Chief winemaker Peter Turner, from West-Auckland’s innovative winery The Hunting Lodge shares his current favourites with STYLE.
Tell us about yourself in two sentences… I used to be a realistic-idealist and am now more of an idealistic realist. I’m slightly obsessive-compulsive (but I think most winemakers are) and I can be stubborn – apparently.
A wine rule I always break is… Keeping my hands off and letting things be – I can’t help it (might be the obsessive-compulsive thing).
A wine rule I would never break is… “Never take short-cuts”. You learn this the hard way very early on in winemaking.
My go-to drink at the end of a long day is… A crisp lager to start with, and then a good Chardonnay.
The best wine lesson I’ve learnt is… “Wine needs lots of loving” and “Anyone can make wine – the hard part is selling it!”
When you’re not at The Hunting Lodge we will find you… On the Mountain, skiing with my family, or tackling Waiheke’s hills on bikes with my daughters
My current go-to food and wine pairing is… Our 2019 Homeblock Sauvignon Blanc, a wild, barrel-fermented style from one of Auckland’s best recent vintages) paired with Pan-fried Hauraki Gulf Snapper or Salmon Gravlax.
The most cherished item I own is… Whatever it was, I think I drank it last week?! In all honesty, it’s probably the 1kg Tub of Pics Peanut Butter in the pantry, and the one after that…
I can’t live without… Cheese – of any and every description (and Pics Peanut Butter)
When I was a kid I wanted to be… A vet, then an author, then a farmer, then an architect, then a journalist….and so on. I’m not sure I even know now what I want to be, but I fell into winemaking and I really enjoy it.
New Zealand’s best-kept wine secret is… Albarino (now much less of a secret) from any region or Waiheke Island Malbec (Forget the Cabernet!)
If I could drink wine with any three people dead or alive they would be… James Brown (to make it funky), Nelson Mandela (for perspective) and Winston Churchill (to bring the Vintage Pol Roger). The conversation might be a little awkward until the second glass though.
The book currently by my beside is… “Contact High – A Visual History of Hip-hop”. Lots of pictures and fewer words!
The podcasts I’m currently listening to are… Recent podcasts include “NZ Tourism in the Post-Covid Era” and the “Rhythm Selection” (Reggae & Funk Music Show from BFM).
I can’t stop listening to… The Best of Lee “Scratch” Perry
