Review: The New Zealand Cellar
Back in Australia, I never would have ventured out on a Thursday night but here in London, it’s slowly becoming a norm. Thursday’s outing this week consisted of attending the launch party for The New Zealand Cellar. This delightful little cellar initially started as an online store specialising in wines from all over New Zealand, however, with the help of a Kickstarter campaign now operates as a pop up wine bar and store. The New Zealand Cellar is housed in Pop Brixton and provides wine connoisseurs (or people like me who think they are) an opportunity to experience wines from numerous New Zealand Wineries.
After being welcomed by a glass of champagne, we ventured into the venue. The party was in full swing with a groovy band who did an awesome rendition of Blackstreet’s No Diggity that had the crowd busting a move or two. Given that we’d been invited to try some of New Zealand’s finest wines, it seemed amiss not to start with Amisfield Savignon Blanc. This wine is described as being ‘Complex, punchy, flinty, tropical fruit, full bodied and dry with pronounced acid length’. While I won’t pretend to know what that means, I will say it was lovely wine and I’ll be popping in to the store or even buying some online soon.
The second glass of wine of wine which we ended the night with was Snapper Rock Merlot Cabernet. This wine’s described as being ‘full of ripe strawberries, cherries and dark earthy notes. A long fine structure and a bright acidity flow through the palate and is finished with dark cinnamon spice and a touch of oak sweetness’. I swirled the wine around my glass and pretended to know what I was doing as I’m not a huge red wine drinker so I must have looked quite the fool to all the other wine aficionados at the party. This wine was also lovely, so Melanie, the owner and creator of New Zealand Cellar truly does pick the best of what New Zealand wine is on offer.
We left the partiers to continue celebrating into the early hours of the morning, but I know I will be back to attend a tasting session. I have lived in South Australia, (home of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Wine Region) my entire life and have had the good fortune to attend numerous tastings in different wine regions all over the world. Given this, living in London and having the chance to attend a tasting session of New Zealand’s best wines excites me to no end. Plus who can go wrong when the New Zealand Cellar will regularly host complimentary guided tastings. Also, with plenty of food from nearby venders to soak up the numerous glasses or bottles of wine on offer (as I’m sure you won’t be able to stop at one), add the New Zealand Cellar to your list of places to spend an evening or two.
The New Zealand Cellar
Pop Brixton
49 Brixton Station Road
SW9 8PQ
020 3662 700
Reporter: Tegan LeBon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenewzealandcellar
Twitter: @NZCellar
Instagram: nzwineuk
