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Top Tastes is designed to help you find the best food and beverage venues and products; whether you want delicious fish chips, beautiful café food in a winery setting, finely crafted formal dining, food ideas, wine reviews or cocktail recipes this is your guide to the best New Zealand has to offer.
Top Tastes was created by Neil Hodgson and managed by him, he has invited other writers to contribute to the site, this means more regional information will be added as time goes by. You will find a range of opinions, reviews and recipes from people who know their stuff when it comes to food and beverage.
Only reviews written by this select group will be published on the site (you are welcome to leave comments of course) so you will be able to trust the review – no fake reviews, no ranting, just good information to help you choose great things to eat and drink as well as the best places to eat out.
THE LATEST REVIEWS
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-10-11 11:40:322023-10-16 11:55:51Anchorage Wines- Stripping back helps Motueka Winemakers and Growers strike gold
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-10-04 11:26:262023-10-16 11:40:17Heke Homemade HerbalsFEATURED ARTICLES
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-11-27 13:21:422023-11-27 13:21:42The Apple Shed Kitchen & Bar
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-10-11 11:40:322023-10-16 11:55:51Anchorage Wines- Stripping back helps Motueka Winemakers and Growers strike gold
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-10-04 11:26:262023-10-16 11:40:17Heke Homemade Herbals
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-09-29 12:06:212023-09-29 12:06:21Lip-smacking food from down under the hood
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Neil Hodgson
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Neil Hodgson2023-09-20 09:18:052023-09-29 09:44:55Great Scutt: New label wine for the ages
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Neil Hodgson2023-09-06 09:02:522023-09-29 09:17:07North EateryTOP WINES TASTINGS
No1 Family Estate Assemble Methode Marlborough
Taste & Other Notes
It may be made in Marlborough but the Champagne heritage of Daniel Le Brun is obvious in this finely crafted yet very approachable wine.
Blackenbrook 2019 Family Reserve Nelson Pinot Noir
Taste & Other Notes
I first tasted this wine several months ago not long after it was bottled and thought it was an exceptional wine at the time, with extra time in the bottle my opinion hasn’t changed. While Pinot Noir can be light and floral this example is a delicious, powerful wine with lots of character and intrigue. From the initial intense fruit to the layers of smoky oak and juicy acidity this is a determined wine, it has presence and character.
Blackenbrook 2019 Family Reserve Nelson Chardonnay
Taste & Other Notes
This Blackenbrook Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay represents a full style with obvious oak that balances the fruit intensity nicely. Lovely butterscotch flavours upfront are enticing but it’s the balance of intense flavours, oak and ripe acidity that makes this wine special.
We’ve put together a team of experts who have a passion for writing about food and beverages.
Anchorage Wines- Stripping back helps Motueka Winemakers and Growers strike gold
/in Beverages, Neil Hodgson, Nelson, New Zealand, Regions, Wine Articles /by Neil HodgsonFollowing on from my previous column about how Motueka Winemakers and Growers (formerly Anchorage Wines) set about restructuring their business and vineyards they are now seeing some outstanding results from the efforts they made over the last few years. As well as refocusing the business from producing primarily wines for sale in bulk to other […]
Heke Homemade Herbals
/in Neil Hodgson, Nelson, New Zealand, Producers /by Neil HodgsonIt’s been several years since I caught up with Emme Heke from Heke Homemade Herbals so we sat down and chatted over a coffee (and tea!) a couple of weeks ago to find out what’s been happening in her world. I had noticed she hasn’t been around for a few months and was wondering what […]