Hired Belly’s Bucket List: 30+ Kiwi Wines You Won’t Want to Spit

30+ Kiwi wines you won’t want to spit

Woollaston Cellars, Nelson, neon art - Tim Pawsey photo

Wine tastings can be a gruelling affair—especially when there are several hundred wines in the room. Spitting is a necessity—though not always easy. In November we visited almost all of the wineries who’ve come to Vancouver and were impressed above all by the consistency and quality from New Zealand’s contrasting regions.

Here’s 30 plus Kiwi wines at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival you’ll be very tempted to swallow…

Allan Scott Chard 08

Astrolabe Pinot Gris 08

Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 09

Babich Winemaker Res Gimblett Syrah 07

Chard Farm / Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir 08

Cross Roads Hawkes Bay Gewurz

Elephant Hill Viognier 08

Flying Kiwi Sauv Blanc 09

Gibbston Highgate Heartbreaker Chard 08

Gladstone Vineyard Pinot Noir 08

Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 08

Man O War Merlot Cab 08

Matua Paratei Sauv Blanc 08

Mount Riley Savee

Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 09

Nautilus Pinot Noir 09

Ngatawara Silks Syrah 07

Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir 06

O-Tu Sauv Blanc 09

Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée

Paddy Borthwick Pinot Noir 08

Paritua Sauv Blanc 08

Sacred Hill Rifleman’s Chard 07

Spy Valley Riesling 08

Staete Landt Estate Sauv Blanc 08

Stoneleigh Rapaura Sauv Blanc 09

Two Paddocks C. Otago Pinot Noir 08

Vinoptima Gewurz.

Villa Maria Sauv Blanc 09

Waitiri Creek Pinot Noir 07

Winegrowers of Ara Composite Pinot Noir 08

Wither Hills Shepherds Ridge Pinot Noir 07

Woollaston Estate Pinot Noir 08

Yealands Seaview Riesling 09

About the Author: Tim Pawsey

Tim has been covering the food and wine revolution for about 20 kilos. Count 15 kg alone thanks to the blossoming cuisine and wine culture of British Columbia, Canada. His awards include: BC Restaurant Assn. Hall of Fame, Okanagan Wine Festivals Harry McWatters Founder's Award, BC Wine Growers Industry Recognition Award, Vancouver International Wine Festival Spirited Industry Professional award. Tim’s hallmark is seeking out and recommending value wines from BC and around the world that offer quality at every level. He also scopes out noteworthy restaurants that live up to their promises—and often over deliver. For several decades Tim wrote columns in the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. He currently contributes to several magazines, including BCLS Taste, Vitis and others. Tim is a frequent judge for wine competitions and was a founding judge of The BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine. He is frequently invited to judge at The BC Wine Awards, and others. Tim has traveled to taste in many of the world’s leading wine regions, across Europe, in North America, Argentina and Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa.