New Zealand Wine Review – Te Mata Awatea, Martinborough, Cabernet/Merlot, 2013

Aroma: scary berries and cherries - a hint of almond
Color: dark plum by red
Consistency: Fairly thiick and slow with holes
Taste: Tart apples and young plum, grassy and fresh, in a good way
Cost: $NZ 34
Quality rating: 6/10
Value rating 7/10
Final words: great with steak a bit young but very nice.

New Zealand Wine Review – Te Mata Estate, Hawke's Bay, Merlot Cabernet, 2014

Aroma: fresh grass and herb cuttings, dry grape leaves and licorice
Color: raspberry red, glossy and bloody, quite transparent
Consistency: slow, thin and even
Taste: meat tartin, nasal wasabi, salty
Cost: $NZ 30
Quality rating: 8/10
Value rating: 10/10
Final words: highly recommend

New Zealand Wine Review – Craggy Range Single Vineyard, Hawke's Bay, Syrah, 2013

Aroma: this is what I imagine Brad Pitt smells like. Savory, cummin spice, olive and tobacco.
Color: virulent crayon red, dense and not overly glossy.
Consistency: nice and even, quick evaporation
Taste: rich red spaghetti sauce with olives and chorizo spice. chilli bite.
Cost: $NZ30
Quality rating: 6/10
Value rating 6/10
Final words: not very imaginative but solid and dependable.

New Zealand Wine Review – Te Mata Awatea, Martinborough, Cabernet/Merlot, 2013

Aroma: scary berries and cherries - a hint of almond
Color: dark plum by red
Consistency: Fairly thiick and slow with holes
Taste: Tart apples and young plum, grassy and fresh, in a good way
Cost: $NZ 34
Quality rating: 6/10
Value rating 7/10
Final words: great with steak a bit young but very nice.

New Zealand Wine Review – Te Kairanga, Martinborough, Runholder Pinot Noir, 2013

Aroma: Soft and tart berry and spice
Color: rich garnets, clear wide and translucent at the edges
Consistency: Nice round ovals, slow moving
Taste: tart and lively on the tongue, strong acid should mellow but nice as is
Cost: $NZ
Quality rating: 7/10
Final words: looking forward to trying it again next year

New Zealand Wine Review – Pegasus Bay, Marlborough, Pinot Noir, 2012

Aroma: strong tobacco and gentle spice
Color: translucent and tawny with dark rings
Consistency: nice and even quick evaporation
Taste: blackberry tart tobaccos and earthy spice
Cost: $NZ 34
Quality rating: 4/10
Value rating: 5/10
Final words: Not spectacular but nice enough should get better with age

New Zealand Wine Review – Elephant Hill, Hawke's Bay, Syrah, 2013

Aroma: Full fruit and spice, Hot Cross Buns and Christmas Cake
Color: Opaque, black cherry
Consistency: Very smooth and slow, Barry White
Taste: Suprisingly fresh hints of pine, top front of mouth and back of throat, flavours hard to define, woody with berry notes
Cost: $NZ 31
Quality rating: 7/10
Final words: Probably needs more time to reach full potential based on aroma

New Zealand Wine Review – Te Kairanga, Martinborough, Chardonnay, 2014

Aroma: olive oil, savory and nutty
Color: vibrant and shiny golden yellow
Consistency: expansive, cloudy and thick
Taste: smoky and tart. quite cheesy but still obviously Chardonnay.
Cost: $NZ
Quality rating: 6
Final words: I liked it. Not your typical Chardonnay.

New Zealand Wine Review – Dry River, Martinborough, Pinot Noir, 2009

Aroma: Peppery, cranberry and red currant
Color: Royal purple, blackberry red
Consistency: Round hills and fat legs
Taste: Pepper and green olives
Cost: $NZ From the cellar
Quality rating: 8
Final words: Deceptively pure and simple perfection.

New Zealand Wine Review – Gibbston Valley, Gold River Chardonnay, 2012

Aroma: Mild, soapy umami
Color: dark lemon yellow, quite vibrant and clean
Consistency: jagged columns and even pattern but rough
Taste: fragrant nectarine, back of mouth smooth but fiery
Cost: $NZ17
Value rating: 7/10
Quality rating: 7/10
Final words: A good price and a pleasant wine that isn't too toasty like many Chardonnay

New Zealand Wine Review – Wooing Tree Beetlejuice, Central Otago, Pinot Noir, 2014

Aroma: Tobacco and savory herbs
Color: Vibrant and rich, tawny red
Consistency: Slow and sticky with a jagged rim
Taste: Front and back of mouth. Wasabi, cherry and leather.
Cost: $NZ 27
Quality rating: 6/10
Value rating 8/10
Final words: A perfect match for red meat. Soft and sassy. A single-vineyard wine from Cromwell named for the endangered Cromwell Chafer beetle.