Tablelands Wines

Saturday, October 26th
4:30 - 7:00

This week we are going to focus our Saturday tasting on one specific winery.  Tablelands is one of our favorite New Zealand wineries, and one of its owners is a local Durhamite!  New Zealand wines have been one of our best selling categories since the first days of the store.  Over the past two decades, this tiny island nation has demonstrated that its winemaking ability extends well beyond excellent Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Noir has found an ideal climate here, as have grapes like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. The relatively cool weather of the South Island and the southern regions of the North Island provides the climate that these grapes require in order to develop the right acidity levels. Modern New Zealand wines have incredible depth and all the complexity of their Old World counterparts.  Magnus Riddiford's family had lived for generations in Wairarapa, northeast of Wellington on the southern tip of the North Island. It was here, among the flattened hilltops and gently rolling gullies of Martinborough, that the Riddiford ancestral home “Tablelands” was built. The countless meals and bottles of wine shared within the walls of Tablelands imbues that place with a sense of home that Magnus, along with business partner Simon Buck, want to convey with their wine.  Magnus will join us for the second half of Saturday's tasting, and we'll be joined for the full tasting by John May of Cellar Distributing.  Since the Tablelands offerings are just three wines, we've thrown in a lovely Sparkling wine from John's portfolio as a bonus tasting wine, and a great way to wake up the palate before diving into the delcious Tableland wines.

Pierre Brut Nature Mauzac
Blanquette de Limoux, France, 2016

Tablelands Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand, 2018

Tablelands Pinot Gris
Marlborough, New Zealand, 2017

Tablelands Pinot Noir
Marlborough, New Zealand, 2016