Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. The Sunday Sediment. Issue Eighty-Nine Sarah, Welcome to the Eighty-Ninth 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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SOUTH AMERICA | CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay is an extremely versatile grape, and it has adaptedwell to the cooler sub-regions of Chile and Argentina. The variety’s adaptability is particularly appreciated in Argentina, where it produces a number of diverse varietal styles and is also used as a base for sparkling wines. Chilean Chardonnay styles range from full-bodied, barrel fermented expressions to fresh unoaked wines characterised by tropical fruit, apple and pear aromas and flavours laced with fine minerality and fresh notes. Read More..
EMILIANA Emiliana are located in Casablanca. The winery has not always been Biodynamic, in fact Biodynamic and organic viticulture has been far from the norm. This way of winemaking started as a trial and they report seeing such a different in the wines and also in the people, they started moving more and more vineyards over. For the team at Emiliana it is not just a way of growing grapes, but a way of working that results in happier people. They have vegetable gardens that have been given to the workers, they can’t continue to pay them more and more, but they can give them things to 2
improve their lives, such as fresh vegetables. In doing so, they have also shown them how to grow things organically which has flowed through the their work. A host of animals here, Alpacca, chickens, hens, and many more. The wines are very good, very clean, a cooler style due to the proximity to the sea, expressive fragrant, very good wines. An excellent point of difference- the grape growing and the style of wines. Read More...
ERRAZURIZ Don Maximiano Errazuriz founded Vina Errazuriz in 1870. With his great vision for the future and his innovative, pioneering spirit, he planted the first French grape varieties in the Aconcagua Valley. His initiative and creativity were handed down to future generations and, in just over a century, his descendants consolidated the winery and positioned their wines among the world’s most noteworthy. Read More..
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SOUTH AMERICA | SAUVIGNON BLANC
Confined mainly to cooler regions such as Casablanca, San Antonio or coastal sites, Chile’s Sauvignon Blanc plantings lag well behind Chardonnay. Chilean Sauvignons are typically more akin to the old school New Zealand style; i.e. less about restraint and refinement, more about loud and proud, offering refreshing citrus, green apple and tropical fruit characters. Read More..
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SPARKLING WINES OF ITALY ABOUTWINE
Last week, Thursday evening, our Fine Wine manager Regan McCaffery hosted our first ever tasting of 100% Italian sparkling wines. It’s not too long ago when you were hard pressed to find any region but Prosecco in New Zealand! It is still their most famous sparkling wine though, so we started with two Prosecco Superiore DOCG (The top category) from the famed village of Valdobbiadene, inland from Venice. The Brut and Extra Dry ‘52’ were both made using the Charmat method by Santa
Not far from where the Giacosa is made is the
Margherita who helped established the area in
DOCG territory of Franciacorta, the
1952. Being Italy things are a bit back to front,
Champagne of Italian sparkling wines. These
so ‘Extra dry’ (The most common category in
are absolutely world class bubbles. We tried
NZ) is actually sweeter than Brut!
two wines from their leading producer, Ca’del Bosco. The Cuvée Prestige is a classy ‘Non Vintage’ made from 75% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Blanc, with 25% Reserve wine. This is one of the most technologically advanced wineries in the world, the berries coming in graded and chilled, then 5
washed and sprayed using three soaking vats and a drying tunnel. Everything is gravity fed and done in the complete absence of oxygen, including the crushing and disgorgement. Their prestige cuvee is the Annamaria Clementi 2008, produced from their oldest vines with a first fermentation on its lees for at least three years in small seasoned oak casks. Only the best barrels are then selected, and secondary fermentation on the lees continues for more Next we headed all the way south to Sicily,
than seven years in the cellar. It is then bottled
high on the northern slopes of Europe’s highest
with extremely low sulphur levels and zero
and most active Volcano, Mt Etna. Terrazze
dosage. This is a stunningly complex wine with
dell’Etna was only established in 2007 but their
a decade of possibility ahead of it.
vineyard and terracing at 750m-950m dates back to Roman times. Their oldest vines are over 150 years old, growing directly on the Volcanic lava-flow. Both the Cuveé Brut and the Cuvée Brut 50 Mesi are made by the traditional classic method of bottle fermentation, from 100% Chardonnay. The former is made from younger vines aged 30 months on lees, vs older vines with 50 months on lees. Everything here is done by hand, including the riddling and disgorgement. The combination of Volcanic soil, at low latitude and
We finished with a cheeky little Moscato d’Asti
high altitude, produces a Blanc de Blancs with
101 from Ca’del Baio. This is made around the
a flavour profile unlike any other region.
town of Asti in Piedmonte from the Moscato bianco grape, and is one of the most famous sweet wines in Italy. Despite having a normal cork this is a sparkling wine, but it is made in the Frizzante style (lightly sparkling). At only 5.5% alcohol, this fruity and refreshing wine is traditionally drunk by winemakers and workers over lunch. It also is the perfect digestive before dessert after a long multi course dinner. Ca’del Baio’s example is one of the best, and comes from land registry plot 101, planted in 1953.
We then move back north to Lombardy and a bottle from one of the greatest winemakers in
Read More..
history, Bruno Giacosa. He was famed for his incredible Barolo and Barbaresco, made from the Nebbiolo grape, but few connesurs now about this sparkling wine, one of the finest in 6
Italy. His Spumante Extra Brut 2007 is made in the traditional style from 100% Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noir). First produced in 1983 it has a first fermentation in stainless steel followed by 30 months on the lees, a low dosage, and long aging on cork before release. This was the oldest wine in the tasting and was showing the most complexity and power, a serious sparkling for the dinner table.
TASTINGS AND EVENTS
IRISH WHISKEY EXPERIENCE | JERVOIS ROAD We are delighted to have Jameson & Premium Irish Whiskey Ambassador, Roisin Oates, at the Glengarry Spirits store to take us through the world of Irish Whiskey. We will be tasting our way through the new experimental whiskey series, Method and Madness, and Jameson's with the ever popular Redbreast and Mitchell &
WHEN: Tuesday 2 April
Sons "Spots" releases.
WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd, 54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby
Jameson 18 YO, Redbreast 15 YO,
TIME: 7.00pm
Redbreast 21 YO, Method & Madness Single
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Grain, Method & Madness Single Pot Still, Green Spot. Read more....
NZ PINOT NOIR ROAD TRIP | THORNDON As we are all about Pinot Noir this month we thought it only fitting that we taste some prime examples from around New Zealand. New Zealand Pinot Noir has gone from strength to strength as the vines here are starting to get some age on them. We have chosen two wines each from four different regions, and although WHEN: Friday 5 April
that is only a drop in the proverbial bucket, it
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
should be enough to show the characteristics
53 Hutt Rd Thorndon
from each region. This will be a casual tasting,
TIME: 4:30pm
so you can pop in on your way home. We will start at 4.30pm and finish at 6.30pm. Read more....
ONE GLASS FOR EVERY WINE? THE JANCIS ROBINSON TASTING | THORNDON Pairing wine expertise and refined design this wine glass is a result of a collaboration between Richard Brendon and renowned wine expert Jancis Robinson. The 1 Wine glass is at the heart of the collection that was released here prior to Christmas. The 1 Wine glass is
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designed to give you the best look at all wine
WHEN: Wednesday 10 April
including Champagne and Port and Sherry and
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
beyond. This tasting will be unique in that we
53 Hutt Rd Thorndon
have specially selected wines that vary
TIME: 6.00pm
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tremendously in flavour and texture so we can put this glass through its paces. We will have David Nash the New Zealand importer here to guide us through the tasting. Read More...
BUNNAHABHAIN AND FRIENDS | THORNDON Bunnahabhain is not a typical, heavily peated, smoke-filled Islay. Instead it lets the sea and the islands nature speak naturally. This welcoming taste embodies the approachable side of Islay. For this tasting, Keith from Eurovintage will be taking us through the classic Bunnahabhain expression alongside a
WHEN: Thursday 11 April
few independently bottle examples of
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
Bunnahabhain.
53 Hutt Rd Thorndon TIME: 6.00pm
Read more....
LAPHROAIG VERTICAL TASTING WITH RORY DONNELLY | JERVOIS ROAD It is written that from the central courtyard of the distillery, one can see the surrounding buildings, some of which pre-date the 'official' beginning in 1815, when Laphroaig was still a farm with the distillery an illicit sideline. It seems that no one knows the full history of
WHEN: Tuesday 16 April
Laphroaig as it was lost in the mist of time. It's
WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd,
clear, however, that the Irish had been distilling
54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby
there for many years and that the locals picked
TIME: 7.00pm
up the skills when they left, but because it was
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illegal the small stills on the farms were rarely discussed - just a nod and a wink in the right direction! Read more....
WESTMERE WINE CLUB | ROCKBURN Rockburn's wines are hand-harvested off the company's Parkburn and Gibbston Valley vineyards. Each site contributes its own unique characteristics that provide chief winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis with a palette of distinctive flavour profiles from which he masterfully produces the award-winning wines. As Malcolm puts it: “My philosophy is to
WHEN: Wednesday 17 April
respect the fruit, listen to what it is trying to say
WHERE: Glengarry Westmere, 164 Garnet Rd Westmere
and help it to do that. We don't manipulate or
TIME: 7.00pm
use finings; our aim is to produce harmonious wines that reflect their unique terroir.� Rockburn's outstanding record is not confined to their headlining Pinot Noir, but extends throughout the entire portfolio, with excellence across the board their primary objective. Read more....
WHISKY OF THE WORLD WITH RORY DONNELLY | JERVOIS ROAD Join us as we taste our way across the globe, through whisky! Enjoy the taste of American, Canadian, Irish, Scottish and Japanese Whisky as Rory, your guide, delves into the details. Read more....
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WHEN: Tuesday 30 April WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd, 54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 7.00pm
MILLTON & CASTAGNA - WITH JAMES MILLTON AND JULIAN CASTAGNA | THORNDON & VICTORIA PARK Millton and Castagna are Australasia's pioneering biodynamic wineries. James Millton
AUCKLAND
started New Zealand's first organic and
WHEN: Wednesday 1 May
biodynamic wine estate in 1984, on the banks
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
of the Te Arai river near Gisborne. His Clos de
118 Wellesley St West Auckland
Ste. Anne wines are some of the finest (and
TIME: 7.00pm
hardest to find) wines in New Zealand. Julian Castagna had a successful career in film and
READ MORE...
advertising, before planting his vineyards in 1996 at 500m altitude in Beechworth Victoria. James Millton was his early mentor, and was a
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powerful influence on the possibility of
WHEN: Thursday 2 May
biodynamics. These are some of the most
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
exciting (and un Australian) wines in Australia,
53 Hutt Rd Thorndon
with a style and precision all of their own. For
TIME: 6.00pm
the very first (and probably only) time , these two inspiring winemakers will be presenting a
READ MORE...
tasting together. This will be a fantastic evening of stunning wine and insights not to be missed.
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MEZCAL MASTERCLASS GRACIAS A DIOS | JERVOIS ROAD Join in on the Mezcal revolution at Glengarry Spirits with Xaime Niembro, owner of Gracias a Dios Mezcal. We will begin the evening with a Mezcal cocktail, seeing why bartenders across the globe have fallen in love with this spirit, before tasting through the range by Gracias a Dios which includes the very limited Pechuga Mezcal.
WHEN: Tuesday 7th My WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd,
Read more....
54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 7.00pm
VEGA SICILIA MASTERCLASS | VICTORIA PARK Do not miss this very special tasting. Few wineries have a history as distinguished as that of Vega Sicilia. Founded in the 1860’s in Ribera del Duero, its top cuvée ÚNICO was the first great wine of Spain, with an almost unlimited cellaring potential. Until recent decades it was the only Spanish wine collected and coveted throughout the world.
WHEN: Thursday 16 May WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park
Read more....
118 Wellesley Street, Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
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WORLD WHISKY DAY | VICTORIA PARK One of our favourite days of the year! Join us for our 3rd edition of the massive World Whisky Day tasting. Our aim is to ensure we have as many new releases for you to experience. Single Malt, Bourbon, Irish, Kiwi, Japanese, Wood finishes, Old Malts and young, join us for what will be a fantastic day! Is there something you wish to sample, let us know! Last year
WHEN: Saturday 18 May
there were over 150 Single Malts to try, expect
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park
it to be bigger and better this time round. You'll
118 Wellesley Street, Auckland
even get a Glencairn glass to keep, plus the
TIME: 2.00pm-5.00pm
Jack Daniels grill will be there serving up some awesome BBQ. This event will run from 2-5pm. Read more....
BOLLINGER LA GRANDE ANNÉE 2008 RELEASE WITH GUY DE RIVOIRE | VICTORIA PARK The new release of a La Grande Année (The great year) from Champagne Bollinger is always an occasion. This year is something very special indeed. The 2008 vintage is one of the finest in history for the region, and possibly the greatest vintage Bollinger ever made. A WHEN: Tuesday 21 May
truely artistan product, each bottle is touched
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park
around 40 times in this incredibly costly and
118 Wellesley Street, Auckland
complex process. Read more....
TIME: 7.00pm
That's it for this week's Sunday Sediment. Issue Ninety will be winging its way to your inbox next Sunday. 13
Cheers,
Jak Jakicevich
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