Handbag smells and WOW
Claudine Earley30/09/2009 12:00:00 a.m.
WINEMAKERS from Nelson gathered at The Boatshed last week to open Wellington eyes to the delights of their art, and to share scallops with us. Aromatics, pinot gris and gewürztraminer were the theme of my night at the Nelson Wineart Show.
I started with Waimea Gewürztraminer ‘08 ($23), which has a delicate perfume of roses and talcum powder. “Like an old lady’s handbag” one punter quipped.
New winery find of the night was Golden Hills Estates. Growers for Waimea, they released their own first vintage two weeks ago. Their pinot gris stood out as one of the most complex of the night, with layers of flavours and textures.
Another tasty drop was to be found at the Wollaston Estate table. These wines showed such sweet floral aromatics on the nose we braced ourselves for equivalent stickiness in the mouth, yet they were nice and dry on the palate. This was even the case with their pinot noir.
Wine of the week:
The weirdest wine we discovered was Seifried Würzer ’08 ($20), a cross between cask horror muller thurgau and delicate gewürztraminer. Würzer has an intriguing nose, a cross between savoury wax and sweet lychee spiciness. I could have sniffed it all night long.
I experienced another Nelson-based show, at the Montana World of Wearable Arts. Jeni and Scott from Pernod-Ricard were generous hosts, keeping our table well stocked with the sponsor’s product, including the delicious Montana Letter Series ‘O’ Ormond Chardonnay 2006 ($35.95). Reminiscent of buttered popcorn and backed up with tropical fruit, the texture is a little oily-in-a-good-way.
I started with Waimea Gewürztraminer ‘08 ($23), which has a delicate perfume of roses and talcum powder. “Like an old lady’s handbag” one punter quipped.
New winery find of the night was Golden Hills Estates. Growers for Waimea, they released their own first vintage two weeks ago. Their pinot gris stood out as one of the most complex of the night, with layers of flavours and textures.
Another tasty drop was to be found at the Wollaston Estate table. These wines showed such sweet floral aromatics on the nose we braced ourselves for equivalent stickiness in the mouth, yet they were nice and dry on the palate. This was even the case with their pinot noir.
Wine of the week:
The weirdest wine we discovered was Seifried Würzer ’08 ($20), a cross between cask horror muller thurgau and delicate gewürztraminer. Würzer has an intriguing nose, a cross between savoury wax and sweet lychee spiciness. I could have sniffed it all night long.
I experienced another Nelson-based show, at the Montana World of Wearable Arts. Jeni and Scott from Pernod-Ricard were generous hosts, keeping our table well stocked with the sponsor’s product, including the delicious Montana Letter Series ‘O’ Ormond Chardonnay 2006 ($35.95). Reminiscent of buttered popcorn and backed up with tropical fruit, the texture is a little oily-in-a-good-way.
