Stone Paddock Cabernet Franc is an outstanding red made by Paritua, one of Hawke's Bay's top producers of reds modelled on the best of Bordeaux. This gorgeous ripe Cabernet Franc is full of fragrant red fruity aromas and flavours of redcurrants, raspberries and spice, held together with supple tannins which dance across the mid palate of this wine. 

It's made from grapes planted on free draining red metal soils of the Paritua vineyard, an organically farmed single vineyard in the Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District of Hawke’s Bay. Vines here are managed with an open canopy to provide good airflow and exposure to sunlight, which aids ripening for this classic Bordeaux red grape variety. 

The wine was matured in seasoned French oak for 12 months followed by blending, fining and filtering just prior to bottling.

If you have ever wondered why an actor you’ve always admired seems to be perpetually cast in supporting roles and never lands the lead, it will be easy to relate to Cabernet Franc. One could argue that this seductive classic red could lord it over both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is a parent of both of these better known grape varieties, but Franc tends to hang around the edges, adding its personality when needed with colour, depth and spice but rarely vying to be star. And yet, when it is allowed to shine, here is a grape and a wine to adore.

Koparepare Sauvignon Blanc represents Marlborough's most popular wine; it's fresh, it's crisp and it's a great match for seafood. Speaking of which, $1 from every bottle of Koparepare wine goes towards 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 name Koparepare is Maori for gift. 

Whitehaven Wines 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. So they decided to take the next natural step - set up a winery back on dry land, naming it, naturally enough, Whitehaven.

This compact and convenient little half bottle contains Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, one of New Zealand's great classic dry whites. 

Winemaker Simon Waghorn brings grapes together from three sub regions of Marlborough to make this dry, full bodied style of Sauvignon Blanc. Vineyards in the Wairau Valley, Awatere Valley and Kekerengu Coast (the most southern of Marlborough's vineyards) all combine to make this succulent dry wine with its ripe flavours of tropical fruit balanced by green notes. 

All grapes are machine harvested at night or in the cool parts of the day to preserve the purity and intensity of flavours. WInemaker Simon Waghorn blends to suit what he thinks is Astrolabe’s style, which reflects what he has learnt as a winemaker and drinker over the years. This means he aims to create a Sauvignon that tastes dry, expressive and elegantly balanced with flavours of passionfruit, blackcurrant leaf and gooseberry. 

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Fromm Winery produces low alcohol wines similar to German Rieslings from the Mosel/Saar/Ruwer region. These sweet wines have an amazing balance between acid and sugar. While they have high residual sugar, they never seem cloyingly sweet, and have alcohols as low as 7-8%.

This German style Marlborough Riesling offers bright green apple, citrus and mineral notes. The texture is oily and rich, with juicy, bright acidity bringing balance.

Pirrimimma was the first winery in Australia to grow the thick skinned Petit Verdot grape.

It's renowned for being an early budding, late ripening red grape with thick skins and powerful depth of colour, flavour and weight. This late ripening dark skinned grape is originally thought to come from Bordeaux in south west France where it can often struggle to ripen fully, hence it is most commonly used as a blending component to add depth to wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Ironically, it ripens best when it is least needed, as Master of Wine Jancis Robinson writes in the bible of grape varieties, Wine Grapes. 

In the warmest, driest best years, all of the grapes that struggle to ripen (Cabernets and Petit Verdot in particular) all tend to ripen well. Another good reason for seeking out good quality Bordeaux in dry vintages.

Which leads us to the Southern Hemisphere and to South Australia where Pirramimma Wines is based and this lovely red comes from.

MIO entices you with its unique, sweet aroma and refreshing, fruity flavor.
Just pour into a glass and enjoy a sparkling new sake experience.
Crafted in the traditional brewing style, with rice, water and koji.

MIO appeals to a wide range of tastes - a new sake for a new age.

Quaffable, rich Primitivo from the Puglia region in southern Italy. Ruby red with violet reflections in the glass. The nose is fruity and aromatic with strawberry, blackberry and raspberry notes. On the palate, berry flavours continue with some spicy heat. The finish is fruity, with complex liqourice and almond notes. Pair with roast meats or an aged cheese.

Chateau Peymouton has a deep ruby colour with  delicious aromas of blackcurrant and plum. On the palate the attack is powerful, with fine, silky tannins followed by notes of ripe red fruits and a lingering, subtle freshness on the finish of this wine.

Inspired by Beaujolais, made in Hawke's Bay and all about expressing Gamay's soft red berry flavours with lifted floral aromas and a smooth, medium body. Carbonic maceration was used for 47% of the wine and it enhances the fruit and floral aromas. The remaining 53% received a traditional, warm, red wine fermentation. The resulting wines completed their malolactic fermentation and were matured for seven weeks in seasoned French oak barrels, before blending and bottling.

Vineyards

In 1995, Te Mata Estate introduced to New Zealand a superior selection of Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, the grape variety of the best wines of France’s Beaujolais region. Estate Vineyards Gamay Noir 2020 is a single vineyard wine from Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Terraces vineyard, harvested on 3 and 12 March 2020.

Woodthorpe vineyard is located on elevated, north facing terraces in Hawke’s Bay Tutaekuri River valley. Between 1863 and 1914 it was home to the annual Woodthorpe races. 

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are gently pressed into production to make this dry, medium bodied bubbly from Marlborough, which was fermented with wild yeasts and aged for 18 months in bottle on lees; the decomposing yeast cells following fermentation in the bottle. It contains 8.8 grams of residual sugar per litre and alcohol of 12.5% ABV, giving it a medium body and lovely balanced flavours. It’s made by Allan Scott and his winemaking team.

Member of Methode Marlborough.

Ironclad is a full bodied red blend made from traditional Bordeaux grape varieties which are grown on Waiheke Island. It's a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Malbec, which make a complex, structured red for aging up to 10 years or drinking now, decanted and served in your largest red winwe glass.

Its name comes from 19th Century warships characterised by iron bolted onto wooden hulls, in a similar way to the way the warm clay weaves itself into Waiheke Island's hillside vineyards.

Barrel fermentation adds a noticeably delicious depth of flavour to this zingy, dry and refreshing Chenin Blanc from one of those who know the grape like the back of their proverbial winemaking hand - Simon Waghorn. He is an ardent fan of Chenin and gives it all the bells and allows its own personality to shine in this wine. 

Grapes were grown on the sunny, north facing Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough with partial barrel ferment to add body while wild yeasts add savoury flavour notes. 

This is a deliciously complex Chenin at an extremely affordable price with flavours of green apples, liquid honey and notes of dried grass, which make it feel like a hot sunny day with a cool crisp dry white. 

This wine drinks beautifully now and can certainly age for up to a decade, potentially longer. Longevity is one of the hallmarks of the Chenin Blanc grape variety and the wines made from it.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Accolades:
90/100 - James Suckling
91/100 - Bob Campbell MW

"The nose here has attractive, deep-set blackberries and plums that follow on the palate with assertive, mocha-flavored oak that builds on the finish. Drink or hold." James Suckling

"From the Jumilla region in central Spain from grapes grown in certified organic vineyards. Rich, flavoursome red with dark berry, savoury/new leather, spice, baked earth and vanilla flavours. Gutsy red with a pleasingly rustic edge. Best with food." Bob Campbell MW

Tasting Note: Deep-red coloured wine with purple edges, with an extremely intense aroma of red and ripe fruit, pleasantly creamy, accompanied by touches of toasty oak. It is fruity and flavourful in the mouth, meaty and gamey with smoked charcuterie notes and soft, ripe tannins. Vanilla and cinnamon accent the finish.

Winemaking Notes: The harvest is done by hand at the optimum ripening time. Each grape variety was separately fermented and macerated with their own peels during 15/20 days at a controlled temperature no higher than 28ºC. Ageing: 4 months in American oak barrels.

Certification: Organic

Alcohol: 14.5%

Varietal: Monastrell, Syrah and Petit Verdot

Region: Jumilla, Spain

The McManis Family Vineyards Chardonnay is light golden straw in color. Bright fruit aromas of Pear, Melon and Peach are accompanied by a bouquet of Vanilla, Hazelnut, and a hint of buttered popcorn. As with previous vintages, the wine is rich, creamy and full of sweet Pear, Banana and toasty oak flavors

Argentina does Malbec better than anyone on a mass scale, much of it due to the plentiful vineyards planted at altitude in the foothills of the Andes Mountains where sunshine enhances ripening and cool night temperatures elongate the ripening season to accentuate much needed acidity in this grape. These factors combine to provide growing conditions that are unmatched anywhere else in the world that Malbec is planted on a large scale. Wines like this one are testament to the dense fruit character, spicy notes and complexity of good Malbec, often at a relatively modest price.

We love this wine and it also carries organic certification, another thing the dry climate in Argentina allows for with relative ease, but that's another story. 

If you love big reds, try this one out for size.