Kumeu River Estate and Forrest Estate wines

Kumeu River Estate Pinot Gris 

New Zealand wine has suffered at the hands of wineries that produce sugar water Pinot Gris. Fortunately Kumeu River don’t subscribe to the ideology of Pinot Gris being a cash cow, and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Better known for their Chardonnay, which is world class, than the heavy fruit setting Pinot Gris. As with most of their wines they’ve let wild yeasts ferment the hand harvested grapes, and that certainly adds character. This wine is all about aromatics and texture.

Technically this wine is considered off-dry, yet there is a definite dryness on the palate. The floral aromatics are a delight that lead into a balanced and thoroughly textural experience. A hint of spice cuts through the fruit sweetness making this wine well suited to Asian cuisine.

92 Points
5 Stars
RRP $29.99

Forrest Estate 9.5% Sauvignon Blanc

I’ve struggled with the concept of low alcohol Sauvignon Blanc, no actually wine itself, just drink less of the bloody stuff, or wait till you get home if worried about drink driving. This is political correctness, and marketing, gone mad.

That said, the overall quality of this wine is good. You’d struggle to identify this wine as low alcohol. The fruit quality is there as is the balance. It’s traditional Marlborough characters leave you in no doubt that this wine is true to its origins. The process for making this wine can sometimes leave it lacking character. That hasn’t happened with this wine.

Tropical fruit, pineapple, and hints of mango on the nose. The palate, albeit lighter in style, offers generous fruit with good balance and precision acid. It’s a wine to be enjoyed over Summer with fresh white fleshed fish!

88 Points
4 Stars
RRP $19.99

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Written by Jayson Bryant

Jayson’s roots in wine began when his father literally dragged him round France and injected his passion into him. From the age of 8 his family took month long holidays in France travelling through all regions and sampling their wine.
UnScrewed has reinvented the concept of wine tasting in New Zealand and along the way found a new and willing audience. In addition to encouraging straightforward wine tasting, Jayson educates viewers about the effects of regional factors (soil, sun, wind) on wine flavours, and how to buy wine.

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