SUNDAY SEDIMENT | ISSUE 74

Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious.

The Sunday Sediment. Issue Seventy-Four

Sarah, Welcome to the Seventy-Fourth edition of The Sunday Sediment, a collection of what’s new, what’s on and what’s happening instore at Glengarry and within the world of wine.

Sip away.

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PORT | THE FORTIFIED FESTIVE TREAT

Port is one of the most glorious fortified wines

Late Bottled Vintage Port, for me, is quite the

in the world. One that is often left until the end

treat. As the name suggests, it is late bottled,

of the meal and, sadly, often forgotten. With

from a single year. The maturation then done

the quality and range of port available in New

before bottling, a late bottled vintage port is

Zealand never as great as it is now, the time is

similar in style to a vintage port but bottled

nigh to jump on the band wagon and enjoy a

ready to enjoy.

port with tonic, chilled ruby port as an aperitif, a tawny port cocktail or, of course, a wonderful glass of fine port at the end of your meal.

So, what is the difference, what are all the styles and how do you pick the right port for the occasion?

Let’s start with what may seem glaringly obvious. Port comes from Portugal, specifically from around the town of Porto and the reaches of the Douro River Valley that meanders inland

White Port is a wonderful aperitif by itself, as

towards Spain.

well as being excellent with tonic or soda.

Proceed exactly as you would with Gin or Vodka. White Port is made in the same way as Ruby Port, though without the skin contact and 2

resulting colour. Most white ports are aged for 18 months in an inert vessel before bottling.

Ruby Port is the starting point. These are wines that are brightly coloured, strong ports that have a fiery nature to them. This is the simplest form of port. Following rapid extraction

There’s a broad range of producers and styles

of colour and tannins the fermentation is

in store right now. Three of my favourites are;

stopped by the addition of spirit, thus fortifying the wine and retaining residual sugar. A very

Quinta de la Rosa is relatively small in

short maturation in port terms, these are then

comparison to the others, and up until recently

blended, filtered and bottled.

was run by Tim and Sophia Bergqvist. Sadly, Tim has passed away this year. A big loss for the family and the region as Tim was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Sophia continues the tradition at the house, that has been producing port for over 100 years. The style here is more in the mould of a fine wine, glorious and very highly rated ports.

Tawny Port is the next cab off the rank. The name tawny referring to maturation in wood and the port turning a tawny colour. There are a wide range of styles, that can be very confusing. These are though ports that have been aged and, as such, are more mellow in nature than a ruby port. Aged Tawny Ports have statements such as 10 year, 20 year + on the labels, which are the approximate ages when tasted and approved.

The 300-year-old house of Quinta do Noval is synonymous with quality port. One of the 3

oldest, and arguably the greatest, of all the port houses, Quinta do Noval is a state of the art winery, producing wines displaying an incredible delicacy and elegance, and they are unique in that their glorious Vintage Nacional is one of the world’s rarest and highly prized ports.

Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port Houses, with history dating back to 1692.

Vintage Port makes up a very small

Taylor’s Ports have for a long time been

percentage of total port produced (less than

available in New Zealand, though the range

1% in total), and is made from grapes from a

has never been this broad.

single vintage, off the very best vineyards, then bottled after 2 – 3 years in wood. Not all years

Read More..

are declared a vintage. Only the best achieve this status. The declaration process takes place the second year after harvest. Unlike other styles of port, vintage ports require time in the bottle to mature. All other styles are released ready to enjoy.

No1 FAMILY ESTATE | METHODE MAESTROS 4

‘Making champagne is in my blood,’ opines Daniel le Brun. Yes, we imagine Daniel’s system is pretty much running on sparkling wine by now, not least because the first record of a le Brun messing about in Champagne is from 1750, and that’s a lot of DNA under the bridge. Since first setting up in NZ, the meticulous le Bruns have specialised exclusively in the production of méthode traditionnelle wines, in the process fashioning an impressive portfolio of sparkling styles.

Their wines come packaged in a variety of cool giftboxes and neoprene bags, and will make an awfully nice present for someone special.

Read More..

CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE

A TASTE OF FRANCE | GREAT DRINKING FRENCH WINES

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At Glengarry, we’ve been exploring the vinous delights of France for almost half a century. It is, after all, home to some of the world’s finest wine styles (take a bow, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, to name just a few). We have long been travelling there on a regular basis, building on existing relationships with some of France’s finest winemakers and forging new friendships. We travel, taste and test, and then we purchase the best of what we find and ship it home in temperature-controlled containers so that you, you lucky punter, can partake of the best that France has to offer, in the finest possible condition. You’re welcome!

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TASTINGS AND EVENTS

PRESTIGE CHAMPAGNE TASTING | THORNDON For a strictly controlled region such as Champagne it is surprising that there very few regulations regarding Prestige Champagne.

However, it is clearly in the best interest of each House to make sure that these wines are the very best that they can produce. A typical Prestige Champagne is made entirely from Grand Cru grapes from the oldest vines. These

WHEN: Wednesday 30th January

wines are also aged a lot longer in the cellars

WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,

and there are numerous examples of late

53 Hutt Rd, Thorndon

disgorged wines. There is also more thought

TIME: 6.00pm

put in to the bottle and the presentation to make it as luxurious and special as possible.

We have a stellar line up and look forward to trying them with you.

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PARROTDOG BEER IN-STORE TASTING | VICTORIA PARK ParrotDog Brewing Limited is a brew of Matts.

It was started by Matt Kristofski and Matt Warner, then Matt Stevens joined later. They landed their first commercial contract in 2011, releasing ParrotDog and BitterBitch on tap and in bottles, which landed on shelves and bars around Wellington and New Zealand. They WHEN: Wednesday 19th December

opened their own brewery in Wellington in

WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,

2012. ParrotDog is gaining success in Craft Beer Competition circles. They did a massive

118 Wellesley St West Auckland

sweep of awards at the 2014 Craftology

TIME: 3.00pm-6.00pm

Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards. This is an in-store tasting so no need to book, just pop

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on down to the store and try a selection of beers from 3.00pm - 6.00pm.

Read more....

AKARUA WINES IN-STORE TASTING | GREY LYNN First established in 1996 in Central Otago's Bannockburn region, Akarua today boasts the largest privately-owned estate in Central Otago, and they have recently added to their holdings. Akarua now have an impressive five vineyards in Central Otago, 123 ha in total across Pisa and Bannockburn. Of this hefty vineyard ownership, 94.36 ha (to be very

WHEN: Wednesday 19th December

exact) are currently under production. The

WHERE: Glengarry Grey Lynn,

majority of the vine-yards are planted in their

16 Williamson Ave Grey Lynn

signature Pinot Noir. This is an in-store tasting

TIME: 4.00pm-6.00pm

so no need to book, just pop on down to the store and try a selection of beers from 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

Read more....

SPARKLING WINES OF THE WORLD IN-STORE TASTING | COURTENAY PLACE It's a broad church, this category, with so many countries and producers now having a really good go at creating quality sparkling wines.

While we have a comprehensive selection of New Zealand's own brilliant methode champenoise offerings, the list extends as well to Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco and Asti.

WHEN: Thursday 20th December

Anything with a bubble that bears investigating,

WHERE: Glengarry Courtenay Place,

in fact. Celebrating, or just salivating for a

2/27 Courtenay Pl, Te Aro

frizzante fizzy? This is an in-store tasting so no

TIME: 4.00pm-6.00pm

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need to book, just pop on down to the store and try a selection of sparkling wines from 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

Read more....

THOMSON WHISKY IN-STORE TASTING | VICTORIA PARK & DOMINION ROAD Thomson Whisky was started the same way you'd start a band. They got together and just started tinkering. It was never about taking over the world, or playing Wembley, but about giving it a go, creating the best spirit they could afford to and sharing their journey with anyone who liked whisky. They wanted to give New

VICTORIA PARK

Zealanders a whisky they could be proud of, with a sharp brand on top. Their bottlings

DOMINION ROAD

reflect who they are, because they are small enough to do it how they like it. As they grow these qualities remain. This is an in-store

Victoria Park: Thursday 20th December

tasting so no need to book, just pop on down to

Dominion Road: Friday 21st December

the store and try a selection of beers from

TIME: 4.00pm-6.00pm

4.00pm - 6.00pm.

VILLA MARIA IN-STORE TASTING | PARNELL A true New Zealand original, Villa Maria Wine Estates, is over 55 years old, proudly displayed the Glengarry Wineletters from the early days, front and centre. You do have to appreciate what it has taken over the years to get this world-class, family-owned winery to its prestigious position, and you can put it down to the talent, attention to detail, and sheer

PARNELL

determination of its founder Sir George Fistonich and his team. This is an in-store

ELLERSLIE 9

tasting so no need to book, just pop on down to

DEVONPORT

the store and try a selection of wines from 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

Parnell: Thursday 20th December Ellerslie: Friday 21st December Devonport: Saturday 22nd December TIME: 4.00pm-6.00pm

BLUSH IN-STORE TASTING | KINGSLAND The vision for Blush is simple - they want to change the perception of gin away from the mother's ruin to something that is lively and pleasant and can be enjoyed over ice. Blush are serious about making a quality Gin, it’s triple distilled and hand crafted. From the flavour to the bottling and labelling every detail has had attention paid to it. There is something

WHEN: Thursday 20th December

to be said for being locally made. This is an in-

WHERE: Glengarry Kingsland,

store tasting so no need to book, just pop on

420 New North Rd Kingsland

down to the store and try a selection of beers

TIME: 4.00pm-6.00pm

from 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

Read more....

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That's it for this week's Sunday Sediment.

Issue Seventy-Fifth will be winging its way to your inbox next Sunday.

Cheers,

Jak Jakicevich

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