Dish

THE JUDGES

YVONNE LORKIN

Dish drinks writer

PATRICK NEWTON

Winemaker at

Westbrook Wines

CAMERON

DOUGLAS MS

Master Sommelier

and lecturer at AUT

STEPHANEE

GUTH

Winemaker at

Moi Wines

COLIN FORD

Director of

Winework Solutions

JANE BOYLE

Wine consultant

RATING SYSTEM:

GOLD

Superb. Strongly recommended.

SILVER

A cut above the rest in quality.

BRONZE

A good-quality crowd pleaser.

Look for the Dish

Tasting Panel selection

sticker, which can be

worn by our top wines.

With thanks to Janet Blackman

from the Professional Wine Studies

Department and the AUT School of

Hospitality and Tourism.

For more on the programmes in

hospitality, food and beverage, and hotel

management, visit aut.ac.nz.

Water kindly supplied by Antipodes.

sauvignon blanc

DISH TASTING PANEL

TOP WINE OF THE TASTING

1. TE PĀ
Oke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016
($25) Gold Medal
Our top wine of the tasting is way more like
a “crazy, complex, smoky, roasty, toasty
white wine” than your standard sauvignon
blanc. Aromas of pine pollen, marzipan
and smoked passionfruit are followed by
lemongrass, lime leaf and tropical tastiness.
Colin enjoyed the mandarin and vanilla
bean characters, while “great texture” and
“delicious complexity” came from Cameron
and Stephanie. Essentially, it’s sauvignon
blanc for chardonnay lovers, produced by
a family that can trace their roots back to
the first Maori landing at the Wairau Bar
800 years ago. Simply outstanding.
2. TE PĀ
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($19)
Gold Medal
“Wow! This wine is sex on a stick,”
announced Jane. “Whoever made this wine
knows what they’re doing.” Well, it turns
out, te Pā’s winemaker Liam McElhinney, has
really poured all his talent into creating an
incredibly concentrated, ultra-flavoursome
sauvignon from a challenging vintage.
“Racy and intense,” added Patrick. “It’s a

stonefruit, passionfruit taste explosion and

I love the flintiness on the palate.” Combine

classic capsicum, crushed herbs, citrus and

tomato leaf loveliness and you’ve got gold

medal material right here.

3. PEGASUS BAY
   Waipara Sauvignon Semillon 2015 ($31)
   Gold Medal
   An absolute classic, none of our judges
   were surprised to see this wine appear
   in the top 10. Mat Donaldson and his
   winemaking team have really set the
   bar for this exotic and exciting style
   over the decades. Thirty-year-old vines
   produced a wine boasting creamy, peachy
   characters alongside fine acidity, elegance
   and length, according to Cameron, while
   Colin felt it was a firm and classy example
   of a rare blend here in New Zealand. The
   oak component was beautifully handled
   and extended lees aging adds softness,
   complexity and length. Gorgeous stuff.


4. WAIPARA HILLS
   Equinox Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc
   2015 ($34.90) Gold Medal
   “This is a very pretty wine” noted
   Stephanie, while Cameron and Colin were
   both wowed by its lifted mandarin, kaffir
   lime, apple and peachy layers. Named after
   (NB: All wines are judged blind under
   competition conditions. The scores of
   judges for their own wines cannot exceed
   those of other judges.)

BEST

BUY

BEST BUY

Wines which retail for $20 or less and

earned 5 Star and Gold medal status.

114 DISH