🌎 A WHOLE (NEW) WORLD 🌎

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's May 14, 2026 newsletter

Hey,

Sorry, Fionn briefly here. J has written a lovely email this week. It’s very good. As are the wines. We had to fight to write over them. Well worth a look, and all are a steal considering the sheer quality.

Anyway, I interrupt to give you a final call for our tasting next Tuesday with DB Schmitt. Last handful of tickets left. Go Go!

It's been a real joy to follow the estate's journey over the last couple of vintages. The Freiheit range with their sleek labels have never looked or tasted so good. As we work up the range, there's a herbal and peppered Sylvaner, and Wild Pony is one of my favourite wines, full stop. Plenty of time on skins before resting under a little layer of flor. At once tropical and refreshing, savoury and salty. Something you need to taste to believe.

I can think of no better way to spend a Tuesday evening than tasting through the range IRL with Bianca on hand to answer any questions you may have. Usual business with large pours, great chat, light refreshments, and guaranteed good vibes. Don't be shy, come say hi. I'll be off the clock too.

Now over to J…

Bonjour my friends!

Long time no speak, I missed y’all!

Fionn and I recently tasted a few bits that made us stop in our tracks, I thought, yet again, it would only be right that I bring em to you!

Today we’re gonna be heading down to New Zealand. Far, I know, but trust me on this.

I bring you the wines of ‘A Thousand Gods’. Based in Waihopai Valley in Marlborough, NZ, Simon and Lauren find themselves making some of the region's most mind-boggling wines. Before ‘A Thousand Gods’, the couple were making wine in the Cahors region, collectively though, the couple has almost 40 vintages of experience under their belts. They eventually decided to pack up their stuff and move to NZ with the idea of making their own wines, with their own unique twang. Everything they pick is hand-harvested, wild yeast fermented, no additions, no filtering and no fining. Just the way we like it. I’m gonna jump straight into it because I’m excited.

We’re gonna start off with their ‘Blanc’. 100% Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, you must be saying, “J, you’ve lost your mind”. I need you to listen to me on this. Savvy B from NZ has never, EVER tasted this good. 50% of the fruit sees a few days of skins, to extract a touch of texture, the rest gets directly pressed. The juice is then blended and chucked into old oak for 11 months. After that, it goes into stainless for 4 months so everything can settle down a lil bit. But wait, it's not over. Once bottled, Simon and Lauren wait a year before releasing the wines to the public. They believe this is the key to making wine with no additives. That year in bottle mellows everything out and smooths out any rough edges. On the nose, it smells like wine from Styria, that sesame, slightlyyyy reductive edge to it, along with tons of lime zest. SO much texture and density with enough acid to balance it all out. Do ur thing.

Next up we’ve got their ‘No Devices’, which was hands down, without a doubt, my fav. Petit Manseng?? From NZ?? Insane. There’s only 1 hectare of Petit Manseng in New Zealand, so talk about rare. They actually didn't have enough juice to fill a barrel, so they had to ferment in demijohns. They were able to fill 3 ½ demijohns, so one of them oxidizes, yummmyy. Once fermentation is complete, they blend. Then again, bottled and left alone for a year before being released. The result is next to none. Tastes like a baby Lajibe, back in stock btw ;), but like, half the price. We get a little bit of flinty reduction combined with that oxidation, wow. Something quincey, full of fresh flowers. Genuinely a wine that blew my mind. Do yourself a favour and grab one before they’re gone. (only 36 in the country). ur welcome.

We’re not done yet. We’ve also got something skinsy from them. A cheeky little Sauvignon Blanc again, this time, macerated on skins for 7 months in amphora. The amphora they use was actually gifted to them by their old employer as a leaving gift (cute), so they thought it was only right to use it and try something new. On the nose we get super dried fruits, think apricots along with some guava, passionfruit and mango pith on the palate. A great amount of tannin too, just enough to keep you interested, but it’s not overdone. A treat and a half.

One more white before we move onto the one red we’ve got. ‘Boat In The Wind’ is their Viognier. Fionn and I can’t remember the last time we drank a single varietal Viognier and I honestly can’t remember the last time we had some in the shop / online. This though, was too good to pass up on. Grapes are picked perfectly ripe, so we get all that fresh bright fruit you would expect, however some time on the lees and that signature reductive character really lifts it up to a different level. One of those grapes that everyone kinda skips over. But when it’s done like this, there’s no way you can skip it. Try it for yourself.

Last one before I’ve gotta go pack orders! We’ve got another banger. ‘Love Letters’ is the only red we’ve got for you today. When Fionn and I tasted this, we both looked at each other and agreed, this tastes like L’Anglore ‘Lite’ (as Fionn likes to call it). A blend of Pinot, which sees 4-5 days of skins and directly pressed Viognier. On the nose we get all those fresh strawberries, almost confectionary once it opens up, super perfumed and beautiful. The palate has a little bit of grip that holds the wine down quite well. I served this blind to a few people over this weekend chez Dan’s and none of them could've imagined it was from NZ. As Nike says, just do it.

Before I go, I’ve gotta remind you about a super cool event Fionn and I are hosting. A little back-vintage palooza from Testalonga. Just imagine, wines dating back to 2012, Fionn and I chatting your ears off about em, good vibes, you should come down and hang out! There’s also an event this week if you’re too keen to wait til June, click the poster below to find out more!

Gotta shoot off!
Love y’all!
Beijos
J