It was still raining when I visited Wither Hills. They have a restaurant near the tasting area and a very nice fire place. The hostess was very friendly. She served Sauvignon Blanc from different sites - one near the sea (tasted of bell-peppers) and the other just off the cellar door (tasted of Guava, hint of pineapple). And then I move onto the Pinot Noir. Tried the Y'08. Tasted of berries and cherries. Now they have magnums for sales - Y'05 and Y'07. Y'05 according to the hostess is one of the best year. At S$65 for a Magnum which is about the same price as that of a typical 750ml in Gibbston Valley, the choice is clear. No sample for Y'05 and Y'07, as the 750ml are sold out. I bought 3 magnums of Y'05 and x01 magnum of Y'07. The hostess was very kind to answer my query on which other vineyards to visit - Fromm and Framingham.
Fromm Winery - www.frommwinery.co.nz is just located next to the Airport. It has a very clean cut tasting area - typical of Swedish original. I started with the Dry Riesling Y'08. Hmm, refreshing and tastes of citrus and apples. Next onto the Spatlese. It gives me a "Wah" sensation. Refreshing, maybe the right one is "clean". I would have carted a dozen if not for my already full boot. So I made do with only 2 bottles. The hostess told me to check out the supplier in Singapore else I could always order on-line. I thought - "why not?". The rest of the higher end labels - Clayvin vineyard are not available for tasting. I tried the La Strada Syrah - smooth with taste of plum and hint of spice. This is a cool climate shiraz not those near tar like style from Australia.
Last stop - Framingham - www.framingham.co.nz. Framingham is known for their aromatics variety - Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The Select Riesling again is the Mosel style - low alcohol and good balance of acidity and sweetness. The Gewurztraminer smells of rose, taste of lychee. Amazingly fragrant. And the Pinot Noir - SOLD OUT! Yes, someone actually bought out all their Y'08 stocks - 1000+ bottles. And the hostess was kind enough to check the nearby supermarket and reserved the last 5 bottles for me. Indeed the service at this vineyard is outstanding. They actually allowed me to pool those wines that I purchased from Gibbston valley and Wither Hills and arranged the forwarder to pick up the wines. No wonder, one of the hostess was selected to meet the Queen and the cellar was often called the loyal cellar.
