Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Greeting all, its been a while.
Though we are currently in Franz Josef (quite a way down the West Coast) it is time for the much anticipated, and delayed, Marlborough Wine Blog. (So important, it requires capital letters. Oh yes.)
Mike and I booked ourselves onto the imaginatively titled 'Marlborough Wine Tours' for a 3 hour tour - we chose them for 2 reasons. 1 - they were the cheapest; 2 - they would pick us up from where we were WWOOFing. Turned out they were quite a find. Kevin was our guide for the day, and we were the only 2 booked on. Yup, private wine tour. Awesome.
As it was just the 2 (3) of us, we managed to fit in 5 vineyards. I can assure you that we tipped away probably one in seven of the wines we tasted, so were wonderously merry when we were eventually dropped home.
Brief summary of the places visited for you:
- Saint Clair: Big vineyard, good export to England. Classic Sauvignon Blancs, and a tasty Pinot Gris.
- No.1: Specialise in sparkling wine, they are owned and run by a Frenchman who trained in the Champagne region. So these wines are Champagne in all but name. Super tasty 50% Pinot Noir/50% Chardonnay. Also tried a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. Slightly odd, but a refreshing change.
- Framingham: My favourite stop on the tour. Kevin took us to convince me that I would like Riesling. He turned out to be very correct - so much so, Mike bought me a bottle of their 2004 Dry Riesling as a birthday present. He is still in amused shock that I didn't request a Sauvignon Blanc, I am still annoyed its not quite my birthday so can't drink it yet.
- Seresin: Completely organic wines, preferred their olive oils! Cool cultish hand print logo though.
- Spy Valley: Points awarded for the coolest name, and James Bond style building. Even more points for having the most consistent tasting offering - we tried 7 (!!) of their wines, and all were gorgeous.
A cracking day overall, and good to know there is more to Marlborough than Sauvignon Blanc (though they do them really rather well.)
More on the West Coast soon.
Lou xx
- comments