Category Archives: Wines

Cameron Douglas, New Zealand's first and only master sommelier, wine judge, commentator and educator has awarded four of No. 1 Family Estate Méthode Traditionnelle wines top scores in his recent sparkling wine feature article "Always time for bubbles" (FMCG Business, April 2017) and we are delighted.

Here's what Cameron had to say:

No. 1 Family Estate Cuvée Virginie Méthode Traditionnelle 2009, 97/100 points

Sophisticated bouquet with a great vintage and bottle age offering aromas of complexity, elegance and total charm. Baked goods, Portuguese lemon tart and stone fruits, old rose. On the palate - a finely beaded mousse cushions flavours of citrus and peach, fine autolysis development and crisp lengthy finish. A delightful wine wither several years of pleasure yet to be discovered. Order yours HERE.

No. 1 Family Estate Rosé Méthode Traditionnelle NV, 96/100 points

Attractive, fresh, lively and precise bouquet. Aromas of flowers, light red fruits, cherry and just picked strawberry, mild to moderate autolysis and a touch of intrigue. On the palate - crisp, fresh, dry and packed with a gentle charm. The mousse is silky and fine, flavours balanced and elegant with a brioche and lightly toasted autolysis charm; very long finish. Order yours HERE.

No. 1 Family Estate Assemblé Méthode Traditionnelle NV, 96/100 points

Alluring and intense bouquet, aromas of bread and brioche, peach and citrus, a light white flower note adds charm and depth, quite complex overall. On the palate - generous, full, rich in flavour and presence, flavours of roasted stone fruits and baked lemon, butter brioche and Arnott's Round Wine biscuit. Fine persistent mousse and lengthy finish. Order yours HERE.

No. 1 Family Estate No. 1 Cuvée  Méthode Traditionnelle NV, 95/100 points

Very attractive bouquet, complex and sophisticated without being pushy, aromas of brioche and toasty autolysis set against a background of citrus and white strawberry. On the palate - fresh, crisp and delicious; flavours of grapefruit and apple, some lemons and plenty of autolysis undertones, fine mousse and lengthy finish. What's not to like? Order yours HERE.

Cameron also writes about the evolution of New Zealand's Méthode Traditionnelle : "New Zealand's sparkling wine production has been built on the foundation of understanding the Méthode Traditionelle technique and growing ripe fruit with naturally high acid to make base wines suitable for secondary fermentation in bottle or tank." 

He adds, "The key advantages for New Zealand sparkling wine in a global economy are high quality at lower volumes, freshness and clear flavour profiles, rarity and competitive price points."

Read the full article here.

Random fact... Did you know that by the second week in January one third of people who made a New Year’s Resolution will have broken it?

So we thought we’d offer you a resolution for 2017 that we feel is attainable… Make 2017 the year you drink more bubbles!

Here are five ways to help you keep that resolution.

• Don’t save it for a celebration – Bubbles are too often saved for a special occasion, but live your life knowing that every day is special, and that there’s always something good to celebrate and you’ll pop a cork more often!  
• Think beyond the canapé – Bubbles are often served as an apéritif but we always think it’s such a shame when they’re reserved solely to tickle the taste buds and stimulate the appetite prior to a fine celebratory lunch or dinner. Our wines, happily hold their own as part of the main attraction or dessert. We often share recipes that will give you super new ideas for serving bubbles, sign up to our newsletter so you don’t miss out.
• Make it a Magnum - No we’re not suggesting you polish this off on your own! But making time for friends is a sure fire way to get the bubbles flowing.
• Don’t dilute it – We know that fancy cocktail bars and classy clubs will serve bubbles with other ingredients. At No.1 Family Estate we suggest you enjoy our wines as they should be enjoyed… On their own!
• Take advice from Madam Lily Bollinger -  Who famously said... “I only drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not in a hurry and drink it when I am, otherwise I never touch the stuff unless I am thirsty.”

Christmas is a time for giving, and often the best Christmas gift you can give is one that you would enjoy receiving yourself, and who doesn't enjoy a glass of bubbles.

If you're still searching for festive inspiration, here's our No.1 Family Estate Christmas gift guide to bubbles.

For your boss... No.1 Cuvée

One of New Zealand’s most highly regarded Methode Traditionelle wines. The wine is 100% chardonnay (blanc de blancs) – A perfect balance between ripe, fresh fruit and toasty yet creamy yeast.  It displays a fine, consistent bead and firm mousse resulting in a complex character. The palate is smooth and seamless with a wonderful balance of acidity, giving a wine of elegance and style.

Your boss will be so impressed we'd be surprised if you didn't get a pay rise next year!

For your bestie... No.1 Rosé

This wine celebrates the superb climate of Marlborough, delicate salmon-pink with a mass of tiny bubbles, the wine offers a seamless balance of subtle cherry and almond hints combined with a fresh acidity. Dry, yet fresh and elegant, this wine leaves a lasting impression of opulence and splendour.

Gift your bestie a girls night in, with a bottle of No 1 Rosé and, of course, your company! Someone has to share that bottle with her...

For the teacher... No.1 Assemblé

It's the end of the school year and time to thank the tutors that have guided and educated your little poppets over the past twelve months.

Give them a fabulous bottle of bubbles for top marks!

For the family - A mixed case

Hint of Pink Case, contains 2 bottles of each of the above wines. You might want to buy it to share with your own family or to give to the family next door, hopefully you'll be invited around to share it!

Here at No.1 Family Estate, we're rather fond of a toast.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without raising a glass to mark the occasion!

We've no doubt that you have your toasts prepared, but just in case you need a little inspiration here are some of our favourites!

• Christmas spent with friends and family is the best gift of all
• A glass of fizzy before we get busy. Health and happiness to all
• May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart. (Inuit Proverb)
• Here’s to us that are here, to you that are there, and the rest of us everywhere. (Rudyard Kipling)
• A Christmas wish... May you never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten.

Join us on Facebook to share your Christmas Toast!

There’s something that the Danes do even better than Nordic noir crime, and that’s hygge… The concept of hygge (pronounced hooga) is hard to explain, and the word itself defies literal translation, but roughly translates to cosiness.

Hygge is the Danish celebration of simple pleasures, it’s about creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.

We like that the word sounds a bit like hug… And if you’re reading this from New Zealand, some of you will no doubt feel like you could do with a warm embrace in the form of a little hygge in your life, after a challenging time from Mother Nature over the past week or so.

If you’re reading this in the northern hemisphere, you’re entering the season where hygge comes into its own; as colder weather inspires long family lunches and darker evenings spark a longing for at home suppers with friends.

Here at No.1 Family Estate we believe we have one of the perfect ingredients for inspiring a little hygge in your life… Bubbles!

Here’s how to Hygge with No.1 Family Estate…

Add some fresh flowers to your home
Prepare food that’s good to share – You might like to take some inspiration from our last blog post
Light some candles, choose festive scented candles in the northern hemisphere; and if you’re embracing hygge in the southern hemisphere choose floral or fruity aromas to arouse the spring senses.
Gather friends and family close
Open the bubbles!

Buy No.1 Assemblé for easy-drinking hygge.

Buy No. 1 Cuvée for classic hygge.

Some of you may have seen No.1 Family Estate featured on the television show Thirsty Work, just a few weeks ago. Pop back to our Home page to view a snippet.

When the show was being filmed we hosted the delightful, Yvonne Lorkin, for lunch… We thought you might like to give a bubbles inspired lunch at home over the festive season, so here’s what we served…

To Start:

Gravadlax of Salmon served with No.1 Assemblé

For a super simple Gravadlax follow this Jamie Oliver recipe.

Main Course:

Confit Duck with Truffle Potatoes and Blue Cheese, Cos and Chestnuts served with No.1 Rosé

Farro Fresh have a recipe for Confit Duck online here.

Cheese Course:

A mixture of French cheeses served with 70 Calibre

This New Zealand Herald article shares four of the best specialist cheese shops in Auckland. Or visit your local supermarket or deli and search for some imported French cheeses.

To Finish:

Lemon Posset served with No.1 Cuvée

This is known as Adele’s signature dish, and whilst she first took the recipe from a Jo Seagar book, she’s made it so often, she doesn’t need the recipe book these days! 

Now buy your wine!

Hint of Pink Mixed Case
70 Calibre

If you’re living in the UK, it’s time to rejoice, September heralded the beginning of England’s native oyster season. Native oysters, which take about 5 years to mature, spawn from May to August, and during this time they’re protected by an act of Parliament. But in the autumn and winter months, native oysters are widely available. Adele will always tell you there is no better match for No. 1 Cuvée than oysters.

If you’re visiting London, check out this article from  The Telegraph, with a list of the best oyster bars in the capital.

This article has a list of restaurants around the UK from Whitby to Falmouth, where you can also enjoy this seafood delicacy.

If you’d like to try some at home, visit Simply Oysters to order yours, they offer next day courier delivery to addresses in the UK.

Once you have your beauties at home, we recommend that you serve them “Au Naturel”, the flavour of the oyster is so delicate that they are best served chilled with a squeeze of lemon, a grind of black pepper and a little brown bread.

Of course, it’s absolutely obligatory to serve with a suitable chilled glass of No. 1 Cuvée, order yours from Amathus.

In case you hadn’t noticed Rose gold is definitely having a moment right now! Here at No.1 Family Estate you may know,  we’re rather fond of a little sparkle, and rose gold jewellery is very much on our wishlist at the moment. Originally popularised by Cartier in the 1920s, the delicate-looking gold-copper mix has a lot of vintage charm about it, but if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to new jewels, we have three ways that you can embrace rose gold…

Making up… Not so hard to do! – A touch of blush, a new lippie or a delightful new nail varnish, with the shimmering hues of rose gold are perfect for the start of the northern hemisphere summer. If you’re with us down here in the southern hemisphere it’s a great way to warm up your winter look.
Follow Marc’s advice – “Any opportunity to adorn oneself is human, and accessories are an easy way to do it” – Marc Jacobs.
A new handbag, shimmering scarf or even a new phone! Keep an eye out for accessories in this stylish hue; if you’re local to Blenheim pop in to see our friends at  No.4 Boutique or Thomas’s for a wonderful selection.
Sip your Rosé – We’re excited to announce we have a new release of No.1 Rosé. This will be available online from 1st September. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, No.1 Rosé exhibits a delicate salmon-pink colour and mass of tiny bubbles, the wine offers a seamless balance of subtle cherry and almond hints combined with a fresh acidity. Dry, yet fresh and elegant, this wine leaves a lasting impression of opulence and splendour. The perfect way to stay on trend! 

One of our favourite days of the year is approaching… September 4th is Father’s Day in New Zealand; a day to celebrate your own Dad, being a Dad, fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society as amazing role models.This year if you’re looking for the perfect present for a Dad in your life, why not step away from the socks and gift him something that he’ll really enjoy.

Here’s our No.1 gift guide for Father’s Day.

For the true gentleman – Nothing says quiet, classic, sophistication quite like No.1 Cuvée. Introduced into the New Zealand market on 14 July 1999, it is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded Methode Traditionelle wines. No. 1 Cuvee was the first wine produced by No. 1 Family Estate.  It is renowned throughout New Zealand and internationally winning numerous trophies (including IWSC and Winestate), gold medals and five star awards since its release.

For the hunting, shooting and fishing fella – 70 Calibre was released last year to celebrate our founder and winemaker Daniel Le Brun on the occasion of his 70th birthday and 35th year pioneering Methode Traditionelle in Marlborough. 30 months on lees, this blend is Pinot Noir predominant, a Blanc de Noirs, carefully blended in secret from our reserve base wines. Zero dosage is the mark of full development and autolysis, requiring no enhancement.

For the connoisseur – Of course all of our wines are suitable for any connoisseur; but he’ll especially love No.1 Reserve. Each year, a limited amount of No. 1 is set aside for long-term aging on lees and released after several years as a “Reserve”. This release from the family’s winery was held on lees for five and a half years allowing full autolysis displaying a consistent superfine bead, and firm mousse resulting in a typical, complex, champagne-like character, and giving it the title of “Reserve”. The palate is intensely flavoured and focused with the good fruit-yeast balance providing elegance and style. The extended lees aging has given it extra richness with complex biscuity notes, a well-balanced delicate freshness and a lengthy finish.

For the new man – No.1 Assemblé is the country’s first sparkling wine to be labelled as Méthode Marlborough. A non-vintage brut, Assemblé has spent a minimum of 18 months on lees, encouraging full yeast autolysis, making it an easy-drinking, aperitif style. It is fresh and inviting with sophisticated and typical characters, intense flavours, and a long finish.

Of course if you can’t decide what to get for Dad, our mixed cases represent excellent value and are available exclusively from the No.1 Family Estate online store.

We might be in the depths of a cold snap, but spring really isn’t too far away, and that can mean only one thing… Daffodil Day!

Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s annual flagship event and one of the most important fundraising and awareness campaigns in New Zealand, this year it will be marked on Friday, 26th August 2016. But we’re getting started a little earlier with our sponsorship of the Blenheim Cancer Society Daffodil Day Dinner on 15th August at Bamboo Garden.

We’ve donated some sparkling prizes for the auction…

A Magnum of Number 8 Cuvée
A bottle of 70 Calibre
A bottle of Cuvée Virginie

You can buy your tickets to the event by visiting the Blenheim Cancer Society in Market Street. And if you’re not in Blenheim why not visit your local Cancer Society to find out how you can help support Daffodil Day in your area?

We might be in the depths of a cold snap, but spring really isn’t too far away, and that can mean only one thing… Daffodil Day!

Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s annual flagship event and one of the most important fundraising and awareness campaigns in New Zealand, this year it will be marked on Friday, 26th August 2016. But we’re getting started a little earlier with our sponsorship of the Blenheim Cancer Society Daffodil Day Dinner on 15th August at Bamboo Garden.

We’ve donated some sparkling prizes for the auction…

A Magnum of Number 8 Cuvée
A bottle of 70 Calibre
A bottle of Cuvée Virginie

You can buy your tickets to the event by visiting the Blenheim Cancer Society in Market Street. And if you’re not in Blenheim why not visit your local Cancer Society to find out how you can help support Daffodil Day in your area?