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It’s all Adele this week in Auckland. They talk about the amount of money a cruise ship brings into the city but what a bonanza this week must be for hotels, motels, airlines, cafes, bars, restaurants etc. They have come from all over the country and after her first show last night the reviews, comments, photos etc. are all suggesting we should have been there. Fingers crossed that the weather is fine for the Saturday and Sunday shows.
We have our own “show” every Wednesday night and we introduced a small change in our line-up this week. We tasted 4 new Italian arrivals – different varieties from different regions, different price points and we had good feedback after the tasting.
The San Marzano Talo Primitivo Di Manduria 2014 is a very welcome addition to our range of Southern Italian wines and excellent value at $19.99.
We also tasted a brilliant wine from Sardinia, Montessu Isola dei Nuraghi 2014 – this is Sue Courtney’s review. “Vibrant blackberry hue. The lavish bouquet oozes sweet vanillin oak, red berries and a subtle nuance of mint but there’s a suggestion of game meat too. Quite savoury in the palate with cigar box-like oak and plump ripe plum and cherry fruit pushing through. An immediately impressive wine with supple tannins, juicy fruit and a mouth enveloping finish with touches of liquorice, it’s made from a blend of 60% Carignano and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. Absolutely worth trying this unique Sardinian offering from the producer of the legendary Super Tuscan Sassicaia.” $28.99.
Glance the label across the room and it’s remarkably similar to the famous Sassicaia.
We also announced the return of the “little red house”. It actually a big red winery but since we fell in love with the stunning Brancott “O” Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 we asked people to check that the “little red house” was on the label to ensure they were getting the correct batch of the wine. The 2016 vintage is now in store – read Sue’s review of this brand new arrival. “This oozes class from the outset. The bouquet is nutty and mealy with shortcake crust, brioche, gunsmoke and wild yeast scents and there is plenty of oomph and flavour in the palate that’s harmonious throughout. I get juicy ripe stonefruit, a touch of grapefruit zest, all those lovely nutty, mealy connotations, beautifully integrated creamy oak and a long, concentrated finish. Outrageously good and an excellent follow on from the Trophy winning 2015 edition.”
The wine is still quite youthful but everything is there to have this wine match its predecessor. Call in and taste the wine – you will be impressed. $19.99.
The new Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2015 ($21.99) is as good as any earlier vintage of this amazingly popular wine and the Three Bridges Durif 2015 was very well received. $19.99.
All the wines from this very interesting tasting are reviewed by Sue Courtney below.
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The “famous” First Glass Wine Options competition is back – after a year off due to the shop relocation.
Traditionally we have held the options in June but so many of our “people” head overseas in June & July we will hold this year’s competition on Sunday May 28th. We know this will not suit everyone – it never does, but hopefully it will suit most.
Teams of 4 persons - $200 total.
Numbers are limited and entry forms are available from First Glass.
1.30 pm start.
Note: Entries are often slow at being registered – and paid for. If we haven’t received entries for at least 10 teams by the end of April we will cancel the event and I will go and play golf instead.
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Brancott Letter Series 'O' Marlborough Chardonnay 2016
This oozes class from the outset. The bouquet is nutty and mealy with shortcake crust, brioche, gunsmoke and wild yeast scents and there is plenty of oomph and flavour in the palate that’s harmonious throughout. I get juicy ripe stonefruit, a touch of grapefruit zest, all those lovely nutty, mealy connotations, beautifully integrated creamy oak and a long, concentrated finish. Outrageously good and an excellent follow on from the Trophy winning 2015 edition.
First Glass Price: $19.99. |
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Kahurangi Mt Arthur Reserve Chardonnay 2015 - Nelson
A very well structured chardonnay with intense stone-fruit characters integrated with fig & butterscotch and a luscious silky finish..A great cellaring wine which will continue to develop over the next few years.
First Glass Price: $19.99. |
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San Marzano Talo Primitivo Di Manduria 2014 – Southern Italy
Saturated black red. Quite tarry and smoky on the nose with a touch of cedar and a sweet spicy allure. Concentrated and ripe in the palate with vanillin oak, sun-baked cherries and currants, sumptuous pillowy tannins, touches of tar and game that balance the fruit beautifully, and a little bit of grip revealing there is indeed structure to this generous, velvety wine.
First Glass Price: $19.99. |
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Beresford Bell Tower Shiraz 2013 - McLaren Vale
Rich and smooth, jam-packed with dark plums, mocha chocolate and spice. It's succulent and flavoursome, and offers terrific drinking at a great price. Gold Sydney International Wine Show 2016 and Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2015.
First Glass Price: $16.99. |
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Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2015 – South Australia
The colour is blackberry red. There’s chocolate dust on the nose and the taste is opulent and lush. It’s a big wine but the tannins are fine, the red and black fruits are juicy and ripe and there’s lots of mocha and pepper. There’s everything you expect in Barossa shiraz with a well balanced savoury undercurrent and glowing alcohol warmth to the lingering finish of chocolate coated berries. A little more forward than the previous vintage.
First Glass Price: $21.99. |
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Leefield Station Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Straw gold with a slightly sweaty nuance to pineapple / passionfruit / lime bouquet an the taste is pungent and full of tropical fruit, peach and tangy citrus flavours with a touch of capsicum and basil and a zesty feel to the party-in-the-mouth finish. Gold Air NZ Wine Awards. 5 stars Cuisine Magazine.
First Glass Price: $15.99. |
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We had no correct entries in last week’s Saturday Challenge. The wines were Chardonnay, Syrah and Merlot Cabernet.
In the Pick the Score the closest was Karen Lawton who wins a bottle of wine for her efforts. This week’s game is the Blues V the Bulls at Albany on Saturday night. Call in and put down a score – entry is free and you will win or share a case of fine wine if you can pick the correct full time score.
We had 4 winners in the special Big Wednesday promotion. Roger Bengtsson, Ray Webb, Neville Bradford and Madhu Parbhu.
Our 3 lucky email winners this week are:
- Pauline Moore
- Greg Shaw
- Peter Aitken
If your name is listed here you have won a bottle of wine. It’s here for you to collect – no hurry and your name is now in the big Xmas Eve prize draw. |
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Wednesday 29th March: Some stock take bargains plus we will be tasting the new Te Mata Coleraine 2015 ($115).
Wednesday 5th April: First Glass signature tasting. We will begin our 19th year with the 2 varieties that pay the bills – Chardonnay & Shiraz.
Wednesday 12th April: T.B.C. |
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Let Down
As a retailer we try our best to stock the best quality wines, the best value wines and provide advice and service as good as we can. We do our part and then you hope that orders that need to go by courier are handled in a professional way as well.
The liquor industry probably suffers more than most because of the products that the courier companies are entrusted with.
Once the case leaves our store we can do nothing but hope – hope it gets delivered safely and in the condition it left us.
Some of the issues are created by the customer in requesting home deliveries but having no one to accept them, or a place to safely leave them, or security gates etc.
But these are just a few examples of how we get let down
- 6 bottles going to Tauranga – it takes 10 days which included 4 days in the Palmerston North Depot
- 2 bottles going from Takapuna to Albany – taking 6 days – to a business address as well.
- 12 bottles to Epsom – just disappearing for 3 weeks then mysteriously delivered to the address
- 6 cases going to a business in Mangere. Two cases are “damaged” with 5 bottles apparently broken. We requested the unbroken bottles to be returned but were then informed that 10 bottles had label damage and should be claimed on. We asked for all the unbroken bottles to be returned – they were returned and were in almost perfect condition and have already been resold. Insurance companies should be asking more questions on some of these “damaged” deliveries.
We hear about the arrival of more "on line" business coming to N.Z. Currently our courier system would struggle to handle it. |
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First Glass March 22 2017
International Varieties and New Wednesday Wines
Notes by Sue Courtney
Wines were tasted blind
Crafters Union Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2016
The subtle yet fruity bouquet is evocative of stonefruit and vanilla poached pear and the taste is fresh and crisp with upfront crunchy apple and quince becoming softer and textural mid palate with a nutty savouriness, a zing of aromatic spices and tropical fruit brightening up the lingering finish. It seems to me just off dry and with its attractive packaging it is an all round crowd pleaser. 13% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $17.99.
Beach House Selection Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2015
The initial sense of orange blossom / orange sherbet on the nose is joined by a whisper of sweet nutty oak and it’s youthful and bright in the palate with a creamy butterscotch flow, touches of stonefruit and a roundness to the finish with there’s a lovely zing of citrus and more and more butter caramel emerging as the flavours linger. . But very attractive and appealing at this stage. 13% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $18.99.
Brancott Letter Series 'O' Marlborough Chardonnay 2016
This oozes class from the outset. The bouquet is nutty and mealy with shortcake crust, brioche, gunsmoke and wild yeast scents and there is plenty of oomph and flavour in the palate that’s harmonious throughout. I get juicy ripe stonefruit, a touch of grapefruit zest, all those lovely nutty, mealy connotations, beautifully integrated creamy oak and a long, concentrated finish. Outrageously good and an excellent follow on from the Trophy winning 2015 edition. 14% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $19.99.
Soho White Collection Marlborough Rose 2016
Crisp and fresh, with just a touch of blush to the hue, it has a pinot gris-like poached pear scent followed by light pinot noir-like strawberry fruit in the palate. A light playful, zingy, medium dry style very suitable for lunch or an aperitif. Gold NZIWS. 12.5% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $17.99.
San Marzano Talo Primitivo Di Manduria 2014 – Southern Italy
Saturated black red. Quite tarry and smoky on the nose with a touch of cedar and a sweet spicy allure. Concentrated and ripe in the palate with vanillin oak, sun-baked cherries and currants, sumptuous pillowy tannins, touches of tar and game that balance the fruit beautifully, and a little bit of grip revealing there is indeed structure to this generous, velvety wine. 14% alc. Cork. First Glass Price: $19.99.
Ruffino Modus IGT 2012 – Tuscany, Italy
Start to show a little bricking to the black red hue. Cedary / leathery on the nose. Earthy, savoury and firm in the palate that has an ‘old school’ rusticity with a slight oxidative note, a touch of brett, sappy oak, a suggestion of herb, and the fruit is heading towards prunes. A blend of 50%, Sangiovese, 25% Merlot and 25%, it’s made to go with food. Ruffino suggests bold dishes such as duck with olives and pancetta, beef-stuffed manicotti with Bolognese sauce, and aged cheeses including taleggio, pecorino and gouda. 13.5% alc. Cork. First Glass Price: $32.99.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico 2011 – Tuscany, Italy
There's translucency to the brick red hue. Dried redcurrants, cherries and drying out cow pats on the nose. Fine textured in the palate that's very dry and showing bottle age characters like tobacco, cigar box and leather with underlying game and herbs, lifted red fruits and orange acidity. There's a halo of velvety warmth and sweetness to the very persistent finish but with its age-worthy high acid and high tannins this blend of 80% Sangiovese with 20% Merlot and Cabernet definitely needs food. Ruffino suggests traditional Italian dishes such as pasta Bolognese, wild boar ragù, and eggplant Parmesan. 14.5% alc. Cork. First Glass Price: $38.99.
Montessu Isola dei Nuraghi 2014 – Sardinia
Vibrant blackberry hue. The lavish bouquet oozes sweet vanillin oak, red berries and a subtle nuance of mint but there’s a suggestion of game meat too. Quite savoury in the palate with cigar box-like oak and plump ripe plum and cherry fruit pushing through. An immediately impressive wine with supple tannins, juicy fruit and a mouth enveloping finish with touches of liquorice, it’s made from a blend of 60% Carignano and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. Absolutely worth trying this unique Sardinian offering from the producer of the legendary Super Tuscan Sassicaia. 14.5% alc. Cork. First Glass Price: $28.99.
Calabria Three Bridges Durif 2015 – NSW, Australia
Inky purple red with vibrancy and concentration. A big, dark, rich, sumptuous monster with pillowy tannins and mouthfilling sweet ripe fruit reminiscent of plums, blackberries and black cherries together with chocolate, vanillin oak, tar, spice, pepper and refreshing acidity lifting the finish. From the grapes known as Petit Sirah in California, this juicy wine is ready. 14.5% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $19.99.
Vasse Felix Filius Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2014 – Western Australia
It’s deep in colour with a savoury aura to the bouquet together blackcurrant, spicy cedar and a hint of mint. And it's definitely savoury on the more medium-bodied palate with vanillin oak, a gamey undercurrent and a hum of acidity in the background. The tannins initially make the wine seem quite dry then a juicy blackcurrant and plummy fruit sweetness surges through with fruitcake nuances to the smooth succulent finish. 14.5% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $21.99.
Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2015 – South Australia
The colour is blackberry red. There’s chocolate dust on the nose and the taste is opulent and lush. It’s a big wine but the tannins are fine, the red and black fruits are juicy and ripe and there’s lots of mocha and pepper. There’s everything you expect in Barossa shiraz with a well balanced savoury undercurrent and glowing alcohol warmth to the lingering finish of chocolate coated berries. A little more forward than the previous vintage. 14.5% alc. Screwcap. First Glass Price: $21.99.
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The Rancher’s Wife
A successful rancher died and left everything to his devoted wife.
She was a very good-looking woman, and determined to keep the ranch, but knew very little about ranching, so she decided to place an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand.
Two men applied for the job.
One was gay and the other a drunk. She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied, she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk.
He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching.
For weeks, the two of them worked, and the ranch was doing very well.
Then one day, the rancher’s widow said to the hired hand, “You have done a really good job and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels.”
The hired hand readily agreed and went into town one Saturday night.
However one o’clock came and he didn’t return. Two o’clock and no hired hand.
He returned around two-thirty and upon entering the room, he found the rancher’s widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine waiting for him.
She quietly called him over to her. “Unbutton my blouse and take it off,” she said. Trembling he did as she directed.
“Now take off my boots.” He did as she asked, ever so slowly.
“Now take off my socks.” He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots.
“Now take off my skirt.” He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.
“Now take off my bra.” Again with trembling hands he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor.
“Now,” she said, “take off my panties.” By the light of the fire, he slowly pulled them down and off.
Then she looked at him and said, “If you ever wear my clothes into town again, I’ll fire you on the spot.”
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