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.

A really lovely bouquet with enticing scents of pineapple and barrel spices, vanilla and clove then a creamed Brazil-nut and butter quality. A dry wine on the palate, full-bodied with a flinty reductive character then flavours of grapefruit and peach, clove and lots of texture. Fine tannins and medium+ acid line, plush, elegant and delicious. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2029.

95 Points

Oustanding

-Cam Douglas

From the winery...

Crafted from handpicked grapes sourced from the renowned Gimblett Gravels, this Chardonnay showcases both power and elegance. It offers layers of ripe stone fruit, zesty lemon curd, and subtle hints of roasted nuts. The complex palate is complemented by a delicate balance of creamy texture, oak undertones and bright acidity, resulting in a wine of depth, structure, and refined tension. Only four barrels were produced (50% of which were new). 

Region: Hawke’s Bay. 

Vintage: 2021. Percentage Alc: 14%

Bendigo Hills, Central Otago, New Zealand.

The clone 10-5 Pinot Noir from Trig Hill vineyard was hand harvested and whole bunched pressed. The free run juice was then settled for 24 hours before being racked into a mix of seasoned oak barrels and stainless-steel barrels for fermentation. After a short warm fermentation, the wine was left on full lees and underwent indigenous MLF in spring. The wine was then tirage bottled and matured for 3.5 years prior to disgorging.

Shows aromas of wild berry, smoke. biscuit, five spices, and cinnamon on the nose with a complex palate of red berry and toast flavours.  Excellent fruit weight and a long finish. 

A cheeky ‘chilled red’. Born out of the heartbreaking 2023 vintage in Hawkes Bay, Franco is the lighter, textural iteration of our Howell Vineyard Bridge Pa Cabernet Franc.

Still wishing to support our growers and the region during this difficult time, yet understanding that our ‘house’ style of Cabernet Franc would not suffice, we decided to create a delicious, prettier, chilled version (12%) - ‘Franco’. Garnet in colour. Brimming with notes of earthy wild strawberries. The palate is highly textural, and soft, finishing with bucket loads of flavour and warmth. Serve chilled.

Howell Vineyard, Bridge Pa Hawkes Bay. Red metal soils, densly planted with 27 year old vines at 2315 vines /ha.

A very challenging season. A moderate spring and average temperatures for ripening. Several significant rain events occured toward the end of summer, and the wet conditions continued into Autumn.

The fruit was machine harvested and delivered to the winery. It was destemmed into a small open top fermenter. Once fermentation began, naturally, it was innoculated and plunged twice daily. After fermentation finished it remained on skins for a further week prior to being gently pressed off. It remained in both stainless steel and neutral oak for 8 months and was filtered prior to bottling. Bottled unfined.

Albarino is a lively Spanish white wine from Galicia in north west Spain; the region also known as green Spain because it has a higher than typical rainfall for that country. This may be why Albarino has adapted so well to New Zealand’s maritime climate and this bright and tasty wine comes from a small, sheltered vineyard in the Upper Moutere hills of Nelson, where cool nights preserve the acidity that drives every succulent sip.

"Albarino is lively, like the Spanish people; lemony, punchy, aromatic and layered..." says winemaker Trudy Shield. 

And what's not to love about all that. 

With a solid Silver at the Bragato Wine Awards this cheeky little Albarino offers distinctive fruit coupled with a hint of sweetness balanced by crisp acidity. A perfect match for paella.

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.

Clean and crisp, dry Pinot Gris from Marlborough that is predominantly fermented in stainless steel to preserve the bright green fruit flavours, but also has a portion that is fermented in barrel to provide texture and complexity. Five months on the lees also gives the wine further flavour and builds texture in the wine, adding weight and complex, smooth and notes of creamy flavour. 

Grenache was first planted by Villa Maria in 1996 on a small patch of ground on the Ngakirikiri Vineyard in Hawke’s Bay and used to make a reserve wine.

This new addition to Esk’s Artisanal range is made from those grapes. Smooth, soft red with more noticeable acidity than southern French Grenache. Very classic Grenache aromas of red fruit and a smooth texture with elegance and without any hint of new oak flavour or any oak influence.

Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.

Crisp and creamy, full bodied and elegant, this wine has great complexity thanks to being made from 21 year old vines, which are now coming into their own - as this lovely refreshing dry white shows. This is the first Masters Chardonnay from winemaker Helen and her partner Ben Masters' vineyard, four kilometres south of Martinborough. 

It's a beautiful wine now and will continue to develop in flavour and age well for the next four to five years+.

Outstanding Hawke's Bay Syrah which was first made in the early 1990s from iron rich soils. This makes Bullnose one of the oldest Syrah brands in Hawke's Bay, named after one of the vineyards from which the wine is made (which, in turn, was named after the vineyard owners' love of old cars, particularly the pre 1928 Bullnose). The grapes come from two vineyards, Bullnose and Isosceles, both in the Bridge Pa Triangle; one of the warmer growing areas of Hawke's Bay, thanks to both soil and climate there. 

Aging for 15 months in French oak, which provides its spicy notes and depth.

A beautiful wine for drinking now or for cellaring.