WELCOME

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

Blackenbrook Vineyard

I have been a fan of Blackenbrook Vineyard’s wines for many years, in fact I have been following the evolution of this family business since their first wines hit the market in 2004. Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach moved to Nelson in 1998 and they both initially worked at Seifried Estate. They always intended to buy […]

Tohu Single Vineyard wines

Tohu Wines, Kono Wines and Aronui Wines are brands owned by Wakat? Incorporation and operated as part of their Kono food and beverage division. While all are obviously wine brands, they have a different regional focus; Tohu Wines are produced from fruit grown mostly at Whenua Awa, their vineyard in the Upper Awatere Valley, Marlborough, […]

Blackenbrook Vineyard

I have been a fan of Blackenbrook Vineyard’s wines for many…

Tohu Single Vineyard wines

Tohu Wines, Kono Wines and Aronui Wines are brands owned by Wakat?…

FEATURED ARTICLES

Roaming the Lower North Island from Martinborough to Wellington via Hawke's Bay

Recently I spent a couple of weeks exploring a loop in the lower…

Rust Kitchen & Eatery

When Nelson’s favourite French couple, Greg and Mylene Auphan,…

Bob’s Rock Wines

Bob’s Rock Vineyard is a tiny producer tucked away on a hillside…

The Big Score Bread

It all started with a home-built bread oven in the backyard... Bread…

Goodbye 2023 and buy Nelson products

It’s time to say goodbye to 2023 and for some, including me,…

Someday Somewhere

I have huge respect for people who are prepared to put everything…

TOP WINES TASTINGS

We’ve put together a team of experts who have a passion for writing about food and beverages.