William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

New Zealand Wine Puts a Smile on my Face My friends know I am a huge fan of New Zealand wine. In 2012 I became a little obsessed and created a New Zealand wine blog with my friend Julie. We called it " Kiwi Daydreaming " because we could not stop daydreaming about New Zealand wine. Today, I am sharing my thoughts on three Marlborough, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc wines. Each wine is distinct. Each is delicious in its own way. If you know me, you know that I cannot review any wine without including wine and food pairings. Those are included as well! About Appellation Marlborough Wine: Appellation Marlborough Wine™ was established in 2018 with a strict certification process that the region’s producers are able to apply for. AMW is trademarked in all key global wine markets and it is the legal recognition that sets it apart from other new world certification practices. Wines bearing the Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) quality mark provide consumers the following guarantees: O...

My second experience with Loveblock Pinot Noir. Above the snow capped mountains of Central Otago, on the Bendigo Loop Road, lies a small Pinot Noir vineyard named " Someone's Darling. " Loveblock farms and grows these grapes in accordance with Organic Certification standards, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand principles and low chemical intervention. Kim and Erica Crawford founded Loveblock wines . They tend to go by their first names when promoting Loveblock to avoid confusion with the well known company they sold and are no longer involved with - Kim Crawford. Loveblock is their return to the New Zealand wine industry. Erica is the founder and CEO and her husband Kim is the winemaker. Riedel stemware to properly show this New Zealand Pinot Noir. Tasting Notes Color : Medium ruby. Nose : Medium minus intensity, red fruit, sour, earthy, raspberry, smoke. Palate : Medium intensity, very dry, medium plus tannin, medium body, smokiness, dried raspberries...

One of my favorite white wines. We had snow today. And the wind is bitter cold. On cold, dreary winter days, when those sad, heavy blues try to keep you feeling down, I like to reach for a taste from the southern hemisphere. What I fondly think of as liquid sunshine. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. This wine lifts my mood, and always puts a smile on my face. Note : I used my favorite Schott Zweisel wine glass  when I evaluated this wine. This wine glass was designed for Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris. It shows the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc beautifully. Strongly Recommended. Tasting Notes 2015 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Color:  Clear, clean, lemon-green. Nose: Medium intensity, tropical, ripe mango, kiwi, savory grassy note. Palate: Crisp, dry, lemon-lime, salinity, tropical, passion fruit, mango, on the finish salty-lime. Yum. Where is the shrimp? Thoughts : New Zealand rocks the Sauvignon Blanc. They just do. I’m not sure ho...

Snooth Virtual Tasting of Villa Maria, New Zealand wines. "The origin for Villa Maria came about from George (the founder) choosing “ Villa ” as a common name for a house in New Zealand and “ Maria ” a popular name from Croatia (where George's family is from)." Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to taste six wines from Villa Maria winery in New Zealand. I tasted live, via video, with Villa Maria winemaker Helen Morrison, hosted by snooth media co-founder Mark Angelillo, along with numerous wine media friends. This tasting was particularly interesting because some of the wines we tasted are just being introduced to the US market. We sampled a key part of the Villa Maria portfolio. Impressive wines. Winemaker Helen Morrison Winemaker Helen Morrison was engaging, her passion for winemaking obvious. She seems an evident reason the wines showed so beautifully. Her intensity made me curious about wine trends in New Zealand. I asked, regarding wine preferenc...

Are you New Zealand wine experienced?  There is a reason I became of fan of New Zealand wine. New Zealand Pinot Noir turned my head and grabbed my attention by its aspects of quality. Namely, the captivating complexity of aroma, flavor and unique expression of terroir. Yes, I have a soft spot for New Zealand Pinot Noir. In 2012 I started a New Zealand wine blog with Julie Crompe. We call it "Kiwi Daydreaming" which reflects our passion for New Zealand wine and a mutual desire (daydream) to travel New Zealand. Sadly, we don't receive many bottles of New Zealand wine to keep the blog very active. Until today! This time of year is associated with love and romance. What better way to celebrate the occasion than with a delicious bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir? Impressive at open and even better as it breathed, it was a sincere pleasure to review this lovely New Zealand wine from Loveblock Vintners Ltd . Above the snow capped mountains of Central Otago, on the ...

A lovely package full of wonderful items.  To my pleasure, I recently received a gift box with a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, two Schott Zwiesel Sauvignon Blanc wine glasses and six Wine Gems by RabLabs. I've included my tasting notes on the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and my thoughts on the wine glasses and Wine Gems. I always appreciate the gift of wine. "This wine sang." Kim Crawford has partnered with luxury home goods company ANNA New York by RabLabs to create the Kim Crawford Wine Gems by RabLabs – a stylish re-imagining of the "whiskey stone" for wine. Using the natural beauty of fluorite stone, when frozen these limited-edition wine gems are designed to keep a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc chilled for up to an hour without diluting the wine’s vibrant flavors. "Blending beauty and function, the Kim Crawford Wine Gems by RabLabs are a chic alternative to ice and transform an ordinary glass of wine into an extr...

Juli, thank you for the inspirational recommendation. Kia Ora! My New Zealand blogging partner, Juli Crompe of  Kiwi Daydreaming , is a fan of  Nobilo Wines  Sauvignon Blanc. You will always see a case of Nobilo wines in her home. Juli shared about the Nobilo Regional collection,  "...my wine of choice for any season, any day of the week." It is my pleasure this summer to confirm that Juli is correct. Nobilo makes wonderful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Both the Nobilo Regional Collection and their Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc will tingle your palate and toes. These are delicious, vibrant New Zealand wines. The Nobilo Regional Collection can often be found locally priced around $10. That's a win! If you want to take it up a notch, try the Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc. Nobilo Icon wines are rich, complex and full bodied, with excellent weight, structure and balance. Definitely raising the bar for Sauvignon Blanc. Bring some Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc ho...

This month Minstrel and Muse Wine Muse podcast visits New Zealand! Linda and I enjoyed a tremendous New Zealand wine tasting and two fun winemaker conversations. We began the October podcast with a long-distance call to Marlborough, New Zealand to speak with Hamish Clark , Senior Winemaker for Saint Clair Family Estate . Hamish shared with us why Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is so special and many details on growing grapes and making wine on the South Island. * Show Link :  Listen to the show . Our second winemaker conversation was with Katie Nelson , Winemaker for 'O' Wines in Washington State. Each purchase of 'O' wines helps fund scholarship to send young women to college through the 'O' Wines Opportunity for Success Scholarship program. Katie also spent 6 weeks working harvest in New Zealand this April. Of course we asked her about the experience of living, working and making wine in New Zealand. A fun and inspiring discussion. A featured 2...