The lovely dry French rose comes from a great wine producer called Astralabe, a name that is extremely familiar to New Zealanders, only this producer is completely underelated to our own Astrolabe wines. 

Chene Bleu Rose is a relatively new wine brand at Regional from an exciting, high altitude vineyard in Vaucluse, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cotes-d'Azur. All of the wines are certified organic with the EU and made to exactly quality standards. Hand picked grapes, double sorted in the vineyard, tiny yields and obvious high quality flavours are just some of the reasons to drink these wines.

This dry rose more than lives up to the promise of a refreshing southern French wine and it's made mostly from the Grenache grape which is blended here with Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Rolle - also known in Italy as Vermentino.

This is a great French rose to serve chilled and enjoy with salads on a warm summer day.

If Cotes du Rhone reds haven't made their way onto your wine drinking radar yet, then now's the perfect time because many of the 2016 wines are still available on the market and it's a vintage that rocks. This wine is made by the Sabon family, who have carved a name for themselves as high quality producers of great Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This red is made from the hills of the surrounding southern Rhone Valley from a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.
This crowd pleaser drinks beautifully now but undoubtedly has eight to nine years of aging and evolution up its vinous sleeve.

One of the world's top 10 best known wine brands, Guigal is the producer of this incredibly smooth, spicy, soft and delicious full bodied red Cotes du Rhone. At least 4 million bottles of this wine are made in a good year and as it is aged for three years  minimum in Guigal’s wine cellars, there are about 12 million bottles of Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge in Guigal's cellars at any one time, either fermenting or maturing.

All of the grapes are grown and bought in from 850 growers in the Rhone Valley and while this is a vast amount of external input, all of the wine production from fermentation to ageing, bottling and marketing is done by the Guigal family. 

This blend is approximately 55% Syrah with smaller proportions of Grenache and Mourvedre to add roundness to the wine, which is softened out by the three year ageing process in Ampuis, in the Northern Rhone, which is the Guigal family's winemaking headquarters.

Classy unoaked Chardonnay from the Coteaux Lyonnais just north of the Rhone Valley and made by a well respected Rhone producer in the shape of Clusel Roch.

A bright fresh and energetic wine with citrus, white stone fruit and floral notes.

Soil type

Limestone, clay and silt. Sandy gravel.

Grape variety

100 % Syrah.

Average age of vines

35 years.

Winemaking

Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats at high temperatures. 3 weeks maceration in vats.

Ageing

18 months in oak barrels.

Average yield

40 Hl / hectare. The vines are mainly on steep slopes from the villages of Gervans, Mercurol, Larnage et Crozes-Hermitage.

Appearance : Dark and deep colour.

Nose : Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas.

Palate : A structured tannic wine. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla.

Overall : Remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins to due long oak ageing.

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre from the Rhone. A rich, well structured wine. Full of plum and stewed fruit aromas. No oak results in pure fruit expression on the palate. 

100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone's appellation of St. Joseph which is famous for its powerful wines. The palate offers Oodles of blackberry, black currant and plum fruit that meld with spicy savoury and herbal elements.  The finish is long with black tea and toasty notes.

The baby brother of La Crau from Vieux Télégraphe, made using fruit from vines that are less than 30 yeas old and fruit from sites other than La Crau and Piedlong. This spends its first 10 month sin stainless steel before spending 7 months in small format oak. Ripe dark and red berry fruits are delivered in a wonderfully supple mouthful.

Wine growers in the northern Rhone since 1481, the Chave family represents 16 generations of unbroken lineage committed to the production of some of the finest Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussanne on the planet. Jean Louis joined his father in 1992 after completing undergraduate studies at University of Connecticut and a degree in oenology at Davis. It was at that time that he completely replanted vineyards on the family’s original estate in Saint-Joseph, which had been abandoned in the early 1900’s when phylloxera hit the region.

Jean-Louis Chave Selections, his negociant line which sources grapes from various areas in the northern Rhone, represents a more accessible way for the consumer to experience the wines of the Chave family.

Chateau du Trignon is located on the Trignon river which divides Sablet and Gigondas in the southern Rhone. This is 100% Marsanne offering subtles aromas of acacia, beeswax, quince, almonds, honey and white peach.

Dry, dark and full bodied wine with impressive structure, made from 100% Syrah grown on 20 to 50 year old vines planted on limestone, sand and pebbles in the appellation of St Joseph. This wine is fermented in stainless steel and was aged for 16 months in second fill oak barrels.

Chateau du Trignon is located on the Trignon river which divides Sablet and Gigondas in the southern Rhone.

The Roussanne grapes are planted on clay-limestone alluvial terraces which provide hot, stony, well-drained soils which decrease vigour and push ripeness. The wine is pneumatic pressed, with settling and fermentation in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats at low temperatures to retain freshness.

The Alary family's involvement in viticulture and wine production dates back as far as 1692. The estate now comprises 29 hectares of vines of which 26 hectares are Grenache dominant and 3 are Rousanne dominant - with holdings in Rasteau and Cairanne.

The wine is a deep red colour and opens with a nose of dried fruit, ripe plums and savoury notes. The palate is broad and rich with dark plum fruits and good tannin structure leading to a long mineral finish.

Unfined, unfiltered and organic.