Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay was the first single vineyard Chardonnay producing by Kumeu River Wines and named in homage to the late Mate Brajkovich, whose four children run the winery today.

The grapes are grown solely on a single vineyard, sloping hillside site opposite the winery in Kumeu, West Auckland. 

Kumeu River Wines began life as San Marino Wines in 1944 when Croatian immigrant couple, Mick and Kate Brajkovich, bought a small property with a vineyard on it. Their descendents now own and run Kumeu River Wines, which produces 250,000 bottles of wine annually from its owns 30 hectares of vineyards in Kumeu and from another 10 hectares, owned by local grape growers. 

Calatayud, a small appellation in the heart of Arag6n, Spain. A hidden valley and home to the red garnacha grape. A valley where the working conditions are difficult for the farmers. Rough slate soils, old bush vines planted on steep slopes up to 1,100m, hot summers and cold winters where rainfall is scarce and the wind is
always blowing. Furthermore, they have to deal with a fragmented landscape of small parcels and rarely have a successor for their years of hard labour. It's tough and challenging, and yet, they understand the value of their soil and grapes, each plot providing a distinct character to the grape compared to its neighbour. Las Pizarras (the slate soils) is our range showcasing the diversity of the region. Named after the town or plot the grapes originate from, each wine in the collection expresses its unique character, but all are born out of soil, nature and the right human touch.

FABLA is a language used in several places in the north of the autonomic
community of Aragén for over 1.000 years. Today is used by just 12.000 people.

Harvest: End of September, beginning of October
Clasification: Calatayud DO
Grape varieties: 80% Garnacha 20% Syrah
Vinification: Direct incubation and fermentation for 15 days at no more than
16 degrees Celsius to preserve all the fresh fruit of the Garnacha.
Ageing: 30% of the Garnacha is aged 3 months in barrel

TASTING NOTES
Intense cherry red colour. Typical Garnacha with aromas of ripe red fruit,
prunes, figs and some black pepper and minerality.

The pairing suggestion - lamb stew, carrots, courgettes and a couple of black olives

Biscuity pilsner malt and distinctive Motueka and Riwaka hops bringing aromas of lemon and lime. Nelson Sauvin for a tart gooseberry hit. Straw coloured appearance, brilliantly clear, with a long lasting white head. Crisp and bitter. Medium dry finish.

4.8% ABV

A 2002 Pulteney single malt from independent bottler Hunter Laing that was matured in a single ex-bourbon barrel for 19 years, before being bottled in February 2022 as part of its Old Malt Cask series.

TASTING NOTES:

NOSE: Clean, Citrus, Slightly maritime.

PALATE: Honey sweetness, herbal, white pepper.

FINISH: Long with more sweet herbal.

A great example of the Aultmore's depth and complexity - distilled back in 2010 and filled into a refill butt. After 11 years of maturation it was released in 2022.

Haze For Dayz 3×2 6 pack

Introducing our new release 3×2 box of Haze, Haze for Dayz. This should hit all the right notes for lovers of hazy’s. Joining our biggest seller 5 O’clock Somewhere are two brand-spanking new hazy IPA’s Mornin’ Glory and Sundowner. Mornin’ Glory with an ABV of 5.5% has a fresh, zesty hit of citrus up front followed by sweeter mango notes. Sundowner is a little gem with its creamy body dominated by stone fruit and tropical flavours and comes in at 5.8%.

ABV 5.5 – 6%

6 x 330mL Cans

Tullamore Dew is a distinctively smooth Irish whiskey; experts have described its flavour as "warm, sweet spices, pleasant maltiness with toasted wood hints and a creamy vanilla smoothness".

5 O’Clock Somewhere Hazy IPA 6 Pack

This Hazy IPA is the perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch, smoko, dinner or last call beer with its sweet citrus taste and hazy good looks because you know it is 5 o’clock somewhere.

ABV 6%

6x330ml Cans

Surprise mix of beers

PURE, FRESH & TEXTURAL BARREL AGED CHARDONNAY

Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouth filling and vibrant with hints of stonefruit and citrus. Creamy and textural with a refreshing dry mineral finish. Approachable and delicious.

Vintage
2023 was a challenging vintage for Hawke’s Bay. Intensive viticulture work was imperative throughout the growing season.  High rainfall, humidity, reduced sunshine hours and Cyclone Gabrielle hitting the region early February was the icing on the cake.  A silver lining was the harvest was weeks behind a normal growing season which mean’t very slow ripening and high acids so grape maturity levels were behind when the cyclone hit. As the season unfolded and settled into autumn it was a very late pick for a lot of the varieties, in some respects a saving grace.

Vineyards
Kokako, Ohiti Valley and Ascot, Havelock North

Winemaking
90% Kokako Vineyard, Ohiti Valley 10%  Ascot Vineyard, Havelock North.  No SO2. Pressed to tank for cold settling overnight. Racked clean to barrel. Natural fermentation and malo-lactic fermentation to completion. Aged in matured French oak barrels on lees for 9 months.  Final Blend, barrel selection to taste.

pH 3.56 TA 7.0 g/L Alc 13.0 %v/v

A single vineyard barrel aged Chardonnay from the alluvial soils of Hawke’s Bay.

Hand selected fruit with 12 months maturation in new and one year old French oak, the wine is beautifully textured, full bodied with butterscotch and spicy oak flavours.

Displaying mineral tones from the terroir, this wine has a delightful and very long finish.

The fruit for this wine comes from a small parcel in the Byrne vineyard, located in the Conder’s Bend area of Marlborough.

The vines are managed organically and are planted on gravels that would have once been a river bed. The stoney soils provide both drainage and heat retention which are essential for this cooler site.

The grapes were hand-picked, whole-cluster pressed and taken straight to French barriques without any chemical additions. It was fermented with indigenous yeast in the barrels, helping to add complexity and texture, without dominating the nose.

The wine was left on yeast lees for fifteen months, which were stirred regularly. This meant that the yeast added both savoury notes and also served to work as a natural fining agent. After time in barrique it was gently racked then bottled without fining.

100% Furmint from four vineyards growing on volcanic sites in the famous Tokaj region of Hungary. Fermentation and maturation are both in 100% stainless steel to preserve the fruit forward nature of the wine. That said there is plenty to texture and complexity with almond notes and refreshing minearlity.  

2.5 bar in the name of this wine refers to the pressure, which is half of the pressure in bottle fermented sparkling wines, giving this cheeky little quaffer a superb yet subtle spritz. Sun ripened strawberries on the nose lead to a feather light palate with similar red berry flavours. Ethereal and bubbly!

Commercial description

Shannon Ridge High Elevation is a true celebration of our sustainably-farmed, mountain-grown fruit. Crafted in a robust, food-friendly style, these wines bring together three very special appellations within Lake County: High Valley, Red Hills and Big Valley. Here, the grapes develop the ripe, full flavours, complexity and structure that make these wines perfect for gathering together your favourite people around the table. Enjoy the rich taste of the high life.

High Valley fruit adds lively citrus flavours and bright acidity, grapes from Red Hills contribute generous, ripe fruit character balanced by the grassiness and mineral tones of fruit from Big Valley