PHIL PARKER: WHOSE WINE IS IT ANYWAY?
Mothers’ Ruin - the revival of gin Gin has had many incarnations over hundreds of years - from the cheap and nasty opiate of 17th Century masses to the boutique, hipster thirst-quencher of millennials. Gin is basically pure distilled ethanol white spirit with added botanical flavour compounds. The compounds are derived predominately from juniper berries but also a number of additives including angelica, hops, coriander, lime, lemon, orange, liquorice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, bitter almond, cucumber and cloves. Here’s a selection of very fine New Zealand-made gins. Black Robin Rare Gin, 750ml, 43% alcohol - $69.99 With native horopito and juniper in the mix of 11 botanicals, Black Robin is named for the endangered Chatham Islands Black Robin. A portion of the profits are donated to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. Aromas and flavours of juniper, lemon squash and bitter almond, with a hint of cloves. Opens up in the mouth soft and sweet with a nudge of liquorice. Matakana Moonshine, 700ml, 37.2% alcohol - $36.70 Much softer than the Black Robin at 5.8% less ABV. Soft and subtle with stem ginger, gardenia florals and sandalwood. Produced by In The Bush Ltd., they scooped a Bronze Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
cinnamon and clove, opening out on the palate with soft integrated flavours of cake spices and candied orange peel. Broken Heart Gin, 700ml, 40% alcohol - $64.99 Another one from the deep south - this time Queenstown. Uses glacial water from Queenstown. The brand reflects the relationship between the two German master distillers who launched the brand. Joerg was a pilot and Bernd an engineer. Sadly, Bernd died after battling illness and Joerg’s gin is a testament to their friendship. Nose of juniper, lime and cumin. With soft and spicy flavours of orange and lime. (PHIL PARKER) For availability - I highly recommend www.wine-searcher.com Phil Parker is a wine writer and operates Fine Wine & Food Tours in Auckland. See: www.finewinetours.co.nz Phil’s new cellar door book ‘NZ Wine Regions - A Visitor’s Guide’ is now available on Amazon Kindle.
Light House Batch Distilled Gin, 750ml, 42% alcohol - $79.99 Perfumed on the nose with sweet lime, pomander and cloves. Soft and smooth palate with orange zest, Turkish delight and angelica. Source Pure Cardrona Gin, 750ml, 47% alcohol - $79.99 All the way from the deep south, with classy packaging in a nice oblong bottle. Batch distilled eight times over copper pot and column stills. They include botanicals of juniper, coriander, angelica, lemon and orange zest, plus rose hip. One the nose, it’s assertive with coriander and juniper and a hint of pine resin. Flavours of marshmallow, plus all of the above botanicals. Rogue Society Premium Dry Gin, 700ml, 42.2% alcohol - $79.99 Very classy packaging in a tall, black bottle with a silver badge. Aromas of juniper, lemon zest, liquorice, ripe orange and talcum. The palate is citrus dominant with orange zest, florals and lychee tropical fruit. Vaione Premium Pacific Gin, 1 litre, 40.2% alcohol - $74.99 Pacifica style branding with fern leaves and tapa cloth images. Lime and orange dominate the palate. On the nose, there are cinnamon and clove aromas. In the mouth it’s very soft and integrated with flavours of cake spices and orange zest. Karven Dry Gin, 700ml, 40.8% alcohol - $74.99 Made by Puhoi-based Ukrainian expat Alex Kirichuk, this gin has picked up three international awards. Its botanicals include manuka flower. On the nose it’s orange zest,
BEDFORD BALLERS SHAVE FOR A CURE Bedford Soda & Liquor has set up a 'Shave For A Cure' team: 10 of the bar’s male staff are to shave their heads for the Leukemia and Blood Cancer Foundation on 4 March. The ‘Ballers’ say, “The lads at Boar & Blade will be helping us out as we raise money for the ‘Shave for a Cure’. Please donate whatever you can to help the six Kiwis that are diagnosed with some form of blood cancer or related disease every day... every little bit counts.” F PN www.shaveforacure.co.nz
54 PONSONBY NEWS+ March 2017
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)