TERRA DRINKS LIST

The fizz list is unremarkable, and only one (Dunes & Greene from Oz) is available by the glass (or should I say 200ml bottle). There’s no excuse to not have that $20 bottle of Bandini prosecco open for glass pours, unless you want to charge $60 for it. Sixty dollars for a bottle of just-passable prosecco! Look I get the markup thing, but it’s got to be reasonable. Half a dozen Champagnes are on offer, from a $95 375ml bottle of Laurent-perrier (that’s just two glasses) to a $1000 bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal and a bunch of Bollinger and Ayala in between. I love that they have seven wines in their “interesting whites” section — but only one by the glass? Come on. How on earth do you expect people to get comfortable with the idea of spending $90 on a bottle of Millton Te Arai Chenin Blanc when you won’t let them buy a glass of it to taste first? Northland is famous for pinot gris, yet there’s only one (from The Landing, totally delicious) on the list. I’d pay big chips for a glass of that incredible Marsden Black Rocks Bay of Islands Chardonnay, but having to part with $75 for a bottle, when I’d want to try other things, is too much of a stretch. Sadly for an area known for its merlot and syrah — not a single one features on Terra’s list. You can find pinotage from Karikari Estate and chambourcin from Mahinepua Bay but again, not by the glass. Who forks out $60 for a bottle of something they’ve never heard of? But I’d sure as hell pay $14 a glass to give it a go. Wine lists are where restaurants make money — but only if you make it easy for people to spend it!