Wet and winged
Claudine Earley26/08/2009 12:00:00 a.m.
I was heading south for a Classics conference when we stopped at a beach in Pegasus Bay, North Canterbury.
It was hot, we were sticky, so we stripped off to our undies and took the plunge. Luckily the only other people in the water were a young couple far more interested in each other than our transparent lingerie.
Pegasus Bay is also the name of one of New Zealand’s acclaimed family wineries. The Donaldsons make riesling, pinot noir, merlot cabernet and these two wines with a difference.
Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2007 ($36.95) is an unusual wine. Aromas of toasty oak remind me of luncheon sausage with a hint of burnt hair and buttered corn. Take a sip and flavours of luscious peach and limey citrus spring out. The wine is complex, with wild yeast and 50% malo treatment. It also has that lovely burnt sugar candyfloss flavour and feel, balanced by a creamy finish. Great with barbequed chicken.
With a fish dish try Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Semillon 2008 ($28.90). Popcorn and tropical fruit aromas, mango and passionfruit flavours with a long zingy finish. Some of the sav was fermented in oak, the rest in stainless steel to retain fruitiness, while the semillon was put in old oak barriques. Both were rested nine months on lees to produce a satisfying medium weight and creamy body.
There’s another reason to visit the winery of the winged horse: the Donaldsons have just won Cuisine magazine’s winery restaurant of the year, second year running. Another good thing about Pegasus Bay is their motto: “Wine is a natural health food.” I’ll drink to that.
Wine of the week: Award-winning Alluviale 2007 ($24.95) is a very good buy. Mostly merlot, with 38% Cabernet Franc, this yummy Bordeaux blend reflects the roots of David Ramonteau, graduate of the University of Bordeaux. He has taken over the Blake Family Vineyard – famous for making the wine that beat the French and came first at the Judgement of Taupo. David has nailed the balance between nostril-filling plums and palate-pleasing tannins.
It was hot, we were sticky, so we stripped off to our undies and took the plunge. Luckily the only other people in the water were a young couple far more interested in each other than our transparent lingerie.
Pegasus Bay is also the name of one of New Zealand’s acclaimed family wineries. The Donaldsons make riesling, pinot noir, merlot cabernet and these two wines with a difference.
Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2007 ($36.95) is an unusual wine. Aromas of toasty oak remind me of luncheon sausage with a hint of burnt hair and buttered corn. Take a sip and flavours of luscious peach and limey citrus spring out. The wine is complex, with wild yeast and 50% malo treatment. It also has that lovely burnt sugar candyfloss flavour and feel, balanced by a creamy finish. Great with barbequed chicken.
With a fish dish try Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Semillon 2008 ($28.90). Popcorn and tropical fruit aromas, mango and passionfruit flavours with a long zingy finish. Some of the sav was fermented in oak, the rest in stainless steel to retain fruitiness, while the semillon was put in old oak barriques. Both were rested nine months on lees to produce a satisfying medium weight and creamy body.
There’s another reason to visit the winery of the winged horse: the Donaldsons have just won Cuisine magazine’s winery restaurant of the year, second year running. Another good thing about Pegasus Bay is their motto: “Wine is a natural health food.” I’ll drink to that.
Wine of the week: Award-winning Alluviale 2007 ($24.95) is a very good buy. Mostly merlot, with 38% Cabernet Franc, this yummy Bordeaux blend reflects the roots of David Ramonteau, graduate of the University of Bordeaux. He has taken over the Blake Family Vineyard – famous for making the wine that beat the French and came first at the Judgement of Taupo. David has nailed the balance between nostril-filling plums and palate-pleasing tannins.
