Michael Cooper – Wine Guru

By Karen McNally

One of the coolest things about working for Nourish is that from time to time we get the opportunity to meet some really interesting people in the food & wine industry.  This week I was lucky enough to be invited by Poppies Book Store, Mt Maunganui to meet the fabulous Michael Cooper.  Michael is seriously knowledgeable on anything and everything related to wine.  His guide to New Zealand wines is now in its twentieth edition! He writes for numerous wine publications in addition to his own books yet he is so down to earth and unaffected by his
professional success.

I was wishing I had Michael’s job when he talked about his daily ritual at 11am of tasting ten wines, sent to him to review.  Apparently your palate is at its best for wine tasting when you are hungry, hence Michael’s daily ritual of writing in his office each morning until 11am.  He takes meticulous notes about each tasting, and each and every wine he samples
makes its way into the wine guide for the following year.  It is only fair to Michael that I note here that when a reviewer tastes wine, they are using their palate to assess the characteristics of the wine and they expel the wine into a spittoon.

Whether you are a novice wine drinker or a connoisseur, “Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines” is a worthwhile investment.  This book contains ratings of over 3000 wines, when to drink recommendations, clear and frank tasting notes, best buys of the year and value for money ratings.  I learned so much listening to Michael talk.  It is a widely practiced marketing strategy among wine companies to discount wine to entice the consumer to buy.  By using this book, you can recognise a true bargain when you see one and buy it with confidence knowing it will taste as described by Michael Cooper in his book.

I was lucky enough to listen to Michael Cooper for over an hour (I could have listened to him for longer – he was FANTASTIC!) followed by a wine tasting lesson sampling Michael’s best wine buys of the year:
White wine – Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Red wine – Wild South Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010

Both of these wines are available to buy from Henry & Trish at Primo Vino, Victoria Street, Hamilton.  Michael Cooper’s guide is available to buy at Poppies Mt Maunganui & Poppies Casabella Lane for $40.