Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. The Sunday Sediment. Issue One Hundred and Thirty-Four
Welcome to the One Hundred and Thirty-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.
FOUR PILLARS
And the little golden statue for the International Gin Producer of the year goes to… Four Pillars Distillery! Well it’s not quite the Oscars, but in the Wine and Spirits world it's bigger! The International Wine and Spirits Competition is the pinnacle in the drinks business, and to be awarded this top honour in front of your peers from around the globe is a huge achievement.
Four Pillars join fellow gin leaders Herno and Kyoto Distillery in winning this award, and after only five years of operation. The award is not just in recognition of a single gin they make, but a reflection of their gin business as a whole, from the three co-founders who still find the time to show punters around the distillery to the innovative approach that has delivered the
We can’t possibly not mention the cocktails: the Four Pillars team, led by James Irvine their Creative Director of Gin Drinks, is owning this space. Irvine travels the world raising the Four Pillars profile, creating new cocktails and adding funky twists to local concoctions, all of which they happily share so you can lovingly recreate them at home. My recommendation would be The Bloody Sour, a classic shaken cocktail using the Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin that will blow your mind. So get yourself to Healesville in the Yarra Valley and prepare to be there for a while, because these Aussies deserve your attention. Read More..
likes of the Christmas Cake and Bloody Shiraz gins. From their sustainable approach to making gin, where even the spent the botanicals are shipped down the road to a pig farm (You must attend a Gin Pig dinner!) to the annual Christmas Revue which aims to raise money and awareness for causes close to their hearts.
RIMU GROVE HARNESSING THE NELSON TERROIR
Some might say that Patrick Stowe is a long way from home. Others would opine that he is finally right where he’s meant to be. Back in the 1860s, his great-great- something-or-other grandfather owned a vineyard in the Napa Valley. This latent winemaking DNA was awakened while Patrick was attending a polytechnic course where, at age 19, he made his first wine. Graduating with a degree in biochemistry and microbiology, he continued to pursue his passion for winemaking in the Napa Valley. Patrick loves great Burgundy, and believes if any country in the world was tailor-made for Pinot Noir, it’s New Zealand, with its intense
sunshine, special soils and long 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..
In the early 1990s, Patrick 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.
MOUTARD THREE BRANCHES & MANY HANDS
The Moutard-Diligent family can trace their history of viticulture right back to 1642. Today, the stewardship of Francois, Veronique and Agnes is augmented by their sons Thomas,
Edouard, Alexandre, Benoit and Victor. The family have, then, many fingers in three distinct pies: Moutard Champagne, Moutard Burgundy and the Moutard Distillery.
In Champagne, Moutard own 22.5 hectares and work across 60. Their champagnes are made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane; it’s rare to see such a range of the permitted varieties in use, particularly the elusive Arbane. In Burgundy, they have 36 hectares within the designations of Bourgogne, Cremant, Chablis, Tonnerre, Irancy and Epineuil, where they grow the varieties Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Aligote and Cesar. And at their distillery, which dates back to 1892, they have five traditional copper pot stills for the distillation of Marc de Champagne, Fine de Champagne and Fruit brandies.
It’s a good thing there are seemingly a lot of Moutards, as this scale of activity will keep them all very busy. Their champagnes have been a staple on the shelves at Glengarry for many years. Late last year, we imported Moutard Chablis for the first time, with the wines gaining favour very quickly; the Premier and Grand cru, in particular, are exceptional value for money. Read More..
TE KAIRANGA A MARTINBOROUGH GEM
Te Kairanga is an unlisted public company with more than 200 shareholders. The wine region of Martinborough is located at the foot of New Zealand’s North Island at a latitude of 40 degrees south. Here, a happy coincidence of geology and geography has created the perfect climate and terrain for Pinot Noir and aromatic wines.
The stone-filled river terraces are free-draining while the topsoils vary from slope to slope. The mountains protect us from harsh elements and we enjoy long dry days and cool nights. The vines grow less vigorously in the cool, breezy conditions, so yields are lower and the flavours more intense. Their long dry autumns provide the right balance of warm days (creating ripeness) and cool nights (providing elegance) for producing top quality Pinot Noir and other early-ripening varieties. The results speak for themselves, the Martinborough region is known internationally for consistently producing worldclass fine wines. Read More..
TASTINGS AND EVENTS
JACK DANIELS WITH JAK JAKICEVICH Bring in 2020 with our first tasting of the decade celebrating one of the world's most iconic and time-honoured brands, Jack Daniels. Since 1866, Jack Daniels has spread from its home in Lynchburg Tennessee to be sold all over the world. Innovative charcoal filtering, an on-site cooperage that sustains countless other distilleries and a smooth, layered and timeless whiskey that continues to warm hearts all over the world. You will have the privilege of being hosted by Glengarry’s own Jak Jakicevich who is an absolute lover of all things Jack Daniels. There is not a more passionate or dedicated expert to take us on this journey exploring the range Jack Daniels has to offer. One not to be missed!
WHEN: Wednesday 19 February WHERE: Glengarry Ponsonby, 54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 7.00pm
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EXPLORE CHABLIS Chablis is the northern most region of Burgundy and home to nothing but Chardonnay. However, this is not Chardonnay as we know it in New Zealand. Chablis can be steely, acidic and lean, but it is also delicate with white floral notes and a perfect balance of minerality. These
characteristics also mean that Chablis lends itself to many great food pairings, such as fresh fish and sushi, as well as rich sauces, with the acidity able to cut through the richness. We will taste through village wines to some new Grand Cru wines that have only just landed. This tasting will give you yet another perspective on the chameleon that we know simply as Chardonnay. Read more...
WHEN: Wednesday 19 February WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Road Pipitea TIME: 6.00pm
JAMESON WHISKEY In the lead up to St Patrick's day, Jameson Whiskey Brand Ambassador Megan Bambury will be touring the country to remind us just how good Jameson Whiskey is. Join us on Thursday 20th February to taste this classic range and a few extra special surprises! Read more...
WHEN: Thursday 20 February WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Road Pipitea TIME: 6.00pm
MEZCAL - AN EXPLORATION OF AGAVE Join us to try some of the stunning new range of Mezcal, now one of the hottest spirits for bartenders worldwide. Produced from Agave grown in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this is very different to its more wellknown cousin Tequila. These are artisan products produced traditionally in very small quantities by family producers. Our Fine Wine Manager Regan McCaffery is a huge fan of both regions and will be leading us through a line-up
WHEN: Wednesday 26 February WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd, 54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 7.00pm
of Mezcal from different villages, produced from different species of Agave. And no, you won't find a worm in any of these bottles! We will be trying Mezcal from Del Maguey, Illegal, Derrumbes, and Gracias a Dios. Read more...
VOUVRAY 2018 TO 1979 - DOMAIN BOURILLON-DORLEANS & MARC BREDIF Chenin Blanc is one of the great white varieties of the world. There is no region it is more at home than in the Loire Valley of France, and no appellation is more famous than Vouvray. Chenin Blanc made its way here during the middle ages and has flourished ever since. The grapes natural high acidity allows it to be produced in a range of styles and contributes to its immense aging potential. Top Vouvray have the ability to develop in the bottle for decades, and tonight we will be tasting some of them. We will be looking at two top producers from the region, Domaine Bourillon-Dorleans and Mark Bredif, from the dry through to the sweet, including some very rare bottlings. We will be tasting: Domaine Bourillon La Bourdonnerie Demi Sec 2017, La Coulee d'Or Moelleux 2015, L'Indigine Sec 2009, L'Oppidum Sec 2008, Marc Bredif Classic 2018, Vouvray 2007, Grande Annee 1983 and Grande Annee 1979.
WHEN: Tuesday 3 March WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
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MALT CLUB | THE GLENLIVET WITH ALAN WINCHESTER
WHEN: Wednesday 4 March
Warm yourselves up for Dramfest 2020 with an in depth look at The Glenlivet range with Master Distiller Alan Winchester. We are excited to welcome Alan to host the Glengarry Malt Club on the 4th of March, a 40-year veteran of the whisky industry who was recognised as a Master of the Quaich in 2015. Tonight we will be tasting through the core range of Founders Reserve, 12 year old, Captain’s Reserve and 18 year old before rolling out the Nadurra Oloroso, the NZ Single Cask and 25 year old.
WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
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MEET MASTER OF WINE SAM HARROP & TASTE HIS WINES Join us for our first cellar tasting of the year hosted by Master of Wine Sam Harrop. We are very fortunate to have someone once named as one of the Top 10 most influential wine consultants in the world making producing wines of exceptional quality wines from the Hawke's Bay and Waiheke Island where he is based. Sam Harrop is very much about producing small batch wines that transport you to their special place in the world. New to Glengarry, we are excited to try his Cedalion Chardonnay and Grand Amateur range and you may even be treated to some back vintages of Chardonnay and Syrah. There are limited seats available for this event so book now to secure your place.
WHEN: Thursday 5 March WHERE: Glengarry Jervois Rd, 54 Jervois Rd Ponsonby TIME: 7.00pm
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GRAND BORDEAUX TOUR If you’re some sort of Bordeaux aficionado, or even if you’ve just thought you might like to be, this is a very special tasting event that you really shouldn’t miss. We are extremely elated to be hosting the largest group of chateaux from the legendary Bordeaux region ever to be assembled in New Zealand. Estates from across the region are sending their representatives here specifically for the occasion.
WHEN: Tuesday 10 March WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 4.30pm
All of the chateaux attending will all be presenting their wines from the amazing 2016 vintage. The more time these spend in bottle, the clearer it is that this is one of the finest years ever for Bordeaux, better even than the famed 2015s. This will be a walk-around event, held from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, where you will be able to move between one chateau and the next and talk with them as you taste their wines. Book your tickets now!
Read more to see the properties attending...
GRAND BORDEAUX DINNER A fantastic dinner with ten guests from top Bordeaux estates. They are all here for one night only, so this is a very rare and special occasion. It’s your opportunity to enjoy a beautiful three-course meal with them, one of whom who will be joining each table. Each of the estates will be providing an older vintage of their Grand Vin to enjoy. The dinner will be held in the picturesque setting that is Westhaven’s Sails Restaurant. The wines we’ll be drinking with dinner will be from...
WHEN: Tuesday 10 March WHERE: Sails Restaurant 103-113 Westhaven Drive Westhaven Marina TIME: 7.15pm
GRAND BORDEAUX TOUR AND DINNER COMBINED TICKET
WHEN: Tuesday 10 March WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland & Sails Restaurant 103-113 Westhaven Drive Westhaven Marina TIME: 4.30pm
This is such a brilliant occasion that we thought we’d offer you the best of both worlds and put the two events together at a special discounted price. We start at Glengarry Victoria Park with the Grand Bordeaux Tour between 4:30pm and 6:30pm. Here you’ll have time to walk around at your leisure and taste the stunning 2016 releases with the chateaux’ representatives. Then move with us to Sails Restaurant in Westhaven from 7:15pm for the Grand Bordeaux Dinner, where we’ll be enjoying older vintages from the chateaux in the company of each estate. Book your tickets now! Read more...
THE LATEST FROM WEMYSS Join us in sampling a selection of the new arrivals from the Wemyss family. We will have an interesting line up of beautifully balanced
blended malts and distinctive single cask offerings this family are renowned for. Read more...
WHEN: Thursday 12 March WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Road Pipitea TIME: 6.00pm
GLENGARRY WINE ACADEMY | STAGE THREE
A four-week course | Wednesday 18th March, Wednesday 25th March, Wednesday 1st April, and Wednesday 8th April | The course fee and content covers all four weeks.
WHEN: Wednesday 18 March WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
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 courses are an opportunity for beginners as well as experienced aficionados to expand their knowledge and develop their interest. For only the third time, a third stage of our Wine Academy is being offered. This course has been written recently and follows on from stage 1 and 2. In stage 1 you learn about the varieties; stage 2 you explore their differing personalities around the world. Now in stage 3 you take a major look at 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...
DISCOVER VOUVRAY Vouvray is an old favourite, a wine often overlooked as we tend to go with the familiar,
however with some new arrivals, including older vintages, there could not be a better time to explore theses fabulous wines. Vouvray is Chenin Blanc, hails from the Loire Valley and is spread across 2,210ha (over seven communes in the Touraine District). There are sparkling as well as still wines produced here. For this tasting, we will be concentrating on still wines. The styles that we will be looking at are SecDry and minerally, Demi Sec - luscious fruity wines and Moelleux a Dessert style wine. We will also have an opportunity to look at some older vintages that have just landed. Read more...
WHEN: Thursday 19 March WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Road Pipitea TIME: 6.00pm
TAKAPUNA WINE CLUB | SMITH & SHETH WITH STEVE SMITH MW
WHEN: Thursday 26 March WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna, Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney TIME: 7.00pm
When Master of Wine Steve Smith and Texan investor Brian Sheth met in 2014, it was more than a bottle of Chardonnay that they shared, but also a dream. A dream of wines made from the best sites possible, pairing location with the varieties and styles which best suited them. Where the French and indeed wine aficionados the world over refer to 'terroir' as being the ultimate influencer over their wines, Smith and Sheth prefer to use the Maori word 'Turangawaewae.' This is our place to stand in the world. To take us through the range of Smith + Sheth's new release wines we are proud to host none other than Steve Smith MW himself. Steve is an icon of the New Zealand wine industry, becoming one of our first Masters of Wine and also leading Craggy Range into becoming one of the most highly regarded wineries in the country. This tasting is sure to be very informative as well as taking a delicious first look at a range of superb wines. Read more...
BLIND TASTING - SPARKLING WINE
With Winter only a month away, and the Autumn school holidays over, it seemed the perfect time to get together and enjoy some sparkling wines. Tonight we will taste four pairings...blind. Can you work out what they have in common? Read more...
WHEN: Thursday 30 April WHERE: Glengarry Mount Eden, 417 Mount Eden Road Mount Eden TIME: 7.00pm
GLENGARRY WINE ACADEMY | STAGE TWO 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 courses are an opportunity for beginners as well as experienced aficionados to expand their knowledge and develop their interest. In stage 1 you learn about the varieties, stage 2 you explore their differing personalities 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...
That's it for this week's Sunday Sediment. Issue One Hundred and Thirty-Five will be winging its way to your inbox next Sunday.
A four-week course | Wednesday 6th May, Wednesday 13th May, Wednesday 20th May, and Wednesday 27th May all starting 7pm. The course fee covers content for all four weeks.
WHEN: Wednesday 6 May WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
Cheers,
Jak Jakicevich