NZ OTHER WHITES

A fruit salad of a wine! Passionfruit with white peach, apricot & a light smokiness.  A saline & refreshing acid profile with supple texture.

When I found out there was some Albari?o available from the Two Terraces vineyard I was so excited to work with such a refreshing and versatile variety! Already familiar with the quality of the fruit grown by Ian and Linda Quinn, as well as the care and attention to soil health, I did not hesitate to jump at the opportunity.

The whole bunches were hand harvested, de-stemmed and macerated on the skins for two weeks time. A very light daily hand plunge and the addition of my active vineyard starter yeast which fermented underneath the vines. Biodynamic preparations 500, CPP were applied to the soil through out the year, as well as silica quartz (501) to the canopy.

After fermentation was complete the free run juice Albari?o was pressed into a large spherical and small Tinajas for ageing on its lees.

Nautilus Albarino is a limited edition wine made by Clive Jones at Nautilus winery where the cool temperature fermentation preserves the briny, salinity of Albarino's refreshing dry flavours. A brief period of ageing on yeast lees following fermentation adds a creamy balancing textural note to the taste and mouth feel of this lovely wine. 

The Albarino grape is originally from north west Spain and north west Portugal, where it's known as Alvarinho; same grape, different name. In Portugal it is used to make refreshing light bodied whites such as Vinho Verde and an increasing number of great dry single varietal white wines. 

Peachy, flavoursome, rich and full bodied, this dry white is The Millton Vineyard's top Viognier, made from grapes grown on the steep slopes of the special, small and beautifully formed Clos de Ste Anne vineyard in Gisborne.

This wine is certified organic and biodynamic. 

The 2020 vintage was superlative and is the first year since 2014 in which all five wines made from the Clos de Ste Anne vineyard have been produced. 

Whole bunch fermented blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, which spent the first part of their wine journey in amphora with two months of skin contact, which results in the orange hue in this lovely refreshing dry wine. Softly white wine with grip and aromatic appeal, which ticks the vegan box. 

Certified organic  

The organic story at Seresin

One of the greatest things about Seresin Estate is the organic certification. This came relatively early on for Seresin, who was dismayed by the amount used and the impacts of man made chemicals, which were routinely and frequently sprayed on vines. His early adopting philosophy of organic certification paved a positive path for the integrity of the wines as well as leading others to follow suit.

Pegasus Bay whites have the X factor and this awesome blend of four grapes is no exception. It's made from Semillon and Chardonnay which add toasty, rich, dry and creamy notes to this off beat wine style. Ultra ripe Semillon from 33 year old vines was fermented naturally with its solids to add some funky complexity, and then aged on lees in old oak barrels for 2 ? years. A little Gewurztraminer and Muscat add aromatic interest and appeal. 

The longer than usual period in oak has given this wine a toasty and nutty character, with extra richness on the palate. There are also hints of citrus blossom and some floral notes. Skin contact during the fermentation has added savouriness, however, the wine still has crisp acidity that provides for a lively and refreshing finish. A full bodied and complex wine, not for the faint hearted. Funkier than a night on the town with James Brown!

Winemaker Jules Taylor is a champion of adventurous winemaking and grape varieties, such as Gruner Veltliner - and this is a fabulous dry white wine. The Gruner grape originally comes from Austria and is capable of a diverse style of wines, such as this refreshing aromatic and savoury wine. 

Millton Vineyard is a key pioneer of Viognier, producing this one from vines grown on the silt banks of the Waipoa River in the Gisborne region. This is a dry, full bodied and textural wine with ripe apricot skin and peachy flavours. It drinks well now and will continue to age gracefully for the medium term; five to six years and possibly even longer. 

Sirius White is a blend of Chardonnay with a touch of Viognier and Marsanne fermented with indigenous yeasts and bacteria and is certified organic and biodynamic.

Winemakers James and Annie Millton were the first in the country to produce a certified organic wine in 1984 and have since pioneered biodynamic grape growing and winemaking practices, along with retaining a strong loyalty to lesser known great grape varieties, such as Marsanne and Viognier, among many others. 

We love the wines from this iconic producer.

This Marlborough Viognier is one of New Zealand's most outstanding examples of its type with its full body and dry flavours balanced by weighty ripe peachy notes and a long, refreshing finish.

Viognier originates in the northern Rhone Valley in France where it typically makes high quality, 100% varietal wines (made solely from this grape, without blending) but can also be used in full bodied dry white blends. 

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 rare delicious fresh white wine made from Petit Manseng, a French grape that originates in the south of France and makes characterful dry white wines such as this lively, aromatic wine - flavours of grapefruit and zesty ripe citrus make this a deliciously tasty wine. 

The father-daughter winemaking team, John and Beth Forrest, are champions of lesser known, outstandingly interesting grape varieties from around the world, including Petit Manning. 

Pronounced 'pet-eet man-seng'. Deliciousness in a bottle.

Albariño is a classic Galician white grape variety from north western Spain, which thrives in New Zealand and tastes of fabulous aromatic lemon zest with green olive and freshly picked apple aromas. Forrest Estate winemaker Beth Forrest first encountered it in Spain and was smitten immediately. This led to Albarino being brought into New Zealand by Riversun Nurseries in Gisborne and, eventually, to growing in Marlborough where Beth and her famous winemaking father, John, Forrest, both love it and produce this fabulous dry white wine.

This wine shows all the classical Albariño elements with a New Zealand touch of vibrant acidity, white peach, pear, apricots and quince, with an orange zest undertone.

Albarino is a grape from the Galicia region in Spain. It is known for making fairly pale, high acid wines with distinctive aromatic stone-fruit qualities. This is a new varietal for North Canterbury, which has shown promising results for this grape. The nose on this wine is rich with classic stone-fruit, spice and citrus notes. The palate is concentrated and juicy, with great acid brightness.

This is one of New Zealand's most popular white wines made 100% from our most planted red grape, Pinot Noir. It's a dry, fresh and medium bodied white made from hand picked Pinot Noir grapes grown at Wooing Tree's home block vineyard in Cromwell, Central Otago. Minimal skin contact and stainless steel fermentation retains freshness and a light zesty flavour and character.