WINE MAKING

Fruit was sourced from three sites in the Wairau Valley.  60% of Clones 95 and 40% of Mendoza were used.  No sulphur was added to the juices at the point of extraction which then were fermented spontaneously in a combination of seasoned French oak (90%) and stainless steel (10%).  

TASTE

Aromatics of ripe yellow citrus, nectarine and brioche.  A finely textured palate with an array of flavours from Meyer lemon to stone fruits with a lively acid to savour.

FOOD MATCH

All kinds of soft cheeses, white meats and rich seafood such as koura (crayfish) and smoked warehou.  

ACID: 6.5 g/l
pH: 3.48
ALC: 13.0%

From the winery

One of our bestselling wines, Daisy Rose 2024 is made from 100% premium Merlot grapes in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The wine is delicate in its pink colour, fun, fruity and floral. It has enticing aromas of guava, roses and grapefruit followed by a soft, luscious, and silky palate with alluring flavours of summer fruits. Our stunning Daisy Rosé is best enjoyed chilled (aren’t we all?) on a sunny day with friends and family.

This is a beautifully balanced wine that offers aromas of cherry, dark plum and fragrant plum blossom on the nose. The palate is velvet textured with flavours of blackberry, plum, complex spice and white pepper, balanced by fine grained tannins, and a hint of smoky oak.

Food matches include wild pork, red meats and game dishes.

Dice is a New Zealand first - a wine with a vintage which is high quality, fun and funky in a 2-litre box, which puts a new spin on the well known theme of convenience because this wine is all about quality, no holds barred. A blend of Pinot Noir grapes from several vineyards in Bannockburn is used to create this superlative, deliciously good Pinot Noir with its bright bold cherries and ripe fruit flavours underpinned by a medium body and smooth texture in a wine with a long finish. 

This wine is a labour of love and was made from hand picked grapes grown on the organically certified Ashmore Vineyard in Fairhall, Marlborough. A combination of spontaneous yeast and inoculated ferments (50/50) were taken to 12.5% ABV and residual sugar of 19.5 grams per litre, which makes this wine medium dry in style. It tastes like lemon zest and fresh ripe Granny Smith apples on speed… a gorgeous refreshing, full bodied Marlborough white wine made from one of the greatest grapes on Earth. 

A must try. 

Alpha Domus is a family owned winery in Hawke's Bay, which produces a wide range of wines from high quality sparkling to full bodied, age worthy reds. 

This is their introductory Syrah, a dry full bodied red with notes of spice and red fruit. It drinks well now and can hold for three to four years from vintage date, but is not intended to be aged for the long term.

Serve in a large glass at room temperature; it's great winter drinking.

Beautiful soft red fruited Pinot Noir from the original Lowburn Ferry Vineyard in Central Otago. This is a great wine with stature and power. 

Impressive and iconic Pinot Noir from North Canterbury with commanding firm tannin structure and deep savoury flavours. Rich, ripe red and black plum aromas lead into a structured beautiful wine with spicy notes and earthy depth of flavour. This wine is unfined and unfiltered, which means it is ticks the vegan box and also may have some sediment. It also adds depth of flavour to this lovely Pinot Noir.

Pyramid Valley wines has a new lease of life following the untimely passing of its founder, Mike Weersing, whose insights and dedication to biodynamic winemaking providing an inspiration and impetus to the industry. The 2019 vintage provided ripe grapes which went into this full bodied, rich, ripe and savoury expression of Pinot Noir. It was bottled unfined and is vegan. 

Dry, savoury and earthy style of Pinot Noir with delicacy and power from grapes grown on Craggy Range's windswept and beautiful Te Muna Road vineyard, 9 kilometres east of the Martinborough village. 

Hand picked grapes from the Te Muna Vineyard were fermented in a combination of French oak cuves and open top stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. The finished wine was matured in French oak barriques, 22% new, for 10 months. No fining but a coarse filtration results in a satisfyingly savoury dry Pinot with tension and backbone. A stunner now and for the cellar. 

Prima Donna is the top Pinot Noir and best red from Pegasus Bay Winery, made from a blend of barrels tasted by the winemaking team and chosen for their quality and superior style. It is produced by Mat Donaldson and his winemaking team, who aim to create the most complex and balanced Pinot Noir possible in this wine, which is part of Pegasus Bay’s reserve series wines. 

Traditional Burgundian winemaking sees the inclusion of approximately one third of the grapes in this blend fermented as whole bunches. The maturation is in French oak, approximately 45% new, for 18 months, using oak barriques from selected artisan Burgundian coopers.

This wine drinks well now and can also age superbly for 10 years and further, in cool cellar conditions.

* Prima Donna Pinot Noir is produced only in vintages regarded as exceptional quality. 

Dry, dark and full bodied fleshy black plum flavours with a beautiful silky textured mouthfeel. This single vineyard Pinot Noir is made from  hand picked grapes grown on the Wrekin Vineyard in the Southern Valleys, Marlborough. Most of the grapes were destemmed with a small portion of 15% whole bunches to add structure and weight to the wine, which was fermented warm (up to 31 degrees Celcius) then transferred to French oak, 27% new for 10 months of ageing. This wine has hints of smoky flavour with a rich, dense earthy aroma leading into beautiful dark fruit flavours of plums and black cherries.

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.

Chardonnay that straddles both styles of creamy flavours with crisp fresh appeal. It's dry, medium bodied and refreshing; a great match for roast chicken or any chicken dish and a delicious example of Chardonnay from Marlborough.

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.

Martinborough is home to many refreshingly dry Pinot Gris and this example from Margrain offers great drinking with a silky smooth mouthfeel and lingering finish. Very good Pinot Gris made in small volumes from one of Martinborough's oldest wineries and most experienced winemakers, Strat Canning.