Wines of New Zealand & Australia

New Zealand and Australia seem so familiar, but they are far from us as any other point in the world. If you tunnel down through the entire earth, you will emerge off the coast of Western Australia. Actually, you’d have to start tunneling in Bermuda to get close, but you get the point.

One of the magical truths of wine is that the most well-known regions are often the least understood. The Aussie and NZ wines you see in American wine shops are vapid, boring stuff. The great stuff rarely makes it to our shelves. It’s like judging California wines on Two-Buck Chuck.

In this class, we delve into the great Aussie and New Zealand wine regions and introduce you to the great wines you didn’t know existed.

Attending this Wine Class as an Online Student?

This class is offered as an in-person class (Premium and Discount Tickets) or a virtual wine tasting (Online Tickets). We will send you a Zoom link with your ticket. Please keep that email! You can also come back to this page, and your zoom link will show here at the start of class.

Buying Wines for Online Students

We recommend picking up wines via wine.com or wine-searcher.com. The wine list is included on this page. You don’t need to have the exact wines on the list. It’s unlikely you will be able to find all the wines we use: we have a vast wine cellar, and many of the wines we taste in class are unavailable via retail channels. Instead, we recommend focusing on the varietals and regions we are using, not the vintage or producer. Please note that we cannot ship or sell wines. If you need assistance in purchasing wines, we offer a paid sommelier consulting service.

Australia & New Zealand, October 28th, 2021

First Flight

Kim Crawford 2016 Pinot Gris, Marlborough

Ricca Terra 2018 “Daisy Chain” White, Lower Murray

Second Flight

Te Mata Estate Vineyards 2017 Gamay Noir, Hawkes Bay

Unico Zelo 2017 “Cherry Fields” Dolcetto, Adelaide

Third Flight

Dog Point Vineyard 2015 Pinot Noir, Marlborough

Giant Steps 2015 Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

Fourth Flight

Langmeil Winery 2013 “Valley Floor” Shiraz, Barossa Valley