street Vineyards: A Barossa Favourite
Established just 15 years ago, Murray Street Vineyards may be pretty young when it comes to wineries, but it’s wasted no time in cementing its reputation amongst the Australian trade and public. In the past two years alone, it has been selected as Barossa Valley Winery of the Year at the Melbourne International Wine Competition [...]
Bruwer Raats: A forward-thinking winemaker with a singular obsession
When one of the world’s legendary wine critics describes you as the “most exciting and forward-thinking winemaker” in your region, you can take a bow. And, according to Wine Advocate’s Neal Martin, Stellenbosch winemaker Bruwer Raats has earned that right.That accolade came in 2014 and just a few months ago, in his latest South African [...]
Pinino – producing classic Brunello with a new aesthetic
The eye-catching orange branding of the Pinino winery in Tuscany is an immediate hint to the background of its owners. Two couples with a shared connection to the fashion industry have taken on a centuries-old vineyard near Siena and transformed it into one of the most sophisticated, quality-led wineries in Italy.Pinino was founded in 1874, [...]
Ken Forrester – perfectly marrying a love of food and wine
It’s pretty much a given that when a restaurateur turns winemaker, he’s going to craft food-friendly wines. That’s definitely been the case with South Africa’s ‘Mr Chenin Blanc’ Ken Forrester, whose wines are poured at some of the top restaurants in the country and around the globe. It’s also likely he’s not going to be [...]
International sommelier ensures fine dining at Hippopotamus
When eating at a top-end restaurant like Hippopotamus in Wellington’s iconic Museum Hotel, diners expect the best, in terms of the food and the wine selection. With restaurant manager and head sommelier Maciej Zimny at the helm, they are guaranteed both – the Polish-born professional was acknowledged as New Zealand’s top sommelier in 2015. We [...]
Comments on the extreme South African vintage in 2016
Cape Harvest 2016: Notes from Stellenbosch (courtesy of grape.co.za)CommentI spent the morning with Razvan Macici, Distell’s Head Winemaker (mostly in driving to and from Ceres, as well as some time in vineyards there), and with Distell viticulturist Henk van Graan. A lot of discussion was inevitably about the mostly problematic current harvest, and Razvan drily [...]
The Constantia Estate which won over Napoleon, Nelson and European high society
For present-day visitors to Constantia, on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa, Klein Constantia Estate is renowned for the unparalleled beauty of its vineyards and its Cape Dutch-style manor house, set on a hillside amongst ancient trees with breath-taking views over False Bay. But in the late 18th and through the 19th [...]
Wine’s Flying Scotswoman
Pamela Geddes is the epitome of a ‘flying’ winemaker. Born in Scotland, she’s made wine from Chile to Australia, and is now settled (for the most part) in her spiritual home of Spain, where she’s forged her reputation developing the country’s first sparkling red, aptly named La Pamelita.I first met Pamela in Australia in the [...]