The Winery Clos St William of Waipara of South Island

While some people prefer to avoid restaurants altogether on Valentine’s Day, for others it’s the perfect excuse to enjoy a romantic evening out. For wine lovers, finding venues with a great selection of bottles is an added bonus. Whether you’re after prestige Bordeaux and classic vintages or interesting and quirky bottles from less well-known producers, the selection below gives you plenty of options. We also tell you what to expect from the wine list in each venue. From Michel ...

The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...

North Canterbury-based Pyramid Valley has formed a partnership with fellow New Zealand firm Oritain, which specialises in proving the origin of different products, and said the group’s ability to ‘fingerprint’ vineyard terroir offers a way to guarantee the provenance of its fine wines. Both partners suggested the system could contribute to preventing fine wine fraud more generally, but it’s early days. Wines in Pyramid Valley’s 2020-vintage Botanicals Collection, featuring Pinot Noir and Chardon ...