This is a great red from a small wine producer just outside the village of Clevedon, in the rolling green hills southeast of Auckland. It's an unlikely destination for a top red as there are few other vineyards in the area, which is warm with a maritime climate - the coast can be seen from the vineyard and is about a 10 minute drive away.  

The wines are made solely from estate grown grapes from the four acres on site, which include Merlot, Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. This bunch of classic Bordeaux red grapes inspired founder Judy Fowler to make wines modelled on the great reds of Pomerol and St Emilion in Bordeaux. The first wines were made in 1999 and continue to be produced on site by Judy, her partner Phil Nunweek and winemaker Evert Nijzink.  

Plush, smooth and full of ripe red plum flavours, this wine is made with grapes grown a vineyard formed on the ancient riverbed of a river that once carried rock from the steep Ruahine ranges and deposited masses of free-draining gravel which is locally known as red metal. This is a plush wine from a very good vintage and punches well above its weight. Juicy ripe berry flavours from the Merlot are balanced by grunty darker earthy elements from the Franc.

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.

The Chatterer

66% Merlot 34% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep in colour with a layered fragrant nose of ripe plum and cassis with lifted vanilla, cedar and tobacco notes.

The palate has a rich velvet texture with excellent structure, ripe black fruits and cassis flavours with a long full finish.

Great cellaring wine for up to 10 years.

14% Alc

This is a very good value, dry, medium bodied red from the country's second biggest wine region, Hawke's Bay, where the Babich family owns significant vineyard land. It's a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon whih reflects Hawke's Bay's vineyard plantings because Merlot is the most planted variety and it adds softness and flesh to the great structure that Cabernet provides. Babich Wines is one of New Zealand's oldest wine companies and remains in the hands of the same family whose ancestor, Josip Babich, founded it. 

Clearview Winery was founded by wine lover and winemaker Tim Turvey, who was the first to plant grapes on the coast at Te Awanga, south of Napier; it's a beautiful, if windy, site, and home to a tasty fruit salad of reds with Chardonnay his leading white.

This affordable full bodied Hawke's Bay red over delivers with soft, plush Merlot playing the lead role and balanced by a robust, spicy 12% Malbec, which adds oomph and power to the wine. 

About Clearview Estate

Clearview Estate is one of oldest, most well established wineries in Hawke's Bay and is situated on the Te Awanga Coast, south of Napier. It's a great place to visit for tastings at the cellar door as well as lunch in the dappled shade of the established courtyard area. The winery was founded by Tim Turvey, winemaker and co-owner. The current winemaker is the multi talented Matt Kirby.

Soft plush Merlot with the black olive flavours of Cabernet Sauvignon’s impressive structure both add great balance to this powerful wine from Clearview Estate in Hawke’s Bay. Flavours here are dark and brooding black olives, dried woody thyme with all its aromatic intensity, supported by the velvety smoothness of Malbec, which makes up a small portion of this wine. 

This is a wine that drinks well now and can age to evolve even more impressive flavours for up to 10 years. 

About Clearview Estate

Clearview Estate is one of oldest, most well established wineries in Hawke's Bay and is situated on the Te Awanga Coast, south of Napier. It's a great place to visit for tastings at the cellar door as well as lunch in the dappled shade of the established courtyard area. The winery was founded by Tim Turvey, winemaker and co-owner. The current winemaker is the multi talented Matt Kirby.

Pegasus Bay has an excitingly diverse, if sometimes surprising, array of different grapes growing in its vineyards in the Waipara Valley, the heart of North Canterbury, many of which were planted to see what would fit. And thanks to the long dry autumn growing season, quite a number of different grapes can ripen fully here. This enables varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc and even Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen and produce wines such as this full bodied, juicy, age worthy red. If climate change continues, who knows what we will see coming from this stellar, family owned wine producer.

This wine drinks well now and can age and improve for the next five to seven years. 

Charles Wiffen and his family are well known for producing well priced (affordable), well liked (very good quality) wines in a range of styles, all from Marlborough grapes.

While Merlot is the second most planted red in Marlborough, it lags a long way behind the popular Pinot Noir, but wines such as this show another, softer side to the red wine story in this country's biggest wine region. Good drinking now and very good value for money.

Juicy smooth blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec in a bold and powerful red made by Hawke's Bay winemaker Jenny Dobson, whose extensive winemaking experience in Bordeaux and Hawke's Bay shines through in this fleshy flavoursome wine. 

Doris was named after her grandmother, Doris and this is the first vintage of this medium bodied, dry and fleshy wine, which has flavours of red plum, red fruit and lightly toasted spice.