You could say this is the ultimate insider's wine. It's a new brand made by highly experienced Marlborough winemaker William Hoare, who was the original winemaker and then GM at Fromm. Novum is his new brand. It is named after the Roman word 'novum', meaning new. The grapes are from Dog Point's Settlement Vineyard, which is certified organic. It's tight, youthful, medium bodied, silky in texture and will age superbly.

We think these wines offer exceptionally good value for money and this Marlborough Pinot Noir offers a super tasty expression of Pinot with notes of complex earthy flavours as well as appealing red fruit and the balance of crisp acidity providing a lingering finish.

The name Kōparepare is Maori for gift and $1 from every bottle of wine is donated to LegaSea, a not for profit organisation set up by the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council in 2012 to raise awareness of the marine environment and inspire public support.

The wines are made by Whitehaven in Marlborough, which was founded by Greg and Sue White in 1994 after they sailed into the Marlborough Sounds to shelter from a storm in the early 1990s and fell for the natural beauty of the region and the haven it provided. 

Winemaker Rudi Bauer uses winemaking techniques very much in keeping with the practices of the Old World, with an obvious nod to Pinot's spiritual home in Burgundy.

The results are a deep, warm wine with inviting perfumed ripe pinot aromatics, both stylish and emotional. The palate is vibrant and lively with great body and spicy minerality that holds defined tannins of Bendigo intensity.

Palliser Estate Pinot Noir is one of our favourites here at Regional, made with hand picked grapes grown on three vineyards in Martinborough - Hua Nui, home block and Pencarrow. Flavours of red fruit, smoky oak, a velvet texture and full body all make this incredibly elegant wine a keeper for up to five years. It also drinks beautifully now with its smooth texture and freshness. 

The grapes were given 5% whole bunch fermentation which adds structure, which is accentuated by French oak aging for 10 months.

Bottled in March 2023.

What the critics say

"Silky, smooth and powerfully elegant Pinot Noir from Palliser Estate."

Joelle Thomson, wine writer and wine programme director for Regional Wines

Prophet Rock’s flagship Pinot Noir – Sourced from their ‘Home Vineyard’ on a steep, elevated terrace in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. Here, altitude, climate, soils and meticulous viticulture combine to produce Pinot Noir with stature and concentration. Careful cellaring will reward collectors over the next 10+ years.

A little old oak fermentation adds flesh and weight to this medium sweet style of Pinot Gris, which has rich flavours and characterful spicy white pear aromas. This North Canterbury Riesling has residual sugar between 10 and 20 grams per litre, which is beautifully balanced by fresh acidity which adds purity and tension to this lively wine.

This is made from organically certified grapes grown on the banks of the Waipara River in North Canterbury.

The region's cool nights and hot days add length to the ripening season, which makes it easy to ripen grapes with rich flavours. 

* Terrace Edge was named the New Zealand Organic Vineyard of the Year in 2018 and this year was named Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Winery of the Year.

Gorgeous dry sparkling rose made the same way as champagne by French born, Marlborough based wine pioneer, Daniel le Brun, who marked 40 years of winemaking in New Zealand in 2000. 

Le Brun pioneered methode traditionelle sparkling wines in New Zealand in the early 1980s, releasing his first bubbly in 1985 and marketing it as made the same way as champagne, only at a fraction of the cost. 

This toasty rich, full bodied pink number is made 100% from Pinot Noir grapes which were fermented to 12.5% ABV with 7.5 grams of residual sugar per litre ? almost bone dry and it tastes like it too, with that smidgeon of grapeyness adding beautiful balance. It was aged for 18 months on lees prior to disgorgement. Ongoing disgorgement means fresh wines remain on the market. 

Full barrel fermentation with natural yeasts provides depth and layers of savoury, creamy, ripe peach flavour to this gorgeously richly textured dry white.  impressively complex aromas of rockmelon, lemon peel, nougat and cedar invite Chardonnay lovers into each sip of this Central Otago Chardonnay, which has excellent concentration, expansive mouthfeel and lingering flavours. 

Eden Valley born, Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan cut his teeth at Henschke before moving to Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, and then returning home to create the Sons of Eden brand with an old buddy. This outstanding wine is the result of their partnership and is one of the pinnacle reds in the Sons of Eden range - a wine that will surprise with not only its power and intensity but also its balance and elegance. 

Zephyrus Shiraz is named after the Greek God of the West Wind, who is depicted as a majestic horse, which makes the artwork extremely apt on the label of this outstanding Shiraz. IT’s made from grapes grown in both the Eden Valley (45%) and the Barossa Valley (55%), which combine their, respectively, cooler and warmer climate attributes, which gives this wine its lively acidity and full bodied power. The wine was fermented using varying proportions of whole bunch clusters from 10% to 60% with 20 to 25 days on skins followed by pressing into French oak barrels, 45% new and 55% seasoned. It spent 15 months in oak and was bottled without fining or filtration so it ticks the vegan friendly box

This deep purple, dry, full bodied Shiraz has powerful ripe black fruit flavours and spicy notes that give this varietal its distinctive appeal.

A top shelf wine that you don't have to dig too deep to afford. 

A blend of grapes more typically found in the Southern Rhone but this wine hails from the Yarra Valley in Victoria. 

The grapes come from the Sexton and Tarraford Vineyards,  and each variety and parcel is fermented separately in small open vats with varying degrees of whole bunch and whole berry fermentation, before being matured in large and small oak for 18 months.

The result is a sumptuous easy drinking wine with plenty of aromatic and flavour interest; sweet cherry and red fruit flavours combining with savoury spice in perfect harmony.

 

Stunning Cabernet Franc from Argentina, showing another string to this powerful South American red wine bow - dark blackcurrant and ripe black plum aromas are followed by the fleshy appeal of a lush palate texture and long finish. 

A great wine for drinking now and also to age for eight to nine years and beyond...

Dry, light bodied Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region in north east Italy. The Botter winery has wrapped this wine in recycled paper to draw attention to its certified organic credentials and environmentally friendly ethos. 

Pale, dry pink wines are all the rage right now from all over the world, and this Portuguese example is made from more than 10 different indigenous Portuguese and international grape varieties, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional. Together these grapes provide complex red berry aromas with savoury notes of herbs and fresh lees influence from light aging prior to release. 

A great match with all seafood.

Commercial description

The hill overlooking Trento, with its clayey-limestone soils, welcomes the Manzoni Bianco and matures the grapes in late September. The character of the Fontanasanta vineyards is expressed through this hybrid, born of a mix of Riesling with Pinot Bianco. Its ability to evolve overtime requires patience; Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco is a wine that really comes into its own at least three years after harvest.

Name of wine: Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
Grape: Manzoni Bianco
Vineyard location: Fontanasanta, Trento hills
Hectares: 5 hectares
Terroir: Calcareous clay
Fermentation and fining: Fermentation on the skins in cement tanks, followed by 7 months of aging in acacia casks
Annual production: 20.000 bottles