April 19, 2024|In Drafts Parés Baltà: Scintillating Spanish New Wave Wines Mas Vino Por Favor! Is there no end to the energy and brilliance of Parés Baltà’s wines and the creativity of its female winemakers. Absolutely not! There seems to be an unspoken obsession with pure expressions of terroir that really sets this estate apart. Each and every one of the Parés Baltà wines is distinctive, expressive, and stunningly scrumptious; not to mention, that their entry level Cava is multi-award winning and about the best value Methode Traditionnelle on offer.  Obviously, we couldn’t hold ..read more

April 4, 2024|In Focus On, Wines A Tale of Two Rhônes Two Top Players in a Popular Category From the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhône River meanders through one of France’s most storied wine regions, the namesake Rhône Valley.  The region is noted as the homeland of both Syrah and Viognier, as well as other natives such as Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and perhaps most importantly, Dhall & Nash’s own Jean-Jacques Bourvis. The Rhône Valley is also renowned as a gastronomic destination within Europe, so to have a world class wine region right on their doorstep is ..read more

March 5, 2024In Focus On, Wines Pedigree, Power, Persistence…Perfection! How to Cellar Your Fine Wines Proudly, we offer plenty of killer fine wines here at D&N. Often, a lot of iconic wine is consumed when it’s, yes, delicious, but before it’s really gotten to strut its stuff. Which means that you should be cellaring these gems in the oh-so-right conditions to make that second of finally pulling the cork an absolute “Ahhhh” moment. We all want to age gracefully, and look our best, and wine is no exception! To this end, our founder Puneet Dhall and our D&N Account managers a ..read more

February 23, 2024|In New Releases, Winery Spotlight, Wines Completing the Family: Welcome Twenty Acres by Bogle Chardonnay Another Bogle Chardonnay for the D&N Stable Did anyone say “more Bogle!”? Probably everyone judging by its immense popularity! Bogle is a well-known and super established wine name for Americans, with most of their cases being sold domestically, but there’s a special something about it that us Kiwis just can’t seem to get enough of! ““New Zealand is our number one export market”, said Jody Bogle, director of public relations at Bogle Vineyards during a brief ..read more

February 2, 2024|In Winery Spotlight Johner Estate Presents ‘Lime Hill’ Nurturing the Wairarapa whenua with German precision and vision Karl Johner with son Patrick Johner Estate (pronounced, ‘Yo-ner’) has been a staple in the D&N portfolio for years – we’ve been lapping up their Pinot, Riesling & Chardonnay vintage after vintage and it’s on many a wine list around the country for good reason! So when they offered us an allocation of their premium range of ‘Lime Hill’ Wines, we jumped at the opportunity… Lime Hill The year is 2013, skinny jeans are peak fashion, the iPhone 5 ..read more

In News, Wines, Recipes & PairingsJanuary 10, 2024 Celebrating Champagne & French Fry Day Eight Top Notch Champagne Pairings and one Wildcard... Here in NZ, chips, or French fries, are a real national treasure. To celebrate, we’ve paired eight of our Champagnes (and one wildcard bubbly) up with their ultimate carby soulmates. Andre Clouet NV Grande Reserve Brut Blanc de Noirs + Curly Fries Winemaker Jean-François is sometimes described as having a flamboyant personality, dubbed by one guest as ‘a combination of winemaker and circus ringmaster,’ so it’s only fitting that his s ..read more

Cocktails & Recipies The Debutante By Martin Wood at Seven Dining in Christchurch Smokey, spicy, dark chocolate-dipped cherries in a glass. Ingredients 45ml 144 Islands Sweet Vermouth #2 30ml Wild Turkey Rye Whisky 10ml Campari 5ml Aged Single Malt Whisky (Ardbeg 10YO) Steps Stir the first three ingredients with ice and strain Float the single malt with a barspoon Serve in a chilled coup with a maraschino cherry or wedge of orange. “Smokey, spicy, dark chocolate-dipped cherries in a glass. This is the drink closest to my heart and the one I’d likely order multitudes ..read more

Cocktails & Recipies Orchard Quencher By Martin Wood at Seven Dining in Christchurch This is a great long drink where the hero really is the vermouth. Ingredients 45ml 144 Islands Dry Vermouth #1 20ml Fresh Apple Cordial (Recipe Below) 15ml Gin 10ml Fino Sherry 4 mint leaves Steps Build ingredients in a tall, chilled highball glass Add ice and top with soda Churn briefly and garnish with a mint sprig. Apple Cordial  Juice fresh green apples and weigh the resulting liquid after passing through a fine sieve or strainer. Add 35% white sugar (by weight) and 2% cit ..read more

Cocktails & Recipies The Harvard By Martin Wood at Seven Dining in Christchurch The ‘Harvard’ is a child cocktail of the Manhattan, and works wonderfully to showcase the rich flavours of this vermouth. Ingredients 20ml 144 Islands Sweet Vermouth #2 60ml V.S.O.P Cognac 5ml 1:1 Brown Sugar Syrup 1 Dash Angostura Bitters 1 Dash Raegan’s Orange Bitters Pinch of salt Steps Stir with ice and strain Serve in a chilled coup with a maraschino cherry or thin orange twist. The ‘Harvard’ is a child cocktail of the Manhattan, and works wonderfully to showcase the rich flavours o ..read more

Cocktails & Recipies Tangelo Sour By Ash Bartlett from Tobi in Ponsonby, Auckland This punchy delight has citrussy tang married beautifully with tasteful bitterness and a softly herbaceous lift from the addition of tarragon. Ingredients 45ml Tangelo & Tarragon Sherbet (Recipe below) 20ml 144 Islands No.1 Vermouth 20ml Blanco Tequila, 10ml Lime Steps Shake and serve in a Martini glass Garnish with an orange coin Tangelo & Tarragon Sherbet Combine the peels of 8 Tangelo with 100g sugar, and rest overnight. Next day, add 275ml fresh Tangelo juice, 2g citric ac ..read more