Whānau Mini-Fair
Inviting you to sip, savor and socialise with fellow wine lovers!
- Hawkshead
- 144 Islands
- Easthope Family Winegrowers
- Folium
- Grasshopper Rock
- Poppies
Doors open: 12:30 - 4:30pm
Free Entry & nibbles provided
RSVP required - please email Francis with the names and numbers of people attending (francis@dnfinewine.com)
Focus On: Strangely Perfect Pairing - When Wine Meets Fashion
Fashion and Wine. You’re wondering, what do these two things have in common and why would a fine wine company be writing about them together? Well, the commonality is a lot more than you can imagine! The words ‘trends’, ‘fads’ and ‘limited release’ are frequently used in the fashion industry but also, these expressions are extremely common in the wine industry too. Wine, just like any other consumer product and also particularly fashion, is subject to the fickle tides of trends.
“[It] seems like the new wine buying generation is looking for different things all the time. It’s not about the comfort of knowing, it’s about the excitement of experimenting.” – Ryan Arnold, Sommelier & Wine Director, McGuire Moorman Hospitality, Austin, Texas
In NZ Amanda Linnell the Editor from The Herald’s Viva magazine astutely noted that “there’s a playfulness and sense of joy in fashion right now that is wonderfully liberating” which closely parallels a similar focus in the wine world, especially amongst the new guard of winemakers having fun experimenting with pet-nats, natural wines, skin-contact wines, chillable reds and much more.
For decades already fashion and wine have been closely intertwined. The fashion elite loves to party at events fuelled by wine and fabulicious fizz, while wine companies love collaborating with a big-name designer. Think, Christian Lacroix with Chateau Sainte Roseline, Chanel with Domaine de I’lle and the Delevingne sisters with Della Vite Prosecco to name a few!
It’s a cool symbiotic relationship, a match made in heaven that inspires a sense of connoisseurship that lights up the collector in all of us.
Here at Dhall & Nash we want to have a bit of fun linking different styles of our wines to the personality of fashion creations. You’ve all probably enjoyed food and wine pairing at some flash restaurant degustation dinner or even at home with foodie friends – why not try a fashion-wine pairing?
Anything goes. Let’s have a blast…
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Nature Champagne (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Champagne, France):
Fashion Alter-Ego – Sophisticated. Luxurious. Elegant
Wine Essence – Champagne is champagne is champagne – nothing can quite compare! It is a liquid seduction and sings of sophistication. The Brut Nature is a brand-new cuvee for Maison Billecart, blended from 10 vintages (2006-15), with 48 months on lees. And by the way, it has ‘zero dosage’ which means NO added sugar! It is nuanced by the purity of a distinct and vibrant aromatic profile of orchard fruits, fresh citrus, and delicate pains au lait (milk breads). On the palate it is ample and harmonious, preserved by a deliciously chiselled mineral tension. A well balanced and nicely rounded sparkling sensation is further strengthened by appealing white fleshed stone fruits, lime, and almond cream.
Awarded 94/100 points by James Suckling, Wine Critic
La Marca Prosecco D.O.C. (Veneto, Italy):
Fashion Alter-Ego – Boho Chic
Wine Essence – The stylish ‘Tiffany-esque” aquamarine labels will look fabulous on any table making the perfect aperitif for all celebrations. Not that we are swayed by just a very cool label… but this is classy Prosecco! Bursting with appealing fruit characters; apple, white peach, and honeysuckle aromas, with tart green apples and ripened limes offering a clean finish.
Awarded 95/100 points by Sommelier Challenge
2019 Folium Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand):
Fashion Alter-Ego – Preppy & perky
Wine Essence – With a Japanese owner and winemaker, Folium wines are the epitome of fastidious artisanal winemaking. This is a crisp yet textured example of Sauvignon Blanc with a lemony core and some riper white peach and pear notes, as well as a touch of grapefruit and some green notes on the finish. There’s ripeness here, as well as good concentration. Crystalline and stylish with nice intensity.
Awarded 90/100 points by Wine Anorak
2018 Chateau Gassier '946' Rosé (Provence, France):
Fashion Alter-Ego – Romantic free spirit
Wine Essence – Voted best Provence wine two years in a row by Wine Enthusiast and Vinous Wine reviewers. It is named after the roadside cross that stands at 946 metres above sea level on the summit of Mont Sainte Victoire close to the winery in Provence. This is a top cuvée from Château Gassier from a selection of their best vineyard parcels. It is as serious as any rosé can get, rich and packed with red fruits as well as a light tannic structure. Its fruit though is beautifully in balance, ripe with raspberry and red-currant that are shot through with lemon acidity. This is an impressively structured dry rosé.
Awarded 94/100 points by Vinous
2020 Hawkshead Pinot Noir (Central Otago, New Zealand):
Fashion Alter-Ego – Soulfully sexy
Wine Essence – What’s not to love about voluptuous, sexy NZ pinot noirs. In particular this one from Hawkshead winery in Central O.
“It has a ripe, plump fleshy textured core of dark red berries led by fresh raspberry and cherry. There’s a tease of new oak with five-spice and clove. You’ll also find a savoury rugged Otago hillside layer adding complexity and mouthfeel. It has fine tannins and elevated acidity, fresh youthful, fine, and complex.” – Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Mindfood Review
Awarded 19/20 points by Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
In both the world of fashion and of wine, sometimes the catchphrase may as well be “the weirder the better” as sommeliers and fashionistas seem to relish proclaiming certain trends are the ‘hippest’ when the average consumer would take quite some time to embrace. Still, why not? The creatives are always there to spark our imaginations, our wardrobes, and of course, our palates. ☺
For orders please email us at orders@dnfinewine.com.
2020 Harvest Report: New Zealand
Speaking with various winemakers and vineyard owners, 2020 looks to be a vintage never to be forgotten given the global pandemic on our hands, but the potential quality of the wines is outstanding. By and large, this year’s growing season has been exceptional for most wine regions in NZ. One exception is Central Otago, where, until the last fortnight, has experienced their coldest growing season on record. There are concerns some fruit may not ripen in time before the leaves begin to fall off the vines. The last two weeks have settled in well for Otago, though, and it’s too early to get a read on the wines yet. My hunch would be that this cool, long, growing season could present a challenge that many of the talented winemakers of the region are up for and are accustomed to from time spent making great Pinot Noir in cooler regions across the globe.
On my last visit to the Hawke’s Bay towards the latter half of March, winemakers were taking a well-deserved break following a Chardonnay pick that began as early as the end of February and carried into most of March across various vineyard blocks, with Chardonnay fruit of fantastic quality. So while the Chardonnays are fermenting, many of the red varieties will be picked in April, a vintage of two halves in the Bay.
I had a quick word with some of the winemakers with Dhall & Nash – Takaki Okada from Folium Vineyard in Marlborough, who was thankful to even be allowed to be harvesting his fruit. He was picking his first parcel of Sauvignon Blanc this year.
“The 2020 vintage is one which we won’t forget for a long time, but at the same time want to forget if it is possible.”
– Takaki Okada, Folium Vineyards, Marlborough
Takahiro Koyama from Mountford Estate in Waipara is so happy with the wines thus far that he has guaranteed this vintage will be outstanding. It hasn’t been without its challenges though, as due to the current Covid-19 lock-down, their grape pickers were not available and it was all hands on deck to harvest the last 20% of their fruit, all by hand.
“Despite this being a really tough time for everybody in the world, the quality of the 2020 vintage wine will be superb. I can guarantee this.”
– Takahiro Koyama, Mountford Estate, Waipara
Dennis Marshall of Hawkshead Wines in Central Otago is feeling confident his bunches will ripen from the superb weather of late, especially so as the vines age, they appear not to be so susceptible to climate variations.
“We are looking forward to another vintage season!”
– Denis Marshall, Hawkshead Wines, Central Otago
– Brandon
Hawkshead: A Nod to Nature
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of an imported wine, from distant lands, crafted on exotic vineyards overlooking idyllic old-world settings. And rightly so! But in saying that, it’s all too easy to forget what you have in your own backyard. We’re all a little guilty of taking our homeland for granted - and what we have here in our backyard, kiwis, are some real gems.
We would like to take the time to shine a light on one of our New Zealand gems - Hawkshead. Dhall & Nash and Hawkshead go way back. We’ve been working with this fine Central Otago producer for several years and are consistently impressed with the wines year in, year out.
Hawkshead came to be when in 1995, Denis Marshall bought a plot of land in the Gibbston Valley after forging himself a long and successful career in politics, specialising in horticulture and conservation. In 2001 the first Pinot Noir vines were planted, quickly followed with more plantings in 2003. Two years later, he and his equally passionate partner, Ulrike, established the Hawkshead Vineyard Partnership. The focus is on careful land use and soil management, with minimum interference with nature.
Everything about the Hawkshead winery is a nod to nature, from the philosophy behind the viticulture to the meaning behind its name and labels. In 1841, Denis’ ancestor, naturalist William Swainson, settled in New Zealand and named his first home “Hawkshead”. His books, illustrations and folios of beautiful birds and tropical shells are still enjoyed and admired by natural history collectors around the world, and so it was only fitting to choose the name of William Swainson’s colonial home and the original drawing of it as the Hawkshead wine label.
Dhall & Nash Staff Visits
Over the past year, we’ve been sending our staff down to visit with Denis, Ulrike and the winery dogs to help them understand just what makes Hawkshead wines so beautiful…
Michael tells us a little bit about his trip down to the winery in October, 2018:
"A short drive up the Gibbston Valley takes us to a beautiful home where Denis and his wife Ulrike reside. They say the house was designed more around the furniture and kitchen than anything else and it’s filled with the most ornate old wooden cabinets each loaded with gleaming silver and crystal. We have a look at some current and back vintages of their Estate, Gibbston, and Bannockburn Pinots as well as a little look at the Riesling and Rosé."
2014 Hawkshead Riesling: Slight reduction. Green apple skin, beeswax and lanolin only just starting to show. Balance of complexity between age and fruit characters is excellent. Off-dry (10g/L) with a medium acidity bringing freshness and wonderful clean finish to the wine. - Michael
Showing light kerosene notes, mild reduction, waxy, powdery, lemon and lime. Much rounder mouthfeel now. Spicy, limey acidity, grapefruit again, with a sweeter final impression. 16/20 - Brandon
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2015 Hawkshead First Vines Pinot Noir (Gibbston Valley): Dennis explained this home vineyard was planted as much with a crowbar as a shovel due to the top soil being so shallow and large stones (Schist) littering the land.
Bright ruby in colour. The wine is just finding balance between its intense fruity aromas and the 2 years bottle age brings just a touch of savoury. A wine for both drinking and cellaring. Fresh plum, rhubarb and cherry with lovely fresh mushroom on the palate with ripe, powdery tannins. - Michael
Beetroot, roasted veges reduction to start. Leather, cherry, mint, sweet pea, effortless, natural tannin, with elegance, seeing the schist, spicy, berry, lifted, rhubarb and strawberry fruit characters. Compelling. 17/20 - Brandon
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2017 Hawkshead Estate Pinot Noir: Medium + intensity of aromas, sweet spicy cinnamon and abundant fresh black plum, black cherry and violet florals. The tannins are soft and inviting. Pleasing savoury complexity rounds out the palate for a very well-balanced wine. - Michael
High sulphides, sweet, silky, slightly clipped at this stage. 2017 was a challenging vintage, small crop due to frost, the wine shows a higher acid profile, some perfume, light game and spice notes. 15/20 - Brandon
"Following the reduction (sulphides) we had been finding, a short conversation ensued around screw caps 100% seal on wine. Where by free sulfur without access to oxygen ingress through a cork would be more likely to bind with other available elements including hydrogen, to create hydrogen sulphide. This means the winemaker must be so much more careful of the free sulfur and potential for reduction when it comes to bottling."
Next up was a visit from Tori, Matt and Owen who enjoyed a tour around the vineyard, lunch at the Bannockburn Hotel and, of course, some wine tasting.
Hawkshead Vintage Report - 2016
We are celebrating; and delighted to report that the 2016 vintage year was one the best we have ever experienced in Gibbston; valley of the vines in Central Otago. That is good news as we celebrate our 10th vintage. Spring arrived with the usual frosts but they were not severe and did not damage precious tender buds so we were off to an excellent start. The next critical period was flowering and fruit set which for us occurs over the Christmas/New Year period. We had constant good weather during this period and there were no serve weather events to affect the fruit set. The mercury hit 33 deg on Dec 27th.
This year the gods smiled and we avoided the equinoxial westerlies that so often batter the vines and can affect flowering and fruit-set. Unfortunately these strong winds blew in the Cromwell area this year and had quite an effect on crops in the Cromwell basin.
For once we had no summer frost. You may think it impossible in this alpine environment, but we recorded no frosts in December, January, and February. We don’t ever get them in February, but often do December and sometimes even in January. This year we recorded our best growing degree days ever.
To grow good fruit we also need moisture and although we have irrigation, natural rainfall seemed to arrive just when things were getting excessively dry, which was very welcome.
For once the elements were working with us and not against us, and with careful vine management of leaf-plucking and monitoring for disease, the crop ripened evenly, and with good weather we were not pressed for time over harvest. In fact we could even hang the grapes out a little longer to accumulate flavours. So with mild autumn weather we were able to complete harvest at the same time of year as usual but with a heavier crop in excellent condition.
Denis Marshall - Vigneron