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War loomed large in the lives of Reine and Rene Le Brun, whose relationship began around the same time as World War II, which made for interesting times in the world's most famous sparkling wine region, Champagne. New wine launched This year, their son, Daniel Le Brun, and his family here in New Zealand, have launched a new sparkling wine to honour Reine. It is called, simply, Reine and it pays homage to the Champagne region, the history of the Le Brun family in the region and to Reine herself. The Le Brun family can trace its winemaking history in Champagne back to 1684, which was the year their descendants planted their first vines in Champagne, producing their first wines in 1791. This date is carved into the family's champagne press. No 1 Family Estate wines at Regional We will be celebrating No 1 Family Estate here at Regional Wines & Spirits over the looming festive season and we are thrilled to have the family's newest sparkling wine in store for the upcoming festivities. Here are my notes on the new sparkling wine, which was launched in Marlborough in the last week of October this year.  Buy No 1 Family Estate sparkling wines here 18.5/20 No 1 Reine Cuvée Reserve RRP $63 Reine Vautrelle Le Brun loved flowers, which is echoed on the label of this bottle, which is a delicate but full bodied blend of 50% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier, given extended lees ageing of four years giving it the weight and balance to stand up to the low dosage of 2.8 grams per litre. This is bone dry sparkling wine with finesse and a long finish. While it can age superbly for two to three years, it drinks beautifully now - fresh and zingy, paying homage to a woman who lived through World War II; years that represented some of the Champagne region's toughest times.  No 1 Family Estate's history in New ZealandDaniel Le Brun made his first sparkling wine in Marlborough in 1980 and launched his second venture, No 1 Family Estate, in 1999, on 14 July - Bastille Day. No 1 Family Estate is a family owned and run operation with all family members involved, including Daniel and Adele le Brun and their children, Virginie and Remy. 

Tempranillo is hot right now and not only because it is on trend. A study by the Spanish Meteorology Agency predicts the maximum temperature in Rioja will be 4ºC higher in 2050 than it was in 2010, if temperatures continue rising at their current rate. That prediction is based on the average temperature rise in Rioja having gone up between 0.9ºC and 1.2ºC since the 1950s. But back to vino... Tempranillo is hot because it is benefiting so far from the warmer temperatures, although some producers are struggling with some of the challenges heat brings.  How does this impact on Tempranillo? Tempranillo has always been the main ingredient in Rioja and in warmer years and in the hands of adventurous producers, many Riojas are now 100% Tempranillo.  Rising temperatures mean riper, plusher, smoother full bodied red wines made from Tempranillo. Rioja benefits from this, big time. And so we do, the drinkers of good red wines.   Another study, which was conducted by sociologists Sergio Andrés Cabello and Joaquín Giró of the University of La Rioja, revealed that 90% of the 481 grape growers and winemakers who were surveyed feel that the effects of climate change will be negative or very negative (65%) and say that the region will need to adapt to survive (46%). New wave Riojas New wines in store at Regional over the past three years show a significant swing towards Riojas made entirely from Tempranillo, such as the outstanding, multi award winning 2019 Cabama Tempranillo Rioja RRP $38.99 which you can buy here. Other wines are adopting a combination of American and French oak for ageing prior to bottling, which means the results are more complex, smoother, less about the old dusty heartland of Spain style and moving towards flavours of cedar, cloves and subtle vanilla aromas.  Popular, plump and spicy, 2020 Bideona Laderas Tempranillo is a great example - and one of our best sellers, which you can buy here.

Far be it for us to play the same tune as we did earlier this month but the latest reds (and whites) from the Guigal family are such exceptional wines that we wanted to share the reasons why, as a group of lucky Wellingtonians (including the team here at Regional) tasted mid October. Guigal is one of the world’s top 10 best known wine brands and is run by 20 full time people, including many extremely dedicated family members. There are over 850 growers also working, both directly and indirectly for the company, growing a vast volume of grapes, which go towards making the four million bottles of flagship Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge each year. This impressive volume of production is done without external input, other than purchased grapes from those growers. The best thing about this mighty volume of wine is that it has benefited from many incremental steps of quality improvement over the decades. These include the inclusion of a higher proportion of  Syrah than a typical Cotes du Rhone, with 55% of the blend now Syrah (higher than in the past), which is softened by Grenache and, as of a clever decision made at some stage in the past 15 years, a small but consistent component of Mourvèdre. This adds complexity, depth of colour and firm smooth tannins to the wine.  As with all good things, time is a big factor in the process of creation and the three years minimum ageing in Guigal’s wine cellars gives this red its softness, transforming Syrah's impressive youthful tannins into something approachable and delicious when the wine is released. This is why the current vintage is 2019... Buy 2019 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge here   RRP $28.99  / Special $24.99   2021 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc Viognier adds rich peachy flavours and is 50% of this wine The key to freshness in this wine is the addition of Bourboulenc and Clairette – two French white grapes that add acidity and freshness 2021 Chateau d’Aqueria Cotes du Rhone Esprit Rouge     2019 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge   One of the world’s top 10 best known wine brands Three years minimum ageing in Guigal’s wine cellars in Ampuis in the northern Rhone 4,000,000 bottles of this wine are made in a good year This means there are about 12 million bottles of this wine in Guigal’s cellars at any one time, either being fermented or maturing 850 grape growers provide grapes to go into this blend All of the fermentation and production is done by the Guigal family No wines are bought in to supplement production The blend is approximately 55% Syrah with smaller proportions of Grenache and Mourvedre to add roundness to the wine

Verdicchio is one of the world's great white wines and one of its least known, despite being one of its oldest known varieties with history of winemaking dating back to the 14th century. It is also our wine of the week, so we thought it timely to dive down into the origins of this great white. The Verdicchio grape comes from Italy and its name comes from the Latin word viridis, which means green and refers to the green skins of the Verdicchio grape. Its home is the Marche region in Central Italy where there are currently about 2,000 hectares of Verdicchio growing, mostly around the town of Jesi, where the designated wine region (DOC) is called Castelli di Jesi. Most of the vines are on the slopes of the Appenine mountains with the highest vineyard planted 1,312 feet but the majority vines are grown on flatter, undulating terrain. The soils range from limestone to clay to sandy, despite the variable nature of which, Verdicchio is almost universally a high quality wine, even at lower prices. There is a smaller area of Verdicchio grown at higher elevation and called Verdicchio di Matelica, but this hilly DO has only about 200 hectares planted.  The Verdicchio grape has naturally high acidity, which gives it the ability to taste fresh when young, to age well and to be made as a sparkling wine or, as the majority are, as full bodied still dry whites. Traditional winemaking of Verdicchio included skin fermentation to build fullness and body as well as flavour, but the majority of wines made from the grape today are fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to preserve freshness. 2021 Umani Ronchi Verdicchio Casal di Serra RRP $31.99 / Special $28.99 An excellent example of Verdicchio from one of this grape's top producers, Umani Ronchi. This wine is weighty, richly flavoursome but completely dry and full bodied with a long, zesty lemony finish. A great white for now and for the cellar.  Buy here: https://www.regionalwines.co.nz/products/umani-verdicchio-casal-di-serra-14

It takes courage to make sparkling wine in a new winemaking country and especially if your role model is Bollinger Special Cuvee, which is one of the world's greatest sparkling wines and is a grand marque champagne. In other words, one of the wines at the top of the Champagne region's sparkling wine tree. So, what exactly goes into modelling a sparkling wine after Bollinger? Well, patience is the primary key. All champagnes and sparkling wines made in their mould are aged on their yeast lees (the decomposing yeast cells) in the same bottle we consume them from for a minimum of 15 to 18 months, which is a long time to wait for any wine. The makers of Bollinger - and also of Nautilus, our winery of the month - wait an entire three years for their wines to gain flavour and complexity as the yeast cells break down, releasing tasty substances called mano proteins, which become part of the wine. These impart complex multi layered flavours of fresh pastry, toast and other savoury flavour notes. The higher the percentage of Pinot Noir in the wine, the more savoury and rich it tends to taste. Sparkling wines that contain more Chardonnay tend to taste crisper when youthful and creamier when aged. These two grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) are the main ingredients in sparkling wines from the Champagne region and in all bubblies modelled on them.  Bollinger is always a higher proportion of Pinot Noir than Chardonnay and is typically a 70%/30% blend. A portion of the base wine is also always fermented in older French oak barrels, which softens the classic high acidity of grapes grown in the cool northern Champagne region's climate. The base wine is the still wine made, prior to blending and refermenting in the bottle to gain the bubbles in the form of dissolved CO2. And then the wine is aged on tirage (yeast lees) in the bottle for three years.  When winemaker Clive Jones launched Nautilus Winery's sparkling wine programme, the model was always Bollinger and hence, Nautilus is aged on lees in bottle for three years. And also, like Bolly, it is disgorged regularly so that it always tastes fresh. We are big fans of the style of both Bollinger and Nautilus, which bears the trademark of a winemaker dedicated to coaxing the very best out of Pinot Noir with bubbles.  Try these... Nautilus Cuvee Brut NV Museum Release 2010 Tirage RRP $50.99Special $46.99 Can you imagine tasting history? Well, here is the perfect chance to do just that with This new museum release Nautilus Marlborough Cuvée Brut, which was aged for 10 years on tirage; on its yeast lees in the bottle. Dry, richly flavoursome and full bodied with enormous toasty appeal adding depth of flavour and power. Grapes come from three vineyards in Marlborough, were all hand picked and fermented with a champagne yeast with full lees aging and malolactic fermentation. This wine typically contains between five and 15% of reserve wine, which is held back from previous vintages. This blend is 73% Pinot Noir and 27% Chardonnay. Buy here: https://www.regionalwines.co.nz/products/nautilus-methode-cuvee-brut-nv-marlborough-museum-release-2010-tirage-750ml 2018 Nautilus Cuvee Brut Rosé RRP $45.99 Special $40.99 One of the best bubblies made in New Zealand, and always a vintage wine with the grapes 100% from one year and 100% Pinot Noir. Tastes dry, yeasty fresh with notes of red berry flavours in a full bodied bubbly with a long finish. Long ageing on tirage – aka lees (decomposing yeast cells) in bottle - provides depth, body and a lingering finish.  Buy here: https://www.regionalwines.co.nz/products/nautilus-methode-rose-16

Antinori Tignanello has been a trend setter from its inception in 1975 when Piero Antinori launched the first vintage of this off beat blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It has long been regarded as the first contemporary red from Chianti Classico that was aged in barriques (rather than large Eastern European oak vessels) and that didn’t use white grape varieties. The latest vintage of Tignanello is a blend  of Sangiovese (68%) with the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc - and we have one bottle for one fortunate customer with a serious wine cellar. This wine does drink well now but will be a revelation in years to come when its complex floral aromas and structured dark fruit flavours intermingle into a wine that evolves to become a more layered drink than today.  The 2020 Tignanello has a beautifully fragrant floral aroma spectrum with an upfront and accessible personality. "The tannins are sweet and silky and Tignanello proves itself as a great vineyard site in both the challenging and the classic years,” says Antinori managing director Renzo Cotarella. "The first vintage of Tignanello in 1975. It has since paved a path as a defiant rebel red made with grapes grown on the Santa Cristina vineyard, a 127 hectare site in the Chianti Classico zone, 350 to 450 metres above sea level."Tignanello is typically aged for at least 16 months in barrels, which today tend to be a blend of mostly French barriques with a little Hungarian oak also used in most years.  Buy 2020 Tignanello RRP $204.99 in store at Regional Wines & Spirits But wait there's more... 2020 Antinori Marchese Chianti Classico Riserva RRP $74.99 - is also new in store at Regional and we have six precious bottles; which is our full allocation for the year.  Pop in store to grab yours.   

If Alsace Pinot Noir has not yet featured on your wine drinking radar, try this newcomer in store at Regional Wines from Domaine Rene Mure, an outstanding wine producer situated in Alsace.  The Alsace region is driest and most northern wine region in eastern France - and once, incidentally, part of Germany, until the First World War. This is why the Alsace region is dedicated to aromatic German white grape varieties, such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer and Sylvaner, among many others. On the red front, there is this wine. A powerful, pretty, silky and succulent expression of Pinot Noir from one of the most interesting wine regions in France. This is an impressive wine from a producer where the husband-wife team are committed to organic grape and wine production.  2019 Domaine Rene Mure Pinot Noir RRP $63.99 An impressive expression of Pinot North from the far north east corner of France and the country's driest wine region, Alsace. This wine was harvested over three days in late September 2019 and is made using 50% whole bunch fermentation which was taken to bone dry with less than 1 gram of residual sugar. It was matured in barrels and drinks well now with balance of fresh acidity in keeping with its bold, ripe red and dark cherry flavour notes, intermingle with touches of spice in a wine with a long, bright finish. It can age for four to five years.  

Family owned, historically inspired and a consistently high quality wine producer. Meet Nautilus, our new winery of the month for October and, yes, we are about to enter the last quarter of 2023. We have chosen Nautilus as our winery of the month for October because of the popularity of the wines as well as the variety and great quality. The name Nautilus refers to the mathematically perfect spiral of the Nautilus shell, which has been admired since ancient Greek times. "This shape is found throughout nature: in the growth of seeds on a sunflower head, in the air movement of a cyclone, or in the spiral through which a hawk flies towards its prey. This natural balance and proportion is something we seek to express in our wines," says Robert Hill-Smith, owner of Nautilus Wines, who also owns Yalumba Wines in South Australia. In many ways, these two wineries could not be more different. Yalumba is in a warm climate while Nautilus is situated in a cool one, but both wineries have set many trends in their respective Southern Hemisphere locations.  Nautilus makes white, red and sparkling wines, modelling its bubblies on one of the greatest champagne producers, Bollinger. Like Bolly, Nautilus Marlborough Cuvee Brut is a 70/30 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which is always aged for three years on tirage; the decomposing yeast cells, in bottle, following the second fermentation. This lengthy process is more than twice the legal minimum ageing time for non vintage champagne and it makes a significant and discernible difference to the taste, complexity and body of these sparkling wines.  Buy Nautilus Marlborough Cuvee Brut RRP $43.99 Special $35.99 here * Pop in store this October to try and buy the exceptional wines of Nautilus, which range from Albarino to bubbly, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and of course, Sauvignon Blanc.

Sunny days and chilly nights lead our team of wine lovers here at Regional straight to the Portuguese wine shelf, which is home to soft reds from an old winemaking country with a new lease of life. Portugal is best known for port but the same delicious combination of grape varieties is being pressed into service to make stunning fleshy reds, such as this one, Porta 6.   It's made from one grape we do know and two that few of us are familiar with. The blend of red grapes in this wine is Tinta Roriz, which is the Portuguese name for the incredibly popular Tempranillo along with Castellau and Tinta Miuda. Most red wines in Portugal are blends of at least two or three grape varieties, often many more, and the names of the wines have traditionally been based on regions rather than grape varieties, which tends to be more of a new wave naming protocol (such as Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir et al).  New wave wines from old winemaking countries, such as Portugal, are less likely to focus on the regional name as the main marketing message on the front label but instead they use fun attractive words, such as Porta 6. It's not only the label that makes this wine fun, together the trio of tasty red grape varieties combine to create a wine that is deep ruby in colour with firm velvety tannins and soft rich fruit flavours that makes it deliciously smooth as a drink-me-now red.   And at this price, why wouldn't you? Buy Porta 6 here or pop in store for this and other Portuguese goodies. 2021 Porta 6 RRP $21.99 Special $19.99 Portugal is on a roll at Regional and globally, as this spicy, warming red with its smooth fruit flavours shows. It is medium to full bodied with a smooth soft texture and depth of flavour from the three-way blend of red grapes, Tinta Roriz (also known as Tempranillo), Castellau and Tinta Miuda.

Italy takes on Pinot Noir, only it is not new. Much as it may seem like something of a novelty in this part of the world, Italy (along with Austria, Germany and, of course, France) has been making Pinot Noir for at least 900 years, give or take a decade here and there.  Pinot Noir is known as Pinot Nero in Italia, the country with the largest number of grape varieties in the world, most of which are indigenous, such as Barbera, Corvina, Fiano, Freisa, Greco di Tufo, Lagrein, Molinara, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Negroamaro, Nerello Mascalese, Nero d'Avola, Rondinella, Sangiovese, Sussumanielo, Timorasso, Verdicchio and Vermentino, among countless others. None of them are household names in the way that, say, Chardonnay and Merlot have become. But are these grapes really indigenous to Italy? They are considered to be today but Italy has a strong Greek and Dalmatian influence, especially in the south, which is considered to be the gateway for many grape varieties to the stylish Italian boot, even if their original introduction took place many moons ago. The purpose of this blog is to introduce you to a couple of newcomers in New Zealand, which are a little more familiar to us than many of those exotic names above.  The two wines featured here are both relatively new in store at Regional and in this country. Both are made in Italy but from an interesting part of the country, which was originally part of Austria. It is called the Sudtirol and is also known as the South Tyrol. This mountainous region is incredibly beautiful and has been home to Pinot Nero grapes for a long time, although prior to World War One and the annexing of the region to Italy, this grape would have been known as Blauburgunder. These two wines cast a very different, although still recognisable take, on Pinot Noir as we know and love it.  If you are a Pinot Noir fan, these are must try wines.  Pinot Nero in store... newcomers from Italy 2019 Praepositus PInot Nero Riserva Sudtirol RRP $72.99 This stunning Italianesque take on Pinot Noir drinks beautifully now with its velvet smooth texture and great depths of flavour with bright bold red fruit and macerated cherries, expressing Pinot Noir at its best from the highest altitude vineyard in Europe, in the very north of Italy. This winery has been making wine since 1142. The Abbazia di Novacella winery is one of the oldest wineries in operation in the world and has been making wine for nearly 1000 years from terraced vineyards at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level in the steep hills of the Tyrol. This wine is one of our most impressive Pinot Noirs in store; known correctly as Pinot Nero. Buy here 2020 Manincor Mason Pinot Noir Sudtirol RRP $69.99 Manincor Pinot Noir is an excellent expression of ripe, gently fruity and silky Pinot from the Sudtirol in northern Italy. It comes from a top wine producer with history dating back centuries. The word Manincor means hand on heart.  This savoury, full bodied, biodynamic Pinot Noir is made with grapes grown on the Mason Vineyard, a south facing site with elevation of 400 to 450 metres above sea level, giving the grapes more intense sunshine. Grapes were given spontaneous fermentation in oak with two weeks on their skins and minimal plunging, followed by 16 months ageing in oak, 16% new.  Buy here

The word Alsace typically brings to mind the dry, aromatic white wines that inspire Riesling devotees and lovers of lush Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris but there is another string to the bow of this typically arid, cool climate in north east France. Rouge is the hot new wine in Alsace. Not only is climate change heralding a rethink about where on Earth Pinot Noir can thrive, but it is giving Alsatian winemakers an opportunity to strut their finest stuff with a grape that has long made its home here, albeit often in lighter bodied wines. Ah, but change is afoot and we see it loud and clear in the elegant beauty of two Pinot Noirs (aka Alsace Rouge) from this multi faceted region in north east France. As the great wine writer and commentator, Master of Wine Jancis Robinson says, Alsace is one of the great, under appreciated treasures of the wine world, lying in the lee of the forested Vosges Mountains.  Read on for two beautiful Pinot Noirs from Alsace 2020 Deiss Rouge RRP $63.99 Rouge is the hot new wine in Alsace. And this sensational French wine is certified organic with plush soft, silky flavours of ripe, warm plums. Winemaker Marcel Deiss has cult like status with wine collectors and drinkers alike and here is a wine that demonstrates both his devotion and attention to detail and this great French wine region's diversity.  Buy here 2019 Boeckel Midelberg Pinot Noir Alsace RRP $35.99 Full bodied with rich depth of flavour and potential age. A great match with roast duck. This wine is named after the village Mittelbergheim where limestone slopes favour healthy vines.  Buy here

If a smooth, velvety red wine appeals, then Gamay is it and this newcomer from Te Kano over delivers with its plush red fruit flavours are held in a full bodied, beautifully balanced wine.  Pop in store to buy this exceptional new wine...  2022 Te Kano Gamay Noir Northburn Central Otago RRP $59.99 All of the grapes that went into this wine were hand picked and while 90% were traditionally destemmed, the remaining 10% were fermented as whole bunches in a sealed tank. This smaller volume went through full carbonic fermentation. Two portions were pressed to neutral, older oak barrels for maturation and the result is a Gamay that is on par with top quality village Beaujolais. And like very good Beaujolais, the volumes of this wine are pretty small as it is made from the 1386 vines of Gamay that are planted on Te Kano's  Kohaka Vineyard in Northburn, Central Otago. This equates to 0.33 hectare.  The modest volume is more than made up for in the high quality of this lovely wine.