Wow! I have been Sauvignon Blanc-ed! There are are a lot of great New Zealand SBs at this year's festival - so many that I had to have a Chardonnay occasionally to get a break from the intensity of the grassy, tropical, gooseberry, cat's piss and other pow flavours of those big Sauvignon Blancs.

But what really blows me away from NZ are the Pinot Noirs! Central Otago is an amazing place for PNs - several winemakers told me it's because of the heat there.

If you are used to wimpy, overly sweet Pinot Noirs from California or delicate PNs from France - watch out! These Central Otago bad boys will kick open the door of your palate and party down your throat! Follow this link to full blog post>>

But we can't leave out what he says about us:

Two Paddocks - Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 - a wonderful, powerful Pinot - costing out at $42. The second, basic Pinot - Picnic - is not bad for $26 but pales in comparison. No sign of Sam Neill - the actor/owner - on Thursday. UPDATE [23 April] - very pleased to meet Sam Neill on Saturday night at the Festival - he was behind the table chatting amiably and as is often the case in Vancouver, people were respectful of his celebrity. I also have to say that on second tasting the Picnic was better than I felt on Thursday.

The Wine Barbarian -- Bob Tieleman