“Clearly the 1855 Classification is no longer accurate in both the quality of the wines nor the prices they reach, but at the same time it is not wholly irrelevant. It is Black Rod hammering on the closed door of the Commons to call Parliament to hear the King’s speech. It is Bordeaux’s grade 1 listed building and may not and should not be demolished, extended or altered in any way. The soils and climate create the terroir of the Médoc, but the 1855 Classification is the intangible soul of the region. With it they captured lightning in a bottle, propelling it to the forefront of fine wine all those years ago and sustaining it ever since, holding a fascination that can border on the tribal with customers.”

On the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux

“On its Atlantic side, sandwiched between the pine forests that run along the west coast and the estuary, lies the Médoc. It is an unassuming landscape: an 80km long strip of low-lying marshland reclaimed from the estuary in the 17th century. It forms a mosaic of gently undulating plateaux scored through by streams and shallow valleys. Here the grape is lord of all it surveys, a virtual sea of vineyards whose most remarkable feature are the Châteaux that rear up memorably into its skyline, each a hallowed cathedral to the vine.”

On the Médoc

“And the Zeppelin moniker? This is an old wine, vinified by the estate since the 1920s and in those early days it was proudly served on board the transatlantic flights of luxurious airships “Graf Zeppelin” and “Hindenburg”. This legacy is preserved on the label, a beautiful, evocative design commissioned from Bauhaus designer Hans Schlößer in the 1930s and still gloriously in use today. 

And the art on the label is reflected by the bottle’s contents. Green gold in the glass there is a joyous aspect to the wine’s compelling perfume, crammed with spring blossom, rich orchard fruit, tangy citrus characters, fresh herbs and a distinct slate minerality. The palate is shot through with energy, a deluge of vibrant fresh lemon, lime and green apple that is just beautifully pure and incredibly fresh, layered with spicey hints of white pepper and coriander seed, and a moreish mineral texture that leads you into a long, cleansing finish. Drink now and over 5-8 years and serve with caprese salad, seafood, green olives, creamy cheeses and charcuterie.”

On Max Ferd Richter Mülheimer Sonnenlay ‘Zeppelin’ Riesling 2022

“There has always been something magical about the vineyards of Chile. Nestled halfway between sea and mountain in the river-fed valleys that dot its long coastland they provide one of the most pristine climates for viticulture. Long sunshine hours and warm continental weather clash with the sea air chilled by the Humbolt current, tempering the heat with cool nights and banks of morning fog that roll across the vines. This slows the ripening and makes for fruit of exceptional vibrancy that, when crafted by the right hands, delivers superb wine.”

On Polkura Syrah

“The commercial history of English sparkling wine began in 1988, when Sandy and Stuart Moss planted their first vineyard near Pulborough in West Sussex and called it Nyetimber. What was different about this vineyard was the grape varieties: other attempts to produce wine on our Island had focused on lesser German varieties like Muller-Thurgau and Reichensteiner. But the Mosses had grander plans than making insipid still wines. They planted their vineyard with a mixture of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the noble grapes of the Champagne region, with an express intention to dedicate production to Champagne-style sparkling wines.

Their vision sparked a revolution. England’s northerly latitude and cool maritime climate is able to produce ideal vin clairs, the austere base wines used for secondary fermentation and addition of bubbles in Champagne. Fast forward to today and Nyetimber have been joined by a host of sparkling wines producers whose wines have grabbed the attention of the world and won plenty of awards along the way. It is no accident that interlopers from the Champagne region are eyeing our shores with envy and buying up new vineyards as we speak.”

On English sparkling wine

Doors have always been rich with symbolism. There is a natural dichotomy to them, at once an entrance when open and a barrier when shut. They are a liminal threshold, the embodiment of betwixt and between: moving from one reality to another, one state of being to a different one. They are an unoccupiable space in between, a portal that exists only for people to pass through.

A door not used anymore is a door that has changed its function, space and form from what it was originally intended. Now sealed, blocked, bricked up, locked up, painted over, overgrown and forgotten, rather than a passageway it is itself part of the wall.

A door-no-more. An un-door.

On doors not used anymore

There is a magic in Otago that cannot be denied. It lies on the same parallel in the southern hemisphere as Burgundy does in the north, the 45th, which perhaps begins to explain why Pinot Noir made a home here so readily. The air is clean, the sky seems to go on forever, the rivers are pure and a deep azzuri blue. Its summers days are sunny and hot and the nights cool, its winters cold and its mountains snow-covered. In Aotearoa’s narrow landmass the influence of the sea is never far away except for Central Otago, making it the country’s sole continental climate. It is protected from the predations of the weather systems that build on the Southern Ocean and strike at New Zealand’s south and west coasts by the Southern Alps that stretch along the west. Beyond them on the strip of land between sea and mountain the average rainfall is over 7 metres and is home to a temperate rainforest. In Central Otago it can range from as low as 300 millimetres but never more than 600, and it is classified as desert.

On Central Otago