Just when we’re thinking how great modern Chardonnay is, along it comes in a surprisingly complex, surprisingly dry blend with Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. And it comes from one of the chilliest places in the world of wine today, Patagonia in South America.

Flavours of tropical fruit, citrus and Turkish Delight all combine in this funky fleshy, full bodied white which was aged in French oak foudres and concrete vats for nearly 20 months.

This wine is dry with 2.18 grams per litre of residual sugar. 

Bodega Otronia is situated in the heart of Patagonia at parallel 45 south, the last frontier for winemaking and grape growing. High winds, a cold and dry climate all make organic wine production relatively smooth sailing here.

If you're looking for Italy in a glass, here it is - a complex Chianti Classico (90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot) from  a hillside vineyard in Tuscany called Poggio Teo. This 10 hectare site is situated about 400 metres above sea level where its vines gain maximum sunshine and benefit from cool nights, both of which enhance this wine's deep velvet smooth mouthfeel and complex, dry savoury aromas. Fleshy black plum flavours and a soft textured mid palate are followed by a lingering flavoursome finish. 

A great wine for drinking now (must be decanted to show at its best) and to save for another five to six years. 

Biodynamic Spanish white made from the characterful, spicy Xarello grape - a Spanish specialty, most often used to make sparkling wine but here used to create a tasty dry still white. 

WInemaker Ramon Jan? broke with his family tradition of 500 years - of selling off large volumes of grapes to large cava (sparkling wine) producers and used his Xarello grapes here to create a dry, medium bodied white, giving the grapes 24 hours of skin contact before fermentation, which adds tasty body to the wine, leading into flavoursome notes of tropical fruit, yellow apple, fennel and fresh length thanks to its zesty acidity. 

This lovely creamy Chablis village wine is a perfect introduction to the minerality of  the Chablis AOC, the northernmost outpost of the Burgundy region in north east France. In its youth, this wine is generous and lively, with notes of lemon, oyster shell and flint. After 10 years or more, the aromas become far more powerful, with notes of gun-flint and undergrowth. In the great vintages, it can be kept for more than 20 years.

It's a great food match with cheese puff pastries and any type of seafood.

Jinro is Back is a reinterpretation of soju sold between 1975 and 1983. The retro blue bottle is especially popular with consumers and has led to the creation of a range of new products, including Jinro is Back branded clothing. Jinro soju was first introduced in 1924.

16.9%

Bodegas Casa Castillo is located on the plateau of Jumilla where its 174 hectare vineyard enjoys a high altitude and the cooling influence of the Mediterranean. Lovers of Bandol reds will enjoy this lovely smooth, full bodied red from Casa Castillo, a blend of Monastrell 60%, Garnacha 20% and Syrah 20%. 

It's made from old bush vines which provide very small amounts of highly concentrated juice. Modern winemaking with cold macerations retains freshness and new French oak provides structure. The wines are generally bottled unfiltered to allow them to be as expressive as possible and they are a bargain for the quality produced.

A fruity and fresh nose containing a hint of toasted nuts. 

Well-balanced, clean and refreshing taste.

15% ABV

VINEYARD - The fruit for this wine was selected from a small single vineyard on the Waipara Valley floor with soils consisting of Glasnevin gravels. 

SOIL TYPE - Glasnevin gravels

WINEMAKING - The fruit was harvested late and hand sorted in the winery.  Pressed off slowly, the juice was allowed to spontaneously start fermentation.  It was then fermented slowly in cool conditions in small stainless steel tanks.

TASTING NOTES - Gloriously rich and opulent, the bouquet shows dried apricot, Makuna honey, marmalade and rich floral characters. The palate displays outstanding concentration and depth, wonderfully enhanced by lavish sweetness and creamy mouthfeel, making it unctuous and irresistible.  Sam Kim – Wine Orbit

Petit Manseng is a rarely known, refreshing white grape grown in a small appellation in the south of France where it makes outstanding wines such as this fresh, bright and complex sweet white wine. This is one of our absolute faves here at Regional and a wine we admire greatly from one of the smallest wineries in New Zealand's biggest wine region, Marlborough. 

Churton founder and winemaker Sam Weaver cut his teeth on the classic wines of the world while working in fine wine retail in the United Kingdom. His background is in microbiology and he was raised on a farm, so when he and his wife Mandy founded Churton Estate, it combined all of his passions. The couple and their adult sons, have created one of this country's most high quality small wineries, which lives up to the dream of creating 100% estate grown grapes, 100% certified organic production and 100% bottled on site, nearly all of the wines without fining or filtration. All grapes are hand picked and natural yeasts ferment the majority of Churton wines. These incremental qualitative decisions impact at every step of their winemaking provides exceptional quality grapes which in turn express themselves in outstanding wines.

ZENKURO - This is New Zealand's first ever sake, handcrafted since 2015, in Queenstown.  Our fresh, Premium grade junmai style of sake is pure, nothing added, but give a unique twist with the use of Manuka timber, NZ's own miracle tree.

Our brand is Zenkura - while 'zen' means all, 'kuro' means black - a simple but powerful combination born in NZ.  We start with water from the snow-capped Southern Alps and special sake rice that has been milled to remove the outer 30-40%, leaving only the best part of each grain for the fermentation to begin.

15% ABV.

The Ovello site has more clay, and the resulting wines are plump and fruit forward meaning they often drink earlier, as well as being super age worthy too. Classic ripe cherry notes that develop autumnal qualities and  more of the tar and spice that Barbaresco is famous for with age.

Ovello is one of the great red wines of Italy and is made entirely from the great structured red grape, Nebbiolo; exceptional in taste, complexity and its ability to age for at least a decade, evolving into a silky delicious wine over this time. It's made by the Produttori del Barbaresco. This highly respected winery cooperative was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation, which means they own approximately a seventh of the appellation. The single vineyard wines, such as this one, are only made in highly rated vintages (all of the grapes go into a blend in other years) and released after four years maturation in the riserva programme. 

All single vineyard cru wines from Produttori del Barbaresco are fermented at 30°C and given 32 days of skin contact time before being pressed in large oak barrels for 36 months of maturation in wood followed by a further nine months aging in bottle, prior to release. 

Fast facts on Barbaresco

Barbaresco as an appellation was created in 1894

Barbaresco was given DOCG status in 1980

This is a small wine production area with approximately 700 hectares of vineyards registered to make Barbaresco – which must be 100% Nebbiolo and made within the same sub region in which the grapes are grown. 

100% Albana di Romagna

Made from dried Albana grapes, this dessert wine opens with ripe yellow peach and apricot aromas that carry over to the savory palate together with acacia honey and toasted hazelnut notes. Fresh acidity balances the sweet flavors.

Source - winemag.com

Domaine Bouïssière covers 9 ha of Gigondas, 5 ha of Beaumes-de-Venise and 2.6 ha of Vacqueyras and is owned by brothers Thierry and Gilles Faravel who are considered one of the leading artisan winemakers in Gigondas, if not in the whole southern Rhône valley.

This wines is made with 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah grown at altitude on the granite slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail. It is juicy, racy and harmonious with integrated tannins and will evolve beautifully over the next five or so years.

100% Chenin Blanc Cremant de Loire from Marc Brédif. A selection of the finest wines of the year blended with 10% reserve wines, and two and a half years aging in the cool underground cellars. Dosage of between 9-12grams, this classic expression of Brut Vouvray offers aromas and flavours of green apple, citrus and mineral notes with a fine bead and crisp finish.

Wine Spectator 2015 - Finally, a solid vintage, easily the best since 2010. Chenin Blanc excelled with both dry and sweet versions.
Vintage 92 pts Outstanding – Wine Advocate Vintage Chart