Nestled alongside the Columbia River in eastern Washington, Columbia Crest winery opened its doors in the heart of the acclaimed Horse Heaven Hills in 1983.

This wine is 100% Chardonnay of which 36% of the blend was fermented in stainless steel tanks with no malolactic fermentation to showcase the bright acidity in the wine. The balance underwent weekly stirring in barrel allowing the wine to build complexity and structure.

Opens with fresh fruit aromas of baked apples and pears, joined by signature characters of crème brulee and caramel. Ripe orchard fruit flavors are joined by creamy, buttery notes and balanced by lively acidity.

Pair with chicken salad with apples and brie cheese, crab cakes, and herb crusted pork chops.

Domaine Tempier is one of the great wine producers in the southern French appellation of Bandol where the late ripening Mourvedre grape rules the roost. This wine is a blend of 75% Mourvedre blended with Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah. Grapes are grown on a range of different soil types in the arid sunny climate of Bandol. The average vine age of grapes that went into this wine was 35 to 40 years old. All grapes were hand harvested then de-stemmed, crushed and fermented in concrete vats for three to four weeks with indigenous yeasts followed by maturation in large oak for 18 months before bottling. Drinks well now, if decanted, and can age for well over 10 years. 

If you're looking for next level Sauvignon Blanc, here it is.

Framingham is one of Marlborough's oldest, most established wineries and this Sauvignon Blanc is a classic from the region's (and this country's) most popular and widely planted grape variety. Five per cent of this wine was fermented on skins to add texture and weight. This provides delicious balance and texture to Sauvignon Blanc's innate refreshing and zesty acidity. 

This is Chard Farm's Cromwell 'village' pinot noir made from their Estate Vineyards in the Cromwell Basin; Lowburn, Gibbston and Parkburn.

WINEMAKERS COMMENTS
Expressive, complex bouquet with sweet floral notes, coupled with swirls of ripe cherry, plum fruits and aromatic spice. Ample freshness and velvety tannins lead to a palate that is elegant, satisfying and highly drinkable.

Big velvety Pinot Noir with depth of flavour - earthy notes, spice and dark red cherry fruit notes - in a full bodied style, made by Moy Hall winemaker Phil McArthur. 

This Martinborough producer is as well known for its superlative vineyard restaurant, which is arguably the best place to eat in the region... It's owned by Phil and Carolyn McArthur, who produce wine and great day time food. 

Phil is a professional winemaker in the region and brings a wealth of experience to bear on the wines, such as this Pinot Noir, which is dry, medium bodied and fresh with savoury notes and red cherry flavours. 

Sam Neill?s latest Pinot Noir is youthful, bright, boldly fruity with firm tannic structure and the ability to age, all of which makes it a good contender for decanting prior to enjoying right now. It?s a complex and interesting Pinot Noir as a blend of Neill?s four small certified organic Central Otago vineyards with 37% from The Fusilier Vineyard in Bannockburn, 7% from the elevated, cool climate of The Last Chance Vineyard in Earnscleugh, Alexandra, 40% from The Red Bank Farm & Vineyard and 22% from The First Paddock in Gibbston. All grapes were hand picked, 54% destemmed and all fermented with wild yeasts. The wine was given 10 months aging in French oak, 18 per cent new. It?s a very good wine and will reward further cellaring.

This is a light, dry and fresh Pinot Gris with flavours of white fruit and a lingering finish. Good value. 

Our best value pink bubbly and made from Pinot Noir grapes grown in the Northern Wairarapa at Matahiwi Estate vineyards. Free run juice was used to make this dry, flavoursome sparkling wine; tank fermentation provides depth of bubbles and a yeasty freshness, which adds complex flavours. 

Greystone is one of North Canterbury's wine stars situated on the slopes of limestone rich hills in Omihi. All of the grapes that go into Greystone wines are 100% certified organic with BioGro NZ and all are estate grown. No additional fruit is purchased to supplement production, which is one of many incremental steps that go into Greystone's high quality wines.

This off dry Pinot Gris has body and richness thanks to the long dry autumn weather in North Canterbury, which allows long ripening and lovely ripe fruity flavours. 

Certified organic with BioGro NZ.

About Greystone

The Greystone wine story began in 2000 when the Thomas Family bought an old sheep farm on the Omihi hills in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. The rolling limestone hills lured this family in and their goal was a single minded one: to make great wines from the limestone rich soils here. Fast forward 20 years and Greystone is one of the great (and, some might say, yet to be fully discovered) wineries in this outstanding wine region. Not least due to the work of winemaker Dom Maxwell and general manager Nick Gill, who began working together in 2005 and has grown along with the brand and quality. 

One of the South Island's most powerful, full bodied, dry and rewardingly complex Chardonnays. The talented Pegasus Bay winemaking team produce this exceptional wine with its flavours of ripe citrus, honeydew melon and stone fruit (peach and nectarine). Notes of flintyness add complexity and a long finish. There are also some underlying savoury notes (toast and brioche) as a result of the secondary fermentation and lees contact in the barrel. The palate is concentrated, however, the earlier picking has resulted in a wine that remains elegant and focussed, with refreshing acidity and a lingering finish.

A complex aroma of black plum and cocoa, black olive, with fine cedary notes and hints of leather, star anise, clove and aromatic spices. The palate is plush and rich, with seamless tannins and concentrated black Doris plum flavours, complex spice notes and a long savoury finish. This wine will improve with cellaring.

Sandpiper is classic Shiraz from South Australia; the headquarters of the country's wine industry - and world HQ of Shiraz, thanks to dry, super fruity and full bodied drops like this tasty, spicy, consistently good quality dry red wine. It's great value for money.

Jim Barry's Clare Valley Assyrtiko (pronounced 'As-err-teek-oh') comes from 15 kilometres south of Clare township in the village of Watervale on the Florita Vineyard, best known for fino sherry prior to 1962 and great Riesling ever since. A small block of this elevated vineyard is devoted to the Assyrtiko grape, which originally comes from the volcanic island of Santorini where hot days and cool nights allow it to retain freshness derived from the grape's naturally high acidity. The result is an outstandingly succulent, refreshing dry white. This wine will take you by surprise, in the best possible way. It was Australia's first Assyrtiko, made by Peter Barry, who fell for the grape and wine after a trip to Greece. 

If you are looking for a treat yourself or for the wine lover in your life, here is a Spanish red that will surprise and please in equal measure. 

This full bodied wine has the dark fruit flavours of a Mediterranean wine but is beautifully balanced by the naturally high acidity of the Mencia grape, which provides a sense of freshness to the wine. This fascinating blend of five grapes is mostly Mencia which makes up 90% of the wine with the remaining grapes being Brancellao, Mouton, Souson and Garnacha Tintorera. The wine was aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels. 

Spain is known for its wealth of old vines, mostly grown en vaso (in the shape of a vase) and low to the ground to keep them anchored since there is no trellis they can rely on for support.

These sturdy vines have hefty trunks and, impressively, produce grapes even when they are 100 years of age and older. The fruit tends to taste extremely concentrated and is not exactly plentiful on these old vines, which can yield as low as one to 1.5 kgs of grapes per vine but the results are worth retaining these beautiful, noble and commanding old plants. 

Dark, dry and full bodied Argentinian Malbec made from a blend of grapes from two great Malbec vineyard areas, Agrelo and Lulunta. This accessibly priced, drink-me-now red has no oak maturation, which accentuates the bold fruity flavours of this wine. 

Agrelo is situated 35 km south of Mendoza city and considered to be a great area for intensely flavoured Malbec grapes. Lulunta is another well regarded sub region of Mendoza area.