Pick Up Peggy
The residents of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, have got it made. They have the beautiful Waiheke Island, a getaway playground at their doorstep. With its warm microclimate, it offers vineyards, restaurants, shops, art galleries, museums, beaches, and more. On the relaxing forty-minute, pier-to-pier ferry ride through emerald waters, one must pass the large, uninhabited, yet visitable extinct volcano island of Rangitoto. We were accompanied by Soho Family Winery owner, Rachel Carter. We were going to Waiheke Island to tour their vineyards, taste the range of new vintages and have lunch. We were picked up by Carter family matriarch, Peggy Carter, at the ferry pier, and piled into her spacious Mercedes for a leisurely drive along the twisting and turning road, passing through the town of Ostend with its multitude of tourist distractions. Turning onto Onetangi Road brought us into one of the major concentrations of vineyards on the island. We turned off the road to ascend to the Carter senior family residence, with tasting room. (It’s only open by appointment as they have extensive vineyard holdings in Marlborough and Central Otago on the South Island too.) We passed through the Carter Family Vineyard with its ribbon rows of vines already covered in netting to protect from those pesky birds who love and live to prey on those ever-sweetening bunches of grapes. It was, after all, February, getting to the end of the growing season
All Soho wines carry the name of a special person with a connection to their business. In this case, Peggy Sauvignon Blanc honors the Croatian-born mother of the Carter family. So why not pick up a bottle, or two, or three, of Peggy at your local LCBO Vintages. It’s part of this month’s “The $18 Solution,” offering great value. It hails from their Marlborough vineyards on the South Island, Respected Kiwi wine journalist Sam Kim awarded it 93 points. Aromatic with hints of tropical fruit, lemon and melon, there is a snappy underpinning of crisp acidity which Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs are famous for. Enjoy with a seafood ceviche. And with asparagus season around the corner, how about asparagus stuffed crêpes topped with Béchamel sauce.
2024 Soho Peggy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc LCBO #144386, $18.00