05-Aug-2013
New Hawke’s Bay wine entrant Osawa Wines has made a cracking start. Japanese businessman and wine lover Taizo Osawa has a broad portfolio of wine styles from method traditionnelle to dessert wines that come under a multi-tier system made by Rod McDonald. The 35 ha of vines on Kereru Road in the Maraekakaho district comes under the care of Brent Stone, and the combination has resulted in a string of top awards in recent years. The ‘Winemaker’s Collection’ wines are the top tier, followed by the ‘Prestige Collection’ and then the ‘Flying Sheep Collection. Here I review the new 2012 ‘Prestige’ Chardonnay and two 2011 ‘Flying Sheep’ reds. www.osawawines.co.nz