Jonathan Ray Jonathan Ray

‘Every bottle was drained dry’: delicious autumn offers from Corney & Barrow

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issue 18 November 2023

Clearly, it was a mistake to taste the wines Corney & Barrow sent for this offer on the same night as Mrs Ray’s book club. We squabbled for space and then squabbled for wine, and while every one of the dozen or so bottles was drained dry, the books weren’t even opened. My wife says I’m an infuriating idiot but her friends seemed to like me. It was indeed a chaotic evening, but happily everyone agreed on the top six wines, with 1 and 4 getting the loudest cheers from my impromptu tasting panel.

The 2022 Eradus ‘Ana’ Sauvignon Blanc (1) is classic Kiwi Savvy Blanc from the delightful Michiel Eradus, who hosted a memorable Spectator Winemaker Lunch a while back. Named after his daughter, it’s made with fruit from the Awatere Valley, Marlborough, where warm days and cool nights lead to an exhilarating freshness and keen acidity. With plenty of lively tropical fruit and a dry finish it’s spot on, especially at this price.

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