Amisfield Brut is one of Central Otago's great Pinot Noirs, only in this case the grapes were gently crushed and the skins removed immediately in order to make a white wine with bubbles, modelled on champagne. 

All of the grapes were hand picked and the wine went through its second fermentation in bottle where it spent 18 months on yeast lees, retaining freshness, gaining full bodied, yeasty, toasty aromas. It's dry with five grams of residual sugar per litre and a long, refreshing finish thanks to crisp acidity which adds drive and length to every tasty sip. 

This wine represents outstanding value for money and shines another light on Pinot Noir from the deep south.

Rich, tasty and refined South Island bubbly, made as a tribute to Dawn Ibbotson, the matriarch of Saint Clair, who lived to be 104 and still resided in her own home. This sparkling wine was first made for her 100th birthday and it is a multi vintage blend made 100% from Marlborough grapes and using 63% Chardonnay with 37% Pinot Noir. The finished wine spent 30 months lees aging on tirage in bottle pre disgorgement.

One of the best bubblies made in New Zealand, and always a vintage wine with the grapes 100% from one year and 100% Pinot Noir. Tastes dry, yeasty fresh with notes of red berry flavours in a full bodied bubbly with a long finish.
Long ageing on tirage – aka lees (decomposing yeast cells) in bottle - provides depth, body and a lingering finish. 

Winemaker Clive Jones launched Nautilus Winery's sparkling wine programme and is on a constant mission to refine these already outstanding wines, which comes through in the two different sparkling wines he makes. The rose is always a single vintage wine and expresses the depth and richness of Pinot Noir made in the traditional method of sparkling winemaking with long lees aging. This wine is super fresh flavour, has a full body and long, crisp, refreshing finish. 

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. 

One of our absolute faves here at Regional Wines. Central Otago based, Austrian born and bred winemaker Rudi Bauer is the mastermind behind the stunning wines at Quartz Reef winery, which he founded and then furthered his own career by studying biodynamics and organics. All of his Quartz Reef wines are certified by both BioGro and Demeter for biodynamic production.

The grapes for this Blanc de Blanc were hand picked and had their second fermentation in bottle followed by 60 months aging on lees. It was riddled and disgorged by hand and has refreshing citrus notes and irresistible bakery aromas which highlight the great suitability of world's southernmost wine region for sparkling wine production.

This is a great example of world class méthode traditionnelle.

Winery notes 
"This wine pays tribute to David Herd, who established Marlborough’s first commercial vineyard and winery at Auntsfield in the 1870s. Using David’s original vineyard site and specific Muscat Clone, this wine is made by applying the Methode Ancestrale technique, which can be traced to production of the first sparkling wine “Blanquette de Limoux” in 1531. As in the 153o’s, and 1870’s, fermentation with natural yeast is completed in bottle. The result is a wine that honours the foundational work of our ancestors and celebrates continued discovery and pleasure.

With each bottle being it’s own fermentation no two bottles are exactly the same. With little sulphur in bottle, this wine evolves in the glass. Initially this wine has fresh aromas of fresh apple, elderflower, nashi pear with hints of mint, and wild honey. In the glass, the brighter apple and pear notes dissipate and reveal more of the Muscat floral and exotic spice aromas. The palate has a fresh and crisp acidity, with tangy green apple. It is light and lively. With a slight brioche and almond complexity giving some generosity to the palate at this early stage of life.

The historic Petits Grains Muscat block is exactly where it all started at Auntsfield in 1873. These vines are trained along the old wire and Manuka posts as they historically were. This block has the potential for heavy crops, so we spend a lot of time carefully removing leaves very early in the season before flowering to reduce the bunch sizes and number of berries that set. Each bunch is carefully tended to during the growing season as this variety is fragile and requires optimum conditions to fully express the incredible aromatics of Muscat.

Limited Edition of just 820 bottles produced."

One of Marlborough's best bubblies, Nautilus is modelled on Bollinger Special Cuvee and aged for three years before release - a long ageing time that provides depth, complexity of yeasty flavours and it retains freshness... This dry, full bodied, deliciously yeasty sparkling wine is a blend of 71.4% Pinot Noir and 28.6% Chardonnay. All grapes are hand picked, fermented with a champagne yeast with only the first run of juice going to fermentation to retain a fineness in flavour and texture. The wine typically contains 5 to 15% of reserve wines, held back from previous vintages, to add complexity and consistency to the wine. 

It is aged on lees in bottle for three years prior to disgorgement, which takes place regularly to ensure every bottle on the market remains fresh in flavour. 

Winemaker Clive Jones creates a consistently vibrant sparkling wine here which has pronounced yeasty, fresh bread aromas and rich savoury flavours. 

Nautilus is a member of Methode Marlborough, a group of quality minded winemakers in the country's biggest wine region, who have dedicated themselves to producing sparkling wines with a minimum of 18 months aging in the bottle and made 100% from grapes grown in their region.

Funky bubbly blend of Pinot Noir and Riesling from the aptly named Damsteep Vineyard in North Canterbury. Grapes were hand harvested and fermented with vineyard derived yeast and bottled while fermenting, during last autumn. Aged on lees through winter, disgorged in spring. No additions including no sulphur.

Beautiful complex sparkling wine made in the same way as champagne, only in the heart of the Wairarapa. This is one of our staff faves and we eagerly await its return in store - with a new fresh vintage from Johner Estate in Gladstone.

As if Lake Wanaka isn't enough of an allure to drink this beautiful bubbly, made from grapes grown in the vicinity, the flavours of this crisp lemony sparkling wine are outstanding. 

Winemakers Sarah-Kate and Dan Dineen describe the flavours in this sparkling wine as "Lemon blossom, brioche and biscuit with hints of almond nuttiness."
They make the base wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, blending the current season wine with a portion of the previous vintage’s bubbly base, matured for an extra 12 months in oak. They add 15% of reserve wine from back vintages, dating back to 2004 to produce complex assemblage, pure and persistent with hints of nuttiness and biscuit. After tirage and secondary fermentation in bottle, the wine is aged on yeast lees for a further 12 to 18 months prior to riddling and disgorging.

Kumeu River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend together to create a deliciously dry and perfectly pink crémant. The aromas of summer sparkle from the glass, freshly picked strawberries and white stone fruit build the texture and mouth feel we really enjoy from our Kumeu Crémant.

The perfect aperitif for the festive season.

The vineyards selected for this wine are Huia Rapaura vineyard and Rose family Kennedy vineyard. 

The grapes were hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed. Juice was racked off to barrels for fermentation  where a warm, fast ferment was encouraged. Base wine underwent full malolactic fermentation. Aged on gross lees in neutral French oak for 14 months. Wine is put on tirage where yeast and sugar is added before bottling. Second fermentation occurred in bottle and the  wine aged on lees for a further 20 months. Hand riddled over 5 weeks and disgorged on 6th December 2021. 

Senses 

Sight: cured salmon pink. 

Smell: Strawberries, cherries and baked bread. 

Taste: Fresh, wild strawberries and strawberry shortcake with a crisp finish. 

Food Matches: Goats cheese platters. Saffron risotto. Proper Crisps with Marlborogh Seasalt

Named after the imperial Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku, the ‘footprint of the rainbow’ or Mt Tapi, as the locals call it.

This sparkling wine is made with the Charmat method which involves the secondary fermentation taking place in tank whereby the bubbles are trapped under pressure. The wine is bright, fresh and fruit froward and stylistically straddles prosecco (made in the same way) and method traditional.

Pet Nat! A co-ferment of all of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes we harvested at Netherwood, bottled whilst fermenting during the 2022 harvest. A rare wine and vintage. Rose gold-apricot hue. Effervescence aromas with white peach, apricot and subtle honey notes. The palate is vibrant, fresh and steely with a fine mousse and lingering crisp finish.  Dry (extra Brut) and alive. Zero sulphur.

Aromas and flavours of green apple and lemon peel, honey suckle and butterscotch. The palate is rich yet refreshing and the mouthfeel is delicate yet persistent.