Astrolabe Wine tasting at the Westbury
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
We love a great wine tasting, and even better if it involves going the Westbury hotel, (looking resplendent in its Christmas finery). It was freezing outside but the wines of Astrolabe transported us to warmer climes with their tropical aromas and fresh, pure fruit flavours!
Simon Waghorn, owner and winemaker of Astrolabe wines from Marlborough, New Zealand visited us on a whistle-stop European tour and kindly hosted a fantastic tasting of his range of wines with 120 of our Loyalty club members.
O’Briens have been importing exclusively from Astrolabe since 2002 and have seen the brand grow from strength to strength. Their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc won the trophy for Best Sauvignon at the London international wine challenge in 2008 and is a firm favourite with O’Briens customers as well as staff.
Simon was also travelling with his wife Jane and three daughters who have also launched their own wine label which we may see in stores next year. It was a pleasure to have them visit us and a great opportunity for our customers to meet the real people behind the label!
Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc 2008
The World’s Best Sauvignon Blanc as chosen by the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2008, intense and full-flavoured, packed with delicious ripe warmer fruits this has, for several years been New Zealand’s best!
Astrolabe Pinot Gris -2008 Think of this as one of the best Pinot Gris (Grigios) you can buy, absolutely bursting with intense peachy/pear fruit. Made by ace winemaker Simon Waghorn it is an incredibly good Gold Medal winning wine.
Astrolabe Riesling 2008Mouth-tingling on the palate with apricot, citrus and floral flavours this is an exciting compliment for the spicy foods of the Orient. Like all Simon’s wines this one is also on allocation and we can’t recommend it highly enough!
Astrolabe Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Finally the long awaited arrival of Astrolabe’s ultra-premium Sauvignon Blanc, we thought Simon Waghorn’s wines couldn’t get any better but this is a revelation!
Astrolabe Pinot Noir 2007Red fruit aromas, vanilla and toast haunted magnificently by the “Pinot” this rich, velvety red would have had the ‘Sideways’ team in ecstasy!
Keep an eye out for future tastings by signing up to our newsletter.
