Wine Sentience

20/09/2024

This week was the Selection Blinds for Sommit 2025. Orchestrated by Felicity, Madison and Tanji, Cameron Douglas MS and I considered 170+ wines. We tasted, retasted, discussed and presented our cases to each other on which sets of wines should be shown. It is both humbling and reassuring in equal measure when the identities of the wines are revealed after we have done our judging. Some changes have to be made, inevitably, to meet representation restrictions as we invariably end up selecting the same producer more than once when tasting blind!
The standout this year was the tasting on day 2 which showed the undeniable rise of our special cru sites like Wrekin, Clayvin, Two Terraces, Churton and others. The high level of quality across multiple producers and often different varieties highlighted just how good some of these vineyards have become. In the first day, it was also very reaffirming to witness the superb performance of Chardonnay from our more limestone-influenced sites.

23/08/2024

With Caitlin’s departure mid-August (to an exciting life in Burgundy) and me/Stephen - now the lone wolf - away in Germany and Hungary, Wine Sentience is on hiatus until mid-September when you’ll find me heading to Hawke’s Bay for the Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium and subsequently Canberra for the Intl. Riesling Challenge in early October. There are tasting plans, WSET and classes being developed for later this year and in between my trips, so don’t worry about the currently empty calendar. See you in Spring!

16/07/2024

Umber Ground Updates🔸2 weeks to go! -

Needless to say, with 2 weeks out until Umber Ground (well, 12 days, to be exact!) a predictable excited turbulence is stirring the air. We are busy planning out the room, collating tech notes from each of the producers, poring over menus, and, naturally, plotting a post-Umber Ground decompression ...

18/06/2024

A warm welcome to 🧡

Our move from the Hub earlier this year changed quite a few things about our approach to our events calendar (as many have noted 😅). In the gentler schedule, however, there has been more room to let bigger events evolve. And so, we introduce Umber Ground.

Umber Ground is an ode to orange wine; a festival putting skin fermented white wines up front and centre. It was born of conversations over the years about the evolution of these wines in our culture - wines simultaneously discussed as direct descendants of antiquity and the forefront of modern.

It is incredibly exciting to welcome such a vast array of wineries from across Aotearoa, as well as importers of global examples, to Wellington. The line-up spans region as well as philosophy. What binds the wines of Umber Ground together is simply the technique of fermenting white grapes on the skins. As in any other colour defined category, the choices extend far beyond one thing, so it is unsurprising how diverse these wines are.

More information will be rolling out in the coming days, so stay tuned 🧡🏺🥂🎉

13/05/2024

Very thankful to for hosting us for Burgundy Passport tonight as we explored the vineyards of the Côte Chalonnaise’s village and 1er Crus in light of changes to style in Burgundy and the influences of modernity, pricing and recent vintages of climate change. The space was beautiful, inspiring deep conversation and discussion across the room from enthusiasts, sommeliers, collectors and winemakers.

30/01/2024

On Monday, we held the last Burgundy Passport to be hosted on Vivian St. and it was fitting that the journey returned to Morgon, the Beaujolais Cru where the quality revolution (and the natural wine movement) began. With both horizontals and verticals of iconic natural wine producers, Lapierre, Thévenet, Jean Foillard and classicist Louis & Claude Desvignes; the thread of Morgon was clearly on display. Winemakers of and of summed it up best - driving energetic acidity with very mineral tannins yet not brutalist. Lance was very interested in the influence of manganese in the soils and the similarities that could have to Martinborough. Although nothing Brettanomyces and VA was clearly present in some wines, it only became problematic in one wine (and only to some in the room) - most importantly, both the youthful-looking 2017 Lapierre and the 2013 Jean Foillard Côte du Py were in excellent shape. The 2013 was so deliciously at ease in its skin - proving how age-worthy these can be.

13/12/2023

12 years ago, Sylvaine and Stephen started working together at what was then the most comprehensive wine cellar in Wellington, Arbitrageur Wine Bar. From there the pair continued their work at Ancestral, then Whitebait and Charley Noble before Sylvaine took on the daunting task of helping Wellington restaurants make sense of Maison Vauron’s immense French portfolio. It was therefore bittersweet, at the start of December, that we bid her farewell, at least for now, from the Wine Sentience co-op. She is taking her talents to Government House. Her distinctly Gallic flair, humour and standard of care (from years of training as a sommeliere at some of the UK’s top fine dining icons) will be greatly missed. Until we meet again, Sylvaine, in this mad mad world of wine - a bientôt!

08/12/2023

We have been very fortunate to partner with Kierdorfwein on a series of masterclasses drawn from their cellars in Germany. A fitting end to a year with many collaborations and attempts to create community in our small corner of the globe, amidst what seems to be an increasingly fractured world. There are still things which bring people together, ways to partake in a shared experience with others. One last one this coming Monday, marks the end of our public classes for the year. With big and scary changes coming our way for 2024, we are thankful for everything we have had this year and these small moments of authenticity, togetherness and community. 🙏🥰

20/11/2023

A fantastic set of releases from - a Chardonnay and Pinot each from the Weka(?) Vineyard near Motueka and from the home vineyard at Unkel near Mapua. Very different expressions but each carefully madr to express vibrancy and purity. Such fantastic acids in the Chardonnays; Zephyr being tighter and sleeker whilst Echoes has power and weight sitting above the burst of tang. The Rising Pinot has only 6 days maceration, all about perfume with herbal notes and a light, almost crisp palate. The Shadow is a sleek, velvety wine with a soft dark spicy fruit and a seriousness of character that is at once mysterious and enticing. ‘Grown-up’ renditions of minimal intervention wine and a very welcome addition to the New Wave fine wine space!

12/10/2023

Turning over a new leaf on Garnacha -

It has been awile since we last centered a class around a single grape variety. In those previous instances, we shone light on varieties that in spite fashionibility, are still considered smaller plantings; Chenin Blanc and Gamay for example. This time, however, we are focusing on a grape that has...

06/10/2023

Grenache! Garnacha! Garnatxa! (Or, of course, if asking a Sardinian, Cannonau). It has been quite some time since we last ran a class focused on a single grape variety, and this will be the first occasion of centring a variety that covers such vast swaths of land (though hardly the amount it once did - at the end of the 20th century, Grenache was the second most widely planted variety in the world). Because it’s affinity for long ripening in warm climes, the wines most often associated with Grenache are BIG; spicy mouth-filling reds of the Southern Rhône, intense powerful wines of Catalonia, sweet-fruited Australian reds, or soft full-bodied wines of California. Those wines still very much exist, but so too do a new cache of Grenache based wines that are leaning into facets of the variety that are less obviously bold. From Australia, where once it was the most widely planted grape, there are now a myriad of new-wave wines that eschew heft and sweetness in favor of freshness and delicacy. In Spain, Priorat is no longer the only region seekers of quality Garnacha are looking. Instead, they are finding full yet bright and charismatic wines in the Sierra de Gredos or the windswept, savory iterations from Terra Alta.
The 3 wines pictured are emblematic of the line up of our Grenache class on Monday, October 16; new approaches to pick-times, winemaking influences, and natural winemaking. In addition, we also have wines from South Africa, California, and realllly old vines in Australia. More on those later 🍇✌️
         

22/09/2023

Monday 2nd October, after taking a month off to focus on Austrian wine, we return to Burgundy but with a new more lighthearted format which gives our Burgundy lovers a chance to really test their assumptions and to give blind tasting athletes a serious lineup of great wines to hone their skills. There will be both whites and reds, showcasing some truly iconic and classic wines alongside more surprising and challenging ones to identify. Vintage, origin, maturity, quality level and if you’re so inclined even producer can be discerned in this delicious and deliciously intriguing set of Burgundies. There are a few seats left if you have ever wanted to pit your tasting skills against a set of nine fine Burgundies. Link in bio for more information and to book.