Te Whare Ra New Release Wine Tasting. London.
The jolly folks at Hallowed Ground, hosted by company director Elodie Cameron, put on a small tasting today at the Bistro du Vin in Soho, London.
For our tasting pleasure were the new vintages from New Zealands Te Whare Ra range plus a bonus wine from Australia’s Hunter Valley, Tower Estate Shiraz.
To those of you who have yet to discover the viticultural delights from Hallowed Ground, here’s a brief introduction.
Hallowed Ground was set up by Amelia Jukes and Elodie Cameron earlier on this year. They offer exclusive membership for premium, boutique Australian and New Zealand producers.
Their current folio is as –
From Australia
From New Zealand
Now, for the wines. We had three whites and three reds available.
TWR Riesling D 2011.
Good wine all round. Clean, fresh nose. Lemon citrus, grapefruit on the palate. Crisp, clean, good acidity.
TWR Toru 2010.
Unusual blend but works really well. 70% Gewürztraminer, 21% Riesling, 9% Pinot Gris. Dry with some spice, clove. As the fruit diminishes a brief freshness passes over the palate followed by a good rich after taste. Great wine and pretty much favoured by all who tasted.
TWR Gewürztraminer 2010.
On the nose there is a sense of residual sugar. Not sweet but an off dry aroma with some raisin and tropical notes. Good spice, white pepper and subtle, rich fruit on the palate with really good length.
And the reds
TWR Pinot Noir 2010.
Lovely soft red fruits on the nose. Dry with good acidity, some minerality, a smidgen of spice and dark, bitter cherry. Really good Pinot.
TWR Syrah 2009.
Nose in and there is good concentration of red fruits and cassis straight down your nasal passage with some pepper at the side. Here’s the pleasant surprise, the palate. Not a heavy Syrah. Good soft red fruit still with some spice but not overpowering. Good tannins too. Very good.
The bonus wine.
Tower Estate Shiraz 2009. Hunter Valley.
A wine of two halves. The nose suggests what I would think for a warm region Shiraz. Good, full red fruits but the palate, a bit similar to the last shows some easy, elegant fruit with soft tannins and a relatively short length.
In conclusion all these wines were great.
The ladies at Hallowed Ground have found some exceptional wines, a few of which I sell, well, more than a few, but I digress. They follow a system close to my heart which is to find the alternatives. There are a ton of boutique wineries out there looking for a foothold in the UK. Amelia and Elodie have found some. This is just the beginning for them and I’m really looking forward to tasting their future discoveries.
Good work chaps.
For further info on Hallowed Ground and their wines pay a visit to
If you’re around the Battersea area then pop into my store.
North and South Wines LTD
63 Broomwood Rd
Battersea
London
SW11 6HU
0207-228-2431
The Oenophiliac 