Winestate Magazine

Launched in 1978, Winestate is one of the world’s longest running wine magazines, featuring over 140 pages on all things vinous from around the globe. Winestate tastes and rates over 10,000 wines a year, making Winestate the leading authority on Australian and New Zealand wines.

editorial

briefs

nz briefs • what’s happening in the NZ wine scene

SPARKLINGS BUBBLING ALONG NICELY

GROUNDS FOR GROWTH

TAKE A CHANCE - MACAU’S A SURE BET

FUTURE FAVOURITES • OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA’S MAINSTREAM WINES AN EMERGING RANGE OF NEW VARIETALS IS TURNING HEADS AND STIMULATING PALATES.

WAR to WINE

brisbane grapevine

melbourne grapevine

hong kong grapevine

perth grapevine

adelaide grapevine

sydney grapevine

wine words • LEON HILL & TANYA BLAIR CO-FOUNDERS–ORGANIC HILL

WHAT’S IT WORTH? • WINESTATE’S AUCTION PRICE GUIDE

wine investment & collecting

RIESLING varietal tasting • An excellent result for this variety this time. It has often been said that put a glass of riesling in someone's hands without them knowing what it is and they will be impressed with its crisp lemon and lime flavours. It is a greatly underrated varietal that is loved by those in the know. The best are great now but can also age extremely well.

SAUVIGNON BLANC & BLENDS varietal tasting • This has been the defining “lunch wine” over the past ten years or so and continues to deliver with its punchy aromas and often herbaceous flavours. It is distinctive and punters know what they are going to get. Some very good examples here across a number of price brackets.

PINOT GRIS/PINOT GRIGIO varietal tasting • In some areas this is becoming the “new lunch wine”, whether pinot grigio (supposedly more lean and racy) or gris (supposedly more rich and full). Still lots of confusion but this doesn’t seem to matter with the drinkers. It seems the best option is to go low (in price) for simple and fresh wines or spend more to get wines with more complexity. The middle ground seems to be in a land of confusion.

EMERGING VARIETALS feature tasting • The inaugural Emerging Varietal Awards (EVAs) was a fantastic tasting where we let our hair down discovering new, largely unchartered (by us) gems. These included emerging varietals and re-emerging engagement with some we had neglected. It was a revelation to see how winemakers have embraced the weird and wonderful. A true investment both in monetary and physical terms to branch out into these unfamiliar territories viticulturally speaking. It should be applauded. The quality overall has jumped dramatically with wines moving from experimental afterthoughts to dedicated varietals requiring deliberation and effort. We saw a lot more attention to detail in the wines than in the past. Get your hands on some of these styles, they’re definitely worth a try.

SEMILLON & BLENDS varietal tasting • Of all the white varieties this is a varietal that performs best with age. It is amazing how an austere, apparently simple young acid white can develop into a complex world class wine with just a few year under its belt. A wine style that is largely underestimated – which is a shame as it can be truly great!

HOW WE JUDGE • Our tastings and published ratings are designed with one thing in mind: to provide a useful and genuine balanced guide on wines to our readers. In order to achieve this we follow certain procedures in an activity that is notoriously difficult! There are regular criticisms of wine shows and various scoring systems; here is how we approach our tastings.

travel briefs • HAWKE'S BAY

HAWKES BAY regional tasting • A remarkable tasting, that underlined the high overall standard of Hawke's Bay wine. New Zealand’s...