After trawling through some beautiful, albeit isolated, villages, towns, and cities of Britain it quite surprising where New Zealand wine turns up.
One would expect to see the major brands littered throughout the major supermarket chains and larger specialist wine stores but rarely would one imagine that a fridge half full of NZ wine would appear in a largely off the track village of Twyford, Hampshire.

So on traveling from east to west, south to north, alongside littered filthy road and railways we managed to visit some obscure locations with most of which containing NZ wine on their lists, in their fridges, on their shelves. With New Zealand wine representing only 0.5% of world wine production they’re obviously doing some great marketing and have managed to create a good brand profile.

Most folk often confuse Beaujolais Nouveau with Beaujolais village and Cru Beaujolais, and many wine consumers often steer well clear of Beaujolais altogether. This is a mistake as its many villages and Crus often are the type of red wine that people are looking for in Summer.

Beaujolais faces tough competition from all angles. Just north of the region is the much heralded Burgundy, whilst to the south is the Rhone Valley. Yet the region has suffered internal problems, in 2005, with the man credited for putting Beaujolais Nouveau on the consumers radar being fined after it emerged that 300,000 bottles of his top-quality offerings had been topped up with humble table wine.

In 2007 the region was once again rocked by yet another scandal. Police believe more than 600 tonnes of sugar was bought illegally between 2004 and 2006 by certain beaujolais winemakers seeking to raise alcohol levels. Middlemen bought the sugar from supermarkets just outside the region without receipts in order to leave no trace, then sold it on to winemakers. The traffic may have been common for up to 10 years.

Adding sugar to boost alcohol levels in certain cheaper wines is long established in northern climates lacking the sunshine to develop sufficient natural sugars.

But the practice is strictly regulated and overstepping limits is illegal.

Scandal aside, of the 10 Cru there are four that stand out, Chiroubles, Morgon, Fleurie, and Régnié. These wines are ideal for sticking in the fridge on a sweltering Summer’s day, just to drop it down to room temperature or 18-20 degrees Celsius.

The production method for making red Beaujolais wines is usually a combination of old Burgundian techniques and a recently modern process called maceration carbonique,in which the activity of enzymes inside uncrushed grapes, in the absence of oxygen, causes internal fermentation, and extraction of colour and flavour from the inner skin, giving the wine the fresh fruity grapiness which is so characteristic of Beaujolais.

Oak barrels were once used in the wine making process but their influence on the wines was negligible. They used the old oak barrels as more of a storage method. These days there oak is back in vogue for the Cru wines with some top producers choosing to mature their wines in oak barrels, both old and new oak.

Fleurie appellation sits towards the north of the Beaujolais region. These wines tend to age for 3-5 years from vintage date, although some can age longer.

Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaujolais has a vibrant purple hue in the glass. The freshly crushed red fruit and still a hint of carbon dioxide scream Beaujolais. The palate is quite full and certainly has good length and definitely well made, with enough acidity to match strong meats to being versatile enough to match Christmas dinner.

Despite the recent change of label, what is it with the French so eager to match their New World equivalents who in turn would love to be able to reproduce old world labels without looking stupid, it’s a very good wine.

88 Points
4 Stars
RRP $20

In this episode of UnScrewed TV I get to taste English Sparkling wine Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2006 from West Sussex England. English wine has been on the rise since the mid 2000s.
Nyetimber began planting vines in 1988 and has 120 acres under vine.
In 2006 Nyetimber won IWSC 2006 Yarden Trophy for Best Worldwide Sparkling Wine
Awarded to 1998 Classic Cuvée.

Clos la Coutale 2009
Not as black as cahors used to be, more brilliant plum than dark black malbec.
Dark broody winter fruit with hint of spicy oak. Black tar, berry and slight grip. Given that Cahors used to be all about black intensely grippy wine it’s somewhat a disappointment. This is modern Cahors not traditional, only 2 years old I’d expect more from it. This is where France is going wrong, it’s trying to be new world and not true to its roots let alone terroir!

New Zealand Wine review: Rabbit Ranch Pinot Gris 2011 Central Otago
Jayson Bryant of UnScrewed talks about New Zealand wine and especially Pinot Gris with Radio Wammo of Kiwi Fm. New Zealand wine is making a charge to be one of the greatest wine regions in the world.

In This wine review I talk to Radio Wammo, of Kiwi FM, about New Zealand Pinot Gris and especially Devil’s Staircase Pinot Gris from Rockburn. New Zealand wine is more than just Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

The hottest wine style in town right now is Rosé. Radio Wammo and I talk about the rise in popularity of New Zealand Rosé and taste two wines from Spy Valley and Frizzell. Spy Valley Rosé 2011 is from Marlborough and Frizzell Rosé 2011 is from Hawke’s Bay.

When most consumers think of wine Riesling is far from the forefront. Yet despite this an American by the name of Paul Grieco is planning on making the Summer of 2012 the ‘Summer of Riesling‘ here in New Zealand. The movement has gained worldwide media attention and is hoping to capitalise on this traction to bring Riesling to the masses.

Obviously all of this has been tried before, but what makes this effort different is that it’s all being done with the use of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. The participants of the ‘Summer of Riesling’ will be dressed in appropriate T-shirts as already sported by Duncan Forsyth.

Paul Grieco has teamed up with two innovative Kiwi’s Angela Clifford and Duncan Forsyth. Angela currently holds the role of Waipara Valley Ambassador, and Duncan is the owner and winemaker of Mount Edward wines in Central Otago. Together they have managed to persuade paul Grieco, of Terroir Wine Bar in the East Village of New York City, to visit and help promote Riesling.

Together they will tour the country talking with the wine industry, restaurants, wine stores, and most importantly ‘the consumer’! Paul Grieco, also known as the Summer of Riesling Overlord, arrives in New Zealand on Saturday 21st January, with an itinerary designed to engage New Zealand trade and seed future Summer of Rieslings. His trip will include visits to Auckland & Wellington, a national Riesling tasting and multi- media event called “Climax” in the Waipara Valley on Tuesday 24th January 2012.

“We love this variety in our region”, says Clifford “and we’re constantly frustrated by the lack of understanding about what makes it so special. This international movement , Summer of Riesling, gives us a different forum and opportunity to share our passion, to get people to drink it. Winemakers love it, the trade love it, we just want more consumers to choose Riesling!”

“The response from both NZ wineries and the trade has been overwhelming.” says Forsyth “The true triumph of Riesling is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it, we’re all just trying to cut down the number of people who don’t possess it I guess!”

Paul Grieco first held the Summer of Riesling back in 2008 as a way of encouraging the patrons of Terroir to consider life outside of the main wine varieties. Throughout the entire summer only Riesling was offered by the glass as the white wine pour. It began a revolution, which saw wine bars & restaurants highlight and feature Riesling in a myriad of ways throughout Summer. The movement became international – Australia is about to begin its second Summer of Riesling.

There have been many attempts at making Riesling more appealing to the consumer, from In Praise Of Riesling etc. So let’s hope that this has more longevity and impact on the wine drinking public of New Zealand.

Here are the wineries involved:

In this episode I taste 2 Pinot Gris from Gisborne. New Zealand Pinot Gris had a dramatic rise in popularity in the mid 2000′s but has once again been equalled by Chardonnay.
I taste Coopers Creek Pinot Gris 2008 and also Matawhero Pinot Gris 2011

Whether it’s for Christmas, getting married, or simply celebrating life, the Morton Estate IQ3 is definitely worth considering.

I have reviewed it lately here, It’s all about quality on a budget. I understand that not everyone can enjoy Champagne at this time of year but for under $20 at Countdown right now it’s a bargain. Click here to buy

Wine Review: Jayson Bryant tastes one of Morton Estates top wines IQ3 Methode Traditionelle. IQ3 stands for ‘Improving Quietly with a minimum 3 years bottle age before release.

86 Points
4 Stars
RRP $30