Being winter here in NZ I am always on the lookout for a good value red to go with heartier cold weather food.
'Point Chev' as it's known to locals is a peninsular suburb a handy 10 minutes from downtown Auckland City yet blessed with beach walks, wide largely quiet streets and a few good cafes. Not quite as expensive as Westemere, nor as terminally trendy as Ponsonby.
In the old days Pt. Chev was unfortunately associated with Carrington Hospital - a sprawling grim brick and tile Victorian era mental illness complex which now houses Auckland University of Technology. Point Chev still has its share of eccentrics, and the local shopping is a tad underwhelming - with $2 Shops and ethnic fast food outlets predominant.
Which is a very roundabout way of getting to the point that Countdown/Foodtown supermarket has feck-all of a decent wine section. All the reds get lumped into one aisle, whites on the other side and specials at the head of the aisle. The discerning wino would probably travel to Countdown Grey Lynn for a more eclectic wine selection (plus the chance to play Spot The Minor Celeb with TV folk, Creatives and Ac-Tors thick on the ground).
Yennyhoo - The Wine: Aromas of hot vineyards from Abbruzo's mountainous Adriatic coast. Ripe, acidic and fairly assertively tannic, this is a big wine - not really yer sipping vino before The News at Six, but something better reserved for a big and hearty casserole of beef or a steak. Ripe black cherry, black olive, and that astringent harshness that you get with a lot of Italian reds. To be honest, I don't know whether I like it that much.
As I get older, I have lost my love of stonking great reds like Aus Shiraz and Cabernet blends - and tend toward Pinot Noir as the red of choice. But that's just me.
Anyway, time for a gratuitous plug for my Auckland Wine & Food Tours ... Ciao !!
No comments:
Post a Comment