July 2015

New Zealand may not produce as much wine as other countries and regions (in 2010 they had less vineyard space than Bordeaux despite being at over 5 times the size) but that hasn’t stopped New Zealand creating a classic from it’s southern island, the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. What’s so special about Marlborough? As with every wine, the final product is influenced by climate, soil types, nutrients and rainfall, as well as the areas wine-making techniques. In the case of Marlborough the temperature varies widely from day and night, allowing the grapes to... Read More

Summertime is here, and with it comes swathes of food and drinks festivals around the country. Last weekend the Pip Crew payed a visit to Newcastle Vegan Festival, our third vegan food fair of the summer. Once again we were met by amazement and the usual question…. I thought wine was made from grapes! How come it’s not all vegan? Wine IS made from grapes, what decides whether it’s vegan, vegetarian or not is the fining process. Fining is what winemakers do to filter out the impurities in the wine which... Read More