Dive into deep dark delicious winter reds
Posted by Joelle Thomson on
Crljenak, Primitivo or Zinfandel? Or do you fancy a Montepulciano?
The first three are all names for the same grape, which originates in Croatia, despite being far better known in southern Italy and intensely more popular in California. We have secured some New Zealand Zinfandel from Stonecroft in Hawke’s Bay, which is home to the oldest Zin’ vines in the country, which make darned delicious wines too, even if we do say so ourselves.
Buy 2019 Stonecroft Hawke’s Bay Zinfandel RRP $29.99 here: https://www.regionalwines.co.nz/products/stonecroft-zinfandel-15
Stonecroft has the oldest Zinfandel vines in New Zealand which originally came from California and now make this deliciously robust, smooth, plummy tasting red in Hawke's Bay. It's a big red but drinks well now thanks to ripe grapes and the accessible flavours of the Zinfandel grape variety. All grapes in this wine were hand picked grapes, fermented in stainless steel with hand plunged twice daily to extract tannins and weight gently. The finished wine was matured for 17 months in American oak, 30% new. Only 100 cases were made, so we're thrilled to be in the game, so to speak, with a little of this precious delicious drop.
Another great winter red is Montepulciano and if you want to step up the game during the chilly months, Tony Prichard’s latest offers a great alternative full bodied winter red. Prichard was the long term winemaker at Church Road winery many moons ago. He then left to establish his own brand, De La Terre Winery, in Hawke’s Bay. Every self respecting winemaker in the Bay produces good Chardonnay and Syrah, so he's no stranger to those well known varietal wines, but his Montepulciano is a winter red wine made to dive into on a chilly night with robust comfort food. Montepulciano is one of Central's Italy's most popular and most planted red grapes, originally from the Abruzzo and Marche regions, which both have a warm, dry Mediterranean climate. It's a long way from there to Hawke's Bay where Prichard makes this impressive Monte' from hand harvested grapes grown on his Hill Country Estate terraced vineyard. This wine was aged for nearly 15 months in French oak, 40% new. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered so it's vegan friendly.
Each bottle is individually numbered.