Kim Crawford, Boyzone Vineyard Pinot Gris, Marlborough, 2001
Price $18
Rating 90
Kim Crawford is very vocal regarding quality winemaking. Though a "kiwi" from New Zealand, he travels often to the U.S., and is not shy with his opinions. Just ask him his opinion of faulty corks that damage well made wine.

As a judge this past year at the Sydney "Top 100" wines event, I later learned that one of my favorites, the limited production Kim Crawford, Boyzone Vineyard Pinot Gris, was judged as being one of the "Top 100" wines of the event. My notes observed a "very delicate, floral nose with flavors of fig and floral hints on the palate. With the food, the wine takes on a honeyed, rich heaviness and is delightful."

Says Crawford, "You can confidently cellar this wine for three to five years. Serve this pinot gris with any white meats, or it is an excellent match with seafood or Thai food."

Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2001
Price $18
Rating 90
"This wine displays classic New Zealand sauvignon blanc character," boasts namesake Kim Crawford, "with gooseberry, passion fruit and a touch of herbaceousness. The palate is full bodied, with rich fruit balance and crisp acidity. This is a stylish wine with good fruit intensity, a touch of oak and creamy malolactic complexity."

Crawford is a vocal proponent for a replacement to too often faulty wine corks.
"Corky wines have been around forever. The problem manifests itself in varying degrees and affects 8-10% of wines, though the cork industry claims only 3%," explains Crawford, "Synthetic corks were the first step in reducing cork taint, however, long-term aging seems to be a problem because oxidation can still occur with synthetic corks. But using screw tops (Stelvin closures) eliminates cork taint altogether and largely minimizes oxidation of the wine." Look for more screw top wine bottles in the future, especially from New Zealand.

About this wine with food, Crawford proclaims that "It is a great aperitif and is ideally suited for oysters and summer salads." This wine, like the maker, has attitude.

Kim Crawford, Unoaked Chardonnay, Marlborough, 2001
Price $18
Rating 90
Kim Crawford has strong opinions about oak and chardonnay (not unlike is strong opinions about cork damaged wines). Opposed to the California technique of heavily oak flavored chardonnay, he prefers to let the New Zealand fruit speak without oak distracting his Marlborough chardonnay. The wine is crisp, tropical and appealing.

"A very full palate, characterized by great fruit intensity, with peach, mango and pineapple..."boasts Crawford, "This is a powerful wine, with integrated flavors and great balance that persists in a lingering finish. There is no taste of oak."

Many like to match unoaked chardonnays with fusion styled Pacific Rim foods. The Kim Crawford, Unoaked Chardonnay will go beautifully with most any white meat or seafood, especially with rich, cream-based sauces. For more information, go to www.kimcrawfordwines.com.nz.

"We believe that our wines with screw tops will age gracefully for at least as long as those bottled with natural cork, without danger of oxidation or TCA (the bacteria that gives "corked" wine its tainted, fowl aroma)," says Crawford, "and we don't even need to store the bottles on their sides or have special tools to open them antmore."

"And it's about time," adds Crawford, "as we've bottled wine like this for the U.K. and New Zealand markets for two years now. I think American consumers, especially younger wine drinkers, are finally ready to accept that wine with screw tops can be of higher quality than wine with corks."