One of the best Syrahs from Hawke's Bay, full of rich, dark blackberry flavours, red liquorice and a savoury finish; this wine is long and finely tuned without being heavy, dense or dry. And while it's impressive now, this is also a keeper from Smith & Sheth, a pair of wine loving business people whose aim is to make the best  expression of grape and place. Hawke's Bay and Syrah are a match made in heaven. 

Winemaker Karl Johner has a foot in at least three wine camps; the lime-clay hillside slopes of Lime Hill Vineyard is the smallest of them and is situated on the road to Castlepoint in the northern Wairarapa.

An outstanding New Zealand Chardonnay made from that site; its production is tiny but its fleshy, full body and creamy style more than make up for that. 

He also makes wine every year at Gladstone in the Wairarapa and, since the seasons are reversed in each hemisphere, in Germany.

All the grapes in Ata Rangi Sauvignon Blanc are hand picked and sorted into portions, many of which go through whole bunch fermentation on skins in large oak barrels which provides smooth, dry flavours and textures. The remaining portions are fermented in stainless steel to retain fruit freshness and crisp characters, which make for a vibrant and complex expression of Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairarapa. 

This is an exceptional wine which shines a new light on New Zealand's well worn Sauvignon theme. Try it!

The name Ata Rangi is Maori for dawn sky and was chosen to portray the new beginning that the start of this winery represented for founder Clive Paton in the late 1970s.

Escarpment Pinot Noir highlights Martinborough's unique terroir and winemaking philosophy, soundly revealed in this blend of Pinot Noir parcels from across this beautifully well-suited cool climate district.

The 2022 Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Noir is an assemblage of the best Pinot Noir vineyards across the district, with 75% of the grapes from the Te Muna Road sub region. The fruit was hand harvested and crushed to open top fermenters, with minimal intervention until it was pressed. Plunged just once a day for gentle extraction and then left to macerate on skins for an average vat time of 25 days. It has been aged in French oak barriques (27% new) for 11 months followed by a further 9 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling without fining or filtration.


A savoury expression of Pinot Noir showcasing fresh earth, spice, orange rind and bay leaves. The wine expresses the elegance of the 2022 vintage with a palate that is bright and juicy.

Nga Waka Chardonnay is one of the biggest selling wines at this Martinborough winery cellar door, thanks to its creamy smooth body, balanced by freshness and vibrant citrus flavour notes. 

This wine offers stunning value for money, delivering a full body, bone dry flavours and a long, refreshing finish, thanks to the bright balanced acidity provided from the cool nights in the Martinborough region.

This wine is firm, full bodied and full of fruit character with black cherries and spice leading the flavour notes here. This great southern red from winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis at Rockburn in Central Otago. Five clones of Pinot Noir (10/5, 5, 6, Abel, 115 and 777) were harvested from two sub regions of Otago; Gibbston and Parkburn then fermented in large open tonne fermenters with the finished wine spending 10 months in French oak, 33% new. 

Palliser Estate Chardonnay is a creamy smooth, super appealing full bodied wine for  Chardonniastas and those who like their Chardonnays crisp and fresh. 

This wine was made from hand picked grapes, all estate grown by Palliser and a high proportion of them certified organic. The wild yeast ferment accentuates oatmeal and savoury notes, which support the fresh nectarine like fruit flavours in this wine. 

The mouthfeel highlights barrel ferment characters of creaminess balanced by a line of ripe acidity. The wine flows with energy, concentration and a rounded core carrying to a long, creamy, nutty finish. This is an elegant and softly concentrated Chardonnay with harmonious layers of flavour. 

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.

Big velvety Pinot Noir with depth of flavour - earthy notes, spice and dark red cherry fruit notes - in a full bodied style, made by Moy Hall winemaker Phil McArthur. 

This Martinborough producer is as well known for its superlative vineyard restaurant, which is arguably the best place to eat in the region... It's owned by Phil and Carolyn McArthur, who produce wine and great day time food. 

Phil is a professional winemaker in the region and brings a wealth of experience to bear on the wines, such as this Pinot Noir, which is dry, medium bodied and fresh with savoury notes and red cherry flavours. 

Plum and black cherry flavours layered with toasty oak and soft, silky tannins create a fruit forward and smooth pinot noir.

Handpicked, homegrown fruit from Moy Hall's vineyards in Martinborough. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

Koparepare Sauvignon Blanc represents Marlborough's most popular wine; it's fresh, it's crisp and it's a great match for seafood. Speaking of which, $1 from every bottle of Koparepare wine goes towards LegaSea, a not for profit organisation set up by the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council in 2012 to raise awareness of the marine environment and inspire public support.

The name Koparepare is Maori for gift. 

Whitehaven Wines was founded by Greg and Sue White in 1994 after they sailed into the Marlborough Sounds to shelter from a storm in the early 1990s and fell for the natural beauty of the region and the haven it provided. So they decided to take the next natural step - set up a winery back on dry land, naming it, naturally enough, Whitehaven.

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.

Complex Hawke's Bay blend modelled on the best of Bordeaux as a blend of Cabernets Sauvignon, Franc and with a dash of Merlot to add soft, smooth, sweet black plum textures and flavours. This wine has great structure and intensity of flavour. A silky attack with concentrated black currant and spicy plum flavours some liquorice and mineral elegance with a long flavored fine grained tannin finish. This wine will improve with cellaring. 

This wine is great value for money from winemaker Simon Waghorn, who says Chardonnay is his first love in wine. He makes this creamy, dry and citrusy version from four different clones of Chardonnay, all grown on his family's home block vineyard. 

All grapes were hand picked, whole cluster pressed fermented with wild yeasts in barrel followed by lees aging in French oak with battonage (stirring of the lees). The result is a full bodied wine offering impressive depth and layers of stonefruit and citrusy flavours at a relatively modest price. 

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

A sturdy, mid-weight red showing layers of raspberry, black cherry, and a hint of liquorice. Smoky oak and a core of stony minerality add depth, while firm, drying tannins provide structure and grip. It’s a bold, slightly untamed style that promises to reward a few years tucked away in the cellar.