Dry, full bodied, iconoclastic Riesling from New Zealand's king of spatlese styles, Mat Donaldson and his winemaking team at Pegasus Bay Winery, which is New Zealand's greatest Riesling producer. 

This wine, Bel Canto, is the queen of the winery's Riesling range. It is bone dry with 5 grams per litre of residual sugar due to high brix (grape sugars) at harvest time and a small percentage of noble rot (also known as botrytis). It drinks well now and can age for the long term; up to and beyond 10 years. 

Extended hang time on the vines has resulted in the intensely ripe, tropical fruit flavours in the grapes which were picked to retain refreshing, high but balanced acidity. The free run juice was fermented slowly at cool temperatures to retain fruit characters and varietal purity. Alcoholic fermentation was left to continue until residual sugar of 5 g/l was achieved. Retention of a little of natural carbon dioxide gives spritz character to add liveliness and accentuate freshness.

Peregrine's quest for outstanding Central Otago wine begins in the three distinct sub-regions from which we draw our fruit: Bendigo, Pisa and Gibbston, where their landmark winery rises up amongst rugged rock reefs and ancient hills. In each of these locations, their commitment to organic farming and viticulture guarantees fruit of the highest quality, imparting the clearest expression of character to every vintage.

Zesty and concentrated Riesling from Carrick Winery's stunning certified organic vineyard in Bannockburn, where the elevated site produces grapes with delicious juicy intensity and lingering acidity to balance a light touch of residual sweetness from the grapes. Super concentrated aromas of grapefruit and mandarin add to the stylish, off-dry flavours in this beautifully balanced wine, which is tasty now and will evolve positively for at least another 10 years. 

This tasty dry Riesling comes from the beautiful windswept vineyard owned by Craggy Range in the sweepingly stunning Te Muna Road in Martinborough. 

The grapes in this wine were 100% whole bunch pressed and fermented in a  combination of stainless steel and large oak cuves with 100% innoculated yeasts.

The wine was matured for four months before bottling. It's fresh, youthful, vibrant and zingy with intense lime and green apple flavour notes, a medium body and long finish. It drinks beautifully now and will age superbly for at least five to six years. 

“This wine is a time capsule for the last harvest of Riesling off its site and I was happy to capture its electricity in a bottle. There’s something about the way Waitaki tastes in Riesling that is pure magic! Limestone expressing itself in the form of crackling acidity and chalk, you can taste the shape of the soil through the wine, it becomes so physical. This place may be small but she is mighty and every part of the region has Riesling gold to mine and create what I believe is the best Riesling outside of Germany. The name “Amplitude” came to Ian when I was describing how I feel this magnetic pull every time I get close to the Waitaki, followed by this electric current running through me. The feeling is so similar to how the wines taste, it’s crazy. Ian works at the beautiful old Kurow Power Station and so “Amplitude” seemed fitting.” – Sierra Reed

Tasting Note: Jasmine, lime zest, oyster shell, grass, tinned pineapple, and chalkiness create the bones of the wine. Whilst a sharp line of acid brings tension and focus and the residual sugar creates the movement and shape. The interplay between acid, RS and phenolics is key in Riesling and there is a balance that must be achieved to weave them seamlessly so they move together with a oneness. The beauty of this wine is the purity it expressed from juice through to ferment, it’s crystalline.

Winemaking Notes: Foothill Groves Vineyard, growers Ian and Helen Dent. Wild yeast, 30 g/l residual sugar, TA 12.03. 700 litres total production.

Alcohol: 10.4%

Variety: Riesling

Region: Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand

Lush, soft and deeply aromatic aromas of rose petals, lychees and tropical fruit all vie for attention in each glass of this off dry Gew?rztraminer from Nelson - long home to many of the country's best aromatic white wines. 

North Canterbury is the heart and soul of New Zealand's greatest Rieslings, including this aptly named classic from Terrace Edge - it's made from grapes grown on a vineyard along the edge of the Waipara River. 

This wine is a full bodied, medium dry Riesling with ripe citrus, peach and honey flavours. It's made from hand-picked grapes and is fermented to a near-dry style while retaining richness from the residual sugar, which is balanced by Riesling's naturally  high acidity. 

This wine is certified organic. 

* Terrace Edge was named the New Zealand Organic Vineyard of the Year in 2018 and this year was named Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Winery of the Year. 

The Main Divide is the name of the Southern Alps and a range of great wines made by the Pegasus Bay winemaking team. These wines consistently over deliver, drink beautifully when young with their rich and opulent house style - and also age surprisingly well, given the modest price they cost.

The Riesling grapes in this wine were picked over several weeks at between 23-25 brix, which creates rich, tasty Riesling. Fermentation was in stainless steel at cool temperatures and the finished wine retains a little carbon dioxide, which accentuates fresh zingy flavours in the wine, which contains 24 grams of residual sugar.

It's a full bodied, opulent style with a crisp finish.

Crater Rim Riesling is medium sweet in style but so beautifully balanced by fresh  acidity that it tastes medium dry with great concentration of tropical fruit flavours and a succulent, long finish. It's made with grapes grown on Glasnevin Gravels, one of North Canterbury's golden miles of vineyards.

Winemaker Haydon Good worked for Clemens Busch in the Mosel, from which he says one of his take home pieces of information for making Riesling was to make picking decision on acidity then balance the wine with residual sugar, depending on the season and the acidity. That philosophy comes through bright, fresh and clear in this stunningly good value Riesling. 

This medium styled RIesling is produced by Greystone Wines, a family owned winery in the Waipara Valley, the heart of North Canterbury. Greystone is one of North Canterbury's wine stars situated on the slopes of limestone rich hills in Omihi. All of the grapes that go into Greystone wines are 100% certified organic with BioGro NZ and all are estate grown. No additional fruit is purchased to supplement production, which is one of many incremental steps that go into Greystone's high quality wines. 

Greystone Riesling is one of our faves here in store and is a medium style with a nice balance of 23 grams per litre of residual sugar, which off sets the bright acidity and ensures that the overall flavours and style of the wine works in harmony. It contains 13% ABV and was made from grapes that contained a relatively low 8% botrytis, which adds weight and flesh to the wine. 

Certified organic with BioGro NZ.

About Greystone

The Greystone wine story began in 2000 when the Thomas Family bought an old sheep farm on the Omihi hills in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. The rolling limestone hills lured this family in and their goal was a single minded one: to make great wines from the limestone rich soils here. Fast forward 20 years and Greystone is one of the great (and, some might say, yet to be fully discovered) wineries in this outstanding wine region. Not least due to the work of winemaker Dom Maxwell and general manager Nick Gill, who began working together in 2005 and has grown along with the brand and quality. 

This Riesling was made from fruit grown on mature vines, in the limey clay loams of the Waipara Valley floor ? our younger vines grow well on the lighter gravel soils. Harvest is generally late in the season when the Riesling fruit is ripe and clean as this is ideal for development of tangy ripe flavours, while retaining a crisp freshness. These grapes were harvested while cool, then given a long, slow press. The juice was settled, racked and cool fermentation in stainless steel followed. This has produced a full flavoured Riesling with fresh aromas of citrus, and crisp apple along with hints of ginger and spice. These flavours continue into the palate, forming a juicy wine with a perfect balance between sweetness and tangy acidity.

Food Match This Riesling will develop in the cellar for several years, but is equally delicious now with a wide range of foods- seafood and cuisine with Thai and Japanese influences, or as an aperitif with smoked salmon and avocado. Drink this now or cellar for up to eight years.

The name Mon Cheval is in homage to the owner's champion racehorse, Under Cover Lover, whose winning ways helped the dream of making wine possible. The 2.2 hectare vineyard is found at the entrance to Weka Pass in North Canterbury, and is planted with Pinot Noir and only a small amount of Riesling.

Tasting Notes
Lime blossom, orange rind, white lotus flower and schist mineral notes on the nose lead to a spicy tightly textured palate expressing gorgeous poise, drive and balance.
About the Wine
An estate grown, single block selection made from grapes grown at our Two Paddocks’ Red Bank Vineyard in Alexandra, Central Otago, our Dry Riesling is a thought provoking expression of this location. A balance of acidity and dryness means it’s a perfect fit for food matches - the perfect counter-balance to a creamy pasta dish like a cabonara, the fresh saltiness of Oysters kilpatrick and holds its own against vibrant and spicy Asian dishes.

Vintage Comments
A mild, wet 2022 winter meant soils held a lot of water going into the spring and inter-row companion crops including clover, phacelia and barley got off to a strong start. Early spring was very cold and then as spring warmed up in November shoot growth was strong. Flowering started the first week in December and fruit set was considered good on most blocks. Mid-summer heat was high and growing degree days were above 2022 and on par with 2019 by the end of the season.

Picking dates were moving forward until the second half of March when the heat ran out and the final ripening was slow and cool. Harvest started on the 27th of March at Red Bank Vineyard and finished on the 21st of April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Cropping levels were just short of the optimum 2022 crop.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Crafted from a tiny half-hectare block of clone 110 at Two Paddocks Red Bank Vineyard at Earnscleugh, Central Otago, which consistently produces the ripest and most intense Riesling on the estate. All grapes are grown using organic principles, hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel.

The soils in this block are well draining schist loam and the vines tend to thrive. Additionally, the hot day time temperatures that Alexandra experiences over summer encourages riper stone fruit flavours, until late afternoon when the ‘Roxburgh Doctor’ wind arrives and causes a dramatic drop in temperature and hence the significantly cooler nights that the region is known for.

WINE MAKERS NOTE: Whole bunch pressed and then a light racking before fermentation. An indigenous fermentation which took 5 weeks at between 14-21 degrees Celsius. The wine was then held on light lees until it was racked and filtered for clarity and stabilisation prior to bottling.

Mat Donaldson and his talented winemaking team create this fabulous Riesling, which is modelled on the best full bodied wines from both Germany and Austria. It is made from grapes given a long hang time on the vines and is, consistently, one of New Zealand's greatest white wines every year, thanks to winemaker Mat Donaldson and his talented team of Riesling devotees at Pegasus Bay Winery in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. It is succulent, medium dry, concentrated and rich in taste with a honeyed texture and and notes of lemongrass, lemon zest and ripe mandarins leading into a full bodied, weighty, off dry white with high but balanced acidity providing a long finish.

* This wine may form a natural sediment over time due to the winery's minimal handling philosophy. It has been cold stabilised by the winemaking team at Pegasus Bay.

Vinification

Our Estate grown grapes are hand harvested, then whole bunch pressed gently over several hours. The must settled overnight before being racked off gross solids taking only fluffy lees. Fermentation is allowed to proceed slowly at low temperature and stopped when the sugar, acid, alcohol and phenolics are in balance. We hold the wine at a cool temp for the remainder of it’s time in the cellar to retain its natural co2 spritz from primary ferment. The wine is racked and spends 6 months on fine lees before bottling.

Wine

Pale green gold and silver streaks. Delicate notes of apple blossom, honeysuckle, mandarin zest with mineral undertones.On the palate - lime oil, fleshy stone fruits, ripe red delicious and tangerine peel. Bright acidity gives the palate freshness and is balanced with generous fruit sweetness. These aspects are accentuated by the natural spritz retained from fermentation which give a lift in the midpalate. The reprise is long and lingering with a satisfyingly crisp clensing texture.

Tech

Parcel 1: Picked 31/03/23 pH: 2.96 TA: 9.20 Brix: 20.5

Parcel 1: Picked 04/04/23 pH: 2.92 TA: 9.20 Brix: 21.7

Final Wine: Bottled 28/03/24 pH: 2.86 TA: 8.17 Alc: 10.3% RS 27.8g/L