Wine
Read expert wine writing and reviews from Master of Wine Bob Campbell. Widely regarded as New Zealand’s
top wine expert, Bob is one of only 394 people worldwide to earn the Master of Wine qualification. Awarded an ONZM in 2019 for services to the wine industry, Bob is a sought-after judge at national and international wine awards.
top wine expert, Bob is one of only 394 people worldwide to earn the Master of Wine qualification. Awarded an ONZM in 2019 for services to the wine industry, Bob is a sought-after judge at national and international wine awards.
The Life
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Red, white and true-blue - tasting notes on the Penfolds Collection 2020
The annual “Penfolds collection” tasting reminds me of Russia’s Victory Day Parade or perhaps Kim Jong-un’s annual show of strength in North Korea. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it” is the battle cry. Sadly, spoilsport covid-19 prevented my usual trip across the Tasman and the opport...
The Life
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Heard it through the grapevine - putting the cork in famous wine myths
There are two sorts of wine drinkers: the insecure and the very insecure. Because most of us don’t want to make a fool of ourselves, we are less likely to question wine wisdom when it is delivered by someone we regard as an expert. If I were to dream up a piece of wine wisdom and...
The Life
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More tea vicar? Taste testing the wine industry's New Age preservative
Anyone who has been drinking wine for 30 years or more will remember when organic wine was a curiosity made by hippies on 10-acre lifestyle blocks that you suspected might also conceal modest cannabis plantations. Now it is de rigueur for wine companies to have at least one organ...
The Life
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Tasting notes on the winners of the New World Wine Awards
I follow New World’s annual wine awards with great interest. Entries are limited to wines with a retail price of $25 or less. Popular varieties must have at least 4,000 bottles for sale, and for “emerging” varieties the minimum entry requirement is 1,800 bottles. It’s a simple pr...
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