Pegusas Bay Riesling 2009

It is part of the folk lore of wine that old vines make the best wine, and PEGASUS BAY RIESLING 2009 is as good an example of the adage as can be found in New Zealand. It comes from the open plains of Amberley, north of Christchurch, from a vineyard planted about 30 years ago by Christchurch GP, Doctor Ivan Donaldson and his family. It is bright, luminescent wine of fine  pale gold colour, with a lively honeyed aroma; a persistent element that enlivens the wine. Fresh acidity gives the wine structure, definition, and intensity of flavour. It is delicate and Germanic in style, with a robust constitution. It is sophisticated, and has established itself as prominently successful in a field that has been possibly over shadowed by the success of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Riesling of the poise of this wine deserves notice as a New Zealand classic. It was enjoyed in the Lounge bar of De Bretts Hotel in High Street Auckland on a crisp, sunny Saturday afternoon in July.

The bar itself is worthy of comment. Its roof is plate glass, and on the afternoon we were there the sun streamed in, warming the space, and lighting up the view of the Gollum City- like Metropolis Tower block. The bar is a rectangle filling the space between two adjoining buildings, and is furnished a bit like an English sea side hotel in its colours and textures, and discreet clutter. In a sunny corner there is a rococo statue of a brightly painted mannequin boy on a pedestal. The ambience is serenely comfortable. 


Wine Note by Tim Harris

8 August 2012