Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. The Sunday Sediment. Issue Ninety-Six Sarah, Welcome to the Ninety-Sixth 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.
1
25 STEPS | NEW FROM AKARUA
Perched on an ancient glacial slope, Akarua’s 25 Steps is a stunning single vineyard site in Central Otago’s Pisa, a dramatic terraced vineyard covering 120m of elevation that is planted entirely in a wild mix of Pinot Noir clones from Pommard and Dijon. Highly undulating and exposed, with a multitude of natural microclimates, the flavours from this vineyard are wonderfully complex and utterly unique. The rose is a seamless profusion of florals and strawberry with notes of cherry, hazelnut and mandarin, a delicate smoky thread, fine acidity and a subtle mineral edge. The Pinot Noir exudes haunting aromatics of raspberry and cherry on a vibrantly textural and smoky palate with a pronounced mineral note and lovely taut acidity. Read More..
2
ARDBEG | COME CELEBRATE ARDBEG DAY
Regarded by connoisseurs as the ultimate Islay malt, Ardbeg captures to perfection the peaty characters that distinguish the island’s whiskies. The commercial distillery was established over 200 years ago on Islay’s wild and remote southern tip. In the past decade, six different Ardbeg expressions have won prestigious titles, including World Whisky of the Year, Scotch Whisky of the Year and World’s Best Single Malt. Glengarry has recently been awarded the title of Ardbeg Embassy, part of a global network of outposts dedicated to supporting everything Ardbeggian. The Embassy is situated in our Glengarry Spirits store at 54 Jervois Road, Auckland. Our first official celebration in this capacity is on Saturday the 1st of June, aka Ardbeg Day, an
This year Ardbeg add a dash of carnival to
annual gathering held around the world that
their Ardbeg Day. They have released a limited
attracts thousands of devotees.
edition bottling in Auckland that is retail exclusive to the Ardbeg Embassy at 54 Jervois Rd. Come and join us at Glengarry Spirits on June 1st for food, fun and tastings. Purchase 3
the special Ardbeg, available from that day and only at out Glengarry Spirits store. Read More...
SPAIN | RIBERA DEL DUERO
Located on the banks of the Duero River around the village of Penafiel, this is one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. Low rainfall, 40-degree days and chilly nights are not uncommon, all of which concentrates the flavours in the grapes. Tempranillo (known here as Tinto Fino) dominates production. Read More..
4
SPAIN | RIOJA
Where it all began for Spain. The Sierra de Cantabria range forms a critical backdrop along Rioja’s northern edge, protecting its vines from the chill Atlantic winds. The dominant red varieties are Garnacha and Tempranillo. There are three distinct subregions, all with their own unique attributes, but many of the wines are blends from all three. Read More..
5
SPAIN | JEREZ
The region of Cadiz is Sherry Central. Within it lies Jerez which, with some Anglicising, became sherry. These wines are largely a product of the Palomino grape grown in bushes in the unique chalky white albariza soil that sizzles under the scorching sun. Power and depth occur as if by magic, as does the remarkable finesse that, combined, make them wondrous to drink. Read More..
6
TASTINGS AND EVENTS
MALT CLUB | GLENMORANGIE GRAND VINTAGE 1991 LAUNCH Tonight we will be getting an exclusive look at the new 1991 Grand Vintage single malt, the 4th release in this series. With Glenmorangie one of the first distilleries to release and market a cask finished single malt we will taste through their extended maturation range, the likes of Lasanta and Quinta Ruban, before WHEN: Wednesday 28 August
finishing the evening with the 1991 which was
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
aged in ex Oloroso Sherry casks and finished in Burgundy barrels.
118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
Read more....
7
NEW FROM THE GLENLIVET | JERVOIS RD Glengarry Spirits will play host to The Glenlivet brand Ambassador, David Wallace, to launch a new release from The Glenlivet range. Selected specifically for New Zealand, this Single Cask edition is ex American Oak and bottled at cask strength and with only 204 bottles produced we had better check one of them! We will also taste our way through the
WHEN: Friday 23 August
age range (12 year, 18 year and 25 year old)
WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd,
as well as the new Captains Reserve Cognac
54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby
finish.
TIME: 7.00pm
Read more....
MALT CLUB | WORLD'S SMALLEST INDEPENDENT BOTTLER, WEMYSS As an independent bottler of whisky, Wemyss (pronounced ‘weems’) is a family owned business based in Scotland and has a long association with whisky dating back to the turn of the 19th Century. Wemyss approach to whisky aims to select only the very highest quality of malt whiskies and in doing so make them more accessible and understandable by
WHEN: Thursday 11 July
using the tasting and aromas of individual
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
whiskies to identify each bottling. Book your
118 Wellesley St West Auckland
seats for July’s Malt Club early because it will
TIME: 7.00pm
sell out! We’ll have the latest release bottlings full of eclectic drams, hand selected by Jak Jakicevich. Read more....
8
MOUNT EDEN WINE CLUB | CHAMPAGNE VS WORLD With centuries of experience, and a unique terroir, is it no wonder the Champagne Region is seen as the ancestral heart of sparkling wines. Though over the recent years, we have seen the popularity of previously overlooked styles, like Prosecco, rise across the global landscape. So how does it all stack up? Tonight, we will blind taste four different
WHEN: Thursday 4 July
Champagnes against various styles from Italy,
WHERE: Glengarry Mt Eden,
Australia, NZ, and Spain. Who knows, you may
417 Mount Eden Road Mount Eden
even find a new potential favourite for an
TIME: 7.00pm
upcoming Mid-Winter Christmas! Read more....
HEROES OF THE BAROSSA - WITH CRAIG STANSBOROUGH & STUART BLACKWELL | AUCKLAND & WELLINGTON A very special evening with two of the greatest winemakers from the Barossa Valley. Grant Burge's family history in the region dates back to 1855, with their outstanding Meschach Shiraz one of Australias most iconic wines.
WELLINGTON WHEN: Thursday 3 July
Their chief winemaker Craig Stansborough has
WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon,
been with the company 24 years and was AUS winemaker of the year in 2014. St Hallett has
53 Hutt Rd Thorndon TIME: 6.00pm
been producing fine wines since it was
Read more...
established in 1944. No one knows the Barossa Valley better than senior winemaker Stuart Blackwell, who has been making wine there for over 40 years. These two produce wines from some of the oldest vineyards in the
AUCKLAND
world. Craig and Stuart know the nuances of
WHEN: Thursday 4 July
the region intimately, the seasons, the soil, and
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
the varieties. They have a deep understanding
118 Wellesley St West Auckland
9
TIME: 7.00pm
of the rich tapestry of site and climatic
Read more...
variances, but also an appreciation of the importance of dedicated growers and ‘old vine’Shiraz.
MALT CLUB | SMALL CRAFT DISTILLERIES OF THE WORLD As with craft beer, craft whisky has enjoyed a growing boom in the past couple decades with new distilleries popping up worldwide. There’s no rush when it comes to whisky distillation and the new kids on the block seem to welcome that. So, what does it mean to be a ‘craft distiller’ and how do they match up to the big guys in the market? Join us on the 27th
WHEN: Thursday 27 June
June as we explore their artisan with Jak
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
covering Scotland, America and New Zealand.
118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
Read more....
ORNELLAIA & MASSETO - SUPER TUSCAN MASTERCLASS Tonight is a very special vertical tasting that we have been preparing for many years. Positioned in DOC Bolgheri district on the Tuscan coast of Western Italy, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is one of the world's finest wine estates. For many connoisseurs, Ornellaia is more consistently excellent and polished than
WHEN: Thursday 20 June
its immediate neighbour Sassicaia, the original
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park,
'Super Tuscan'. Ornellaia is also a classic
118 Wellesley St West Auckland
Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon,
TIME: 7.00pm
Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Read more....
10
WESTMERE WINE CLUB - JUNE | WITH PATRICK FROM RIMU GROVE In the early 1990s, Patrick Stowe toured New Zealand, falling for Nelson’s Bronte Peninsular. He returned to buy seven hectares there and, in 1995, he established Rimu Grove. His philosophy was simple: do everything it takes to get the most out of the vineyard – hands-on, plenty of hard work, very little machinery but loads of buckets. Patrick loves great Burgundy,
WHEN: Wednesday 19 June
and believes if any country in the world was
WHERE: Glengarry Westmere,
tailor-made for Pinot Noir, it’s New Zealand,
164 Garnet Rd Westmere
with its intense sunshine, special soils and long
TIME: 7.00pm
growing period so perfect for ripening grapes: “The vineyard has a temperate, maritime microclimate with high sunshine hours. We don’t use machinery in the vineyard; it is entirely hand-managed to maintain low cropping levels and all the fruit is hand-picked.” Read more....
GLENGARRY WINE ACADEMY | STAGE ONE Over the last 20+ years, the Glengarry Wine Academy has established itself as one of the leading wine educators in New Zealand. Initially created to train Glengarry staff, it is also widely used by the hospitality industry and wine enthusiasts. Informative, but never intimidating, the Glengarry Wine Academy WHEN: Wednesday 12th June,
courses are an opportunity for beginners as
Wednesday 19th June,
well as experienced aficionados to expand
Wednesday 26th June, and Wednesday 3rd July
their knowledge and develop their interest.
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, In stage 1 you learn about the varieties, stage
118 Wellesley St West Auckland
2 you explore their differing personalities
TIME: 7.00pm
11
around the world. In Stage 3 you take a major look a key wine making regions in the world. This course dives under the cover, you learn all about the great wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and many more. Read more....
MOUNT EDEN WINE CLUB | THE PECULIAR REDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN With over 300 different red grape varieties across the globe, it's safe to say there will be a decent handful (or more accurately, a bucketful) of varieties you have yet to try – or have even heard of! We'll focus on the reds from Europe, where centuries of history helped carve the foundation of today's wine producing
WHEN: Thursday 13 June
regions, from the Middle East to the Spanish
WHERE: Glengarry Mt Eden Village,
Coast.
417 Mount Eden Road Mount Eden TIME: 7.00pm
Tonight we will taste various grape varieties, and explore the different wine making traditions and regulations. Our tour will begin in Lebanon, one of the oldest wine producing regions, where the Phoenicians domesticated grapes 5000 years ago. Then we'll visit the northern Provinces of Italy, hike the volcanic slopes of Sicily, and finish with a quick visit to Galicia and Valencia of Spain. Read more....
12
TAKAPUNA WINE CLUB | THE VOLCANIC WINES OF ITALY Towering high over Sicily, Mt Etna was said to be the home of the fiery forges of Hephaestus. While still one of the world's most active volcanoes, more recent visitors might be forgiven for thinking that an association with Dionysus might have been just as appropriate. Indeed, Etna itself is the oldest of all DOCs in WHEN: Wednesday 12 June
Sicily, established before even the much more
WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna,
well-known Marsala denomination. Tonight, we
Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney Takapuna
will try some of these uniquely situated wines,
TIME: 7.00pm
tasting the range of Terrazze dell'Etna. Hand produced in small volumes atop incredibly inhospitable slopes, these are special wines. Don't miss the chance to try these back to back! Read more....
ARDBEG CARNIVAL | GLENGARRY SPIRITS This year Ardbeg add a dash of carnival to their Ardbeg Day. They have released a limited edition bottling in Auckland that is retail exclusive to the Ardbeg Embassy at 54 Jervois Rd. Come and join us at Glengarry Spirits on June 1st for food, fun and tastings. Purchase the special Ardbeg, available from that day and only at out Glengarry Spirits store.
WHEN: Saturday 1 June WHERE: Glengarry Spirits,
Read more....
54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 1.00pm
13
PYRAMID VALLEY 2019 RELEASE WITH HUW KINCH | AUCKLAND Pyramid Valley have been arguably New Zealand's most exciting and interesting producer for the last decade. But there's been a lot of change in North Canterbury over the last year, since this very special property was purchased by Brian Seth and Steve Smith MW. We went down recently and there was tension in the air, would the wines be as good? No
WHEN: Thursday 30 May
need to worry, they are every bit as good, and
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park
so much is better! Everything is still
118 Wellesley Street, Auckland
biodynamically grown and made, but with more
TIME: 7.00pm
precision and clarity, as well as some exciting new wines! Read more....
TAKAPUNA WINE CLUB | MEET THE WINEMAKER, GIANNI FLEGO A true New Zealand original, Villa Maria Wine Estates, is over 55 years old, proudly displayed in 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
WHEN: Wednesday 29 May
determination of its founder Sir George
WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna,
Fistonich and his team.
Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney Takapuna TIME: 7.00pm
Join us as Gianni Flego, one of Villa Maria's winemakers, takes us through the winemaking process and we taste some of the top Villa Maria wines. As always, we have limited seats, so secure yours now! Read more.... 14
That's it for this week's Sunday Sediment. Issue Ninety-Seven will be winging its way to your inbox next Sunday. Cheers,
Jak Jakicevich