Kumeu River Wines and the owners, the Brajkovich family, are icons of the New Zealand wine industry. This Chardonnay consistently over delivers for its modest price tag and is a dry, medium bodied wine with nutty, fresh, savoury elements derived from fermentation in old French oak barriques for 80% of the wine with the balancing 20% in stainless steel to preserve freshness. 

This wine is great drinking now as a fab go-to wine, any time.

Kumeu River Wines began life as San Marino Wines in 1944 when Croatian immigrant couple, Mick and Katé Brajkovich, bought a small property with a vineyard on it. Their descendents now own and run Kumeu River Wines, which produces 250,000 bottles of wine annually from its owns 30 hectares of vineyards in Kumeu and from another 10 hectares, owned by local grape growers. 

This is a very deeply coloured and flavoursome wine as you would expect from a Malbec based wine. It displays rich plummy, jammy Gimblett Gravels fruit notes on the nose with complementary notes of tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate it is a medley of compex fruit flavours supported by a generous mouthfeel and age worthy tannins. A full bodied and complex wine, and an ideal accompaniment to red meat dishes.

TASTING NOTE: A wonderfully pure and balanced Chardonnay that draws you in with inviting aromas of white peach, citrus blossom and hazelnut. The palate reveals depth and structure with ripe citrus flavours, fine minerality and bright acidity leading to a lingering finish. 

STYLE: Delicate elegance underpins this finely textured wine which reflects our commitment to organic winegrowing on our Peregrine Estate vineyards Central Otago. 

FRUIT SOURCE: Organically certified Central Otago Chardonnay - Peregrine Estate Bendigo 47%, 53% Pisa 

FERMENTATION: Barrel fermented in French Oat Puncheons (500L) and Hogsheads (300L) 

WINEMAKING: Organic, hand harvested, 100% whole bunch pressed. Barrel fermented with predominantly indigenous yeast and matured for 10 months in French oak puncheons and hogshead barrels.  Partial malolactic fermentation. 

MATURATION: Matured for 10 months in French oak. Partial malolactic fermentation. 

CELLARING & SERVING: 2 - 8 years, or beyond if well cellared 

ANALYSIS: | pH: 3.30   TA: 6.15   RS: <1g/L      Brix 22.5 – 23.5 Alc: 13.5%

Vegan and Certified Organic

Founder Dave Clouston and winemaker Sanna Stander are the driving force behind Black Cottage producing wines with local fruit from both Marlborough and Central Otago. This vibrant Sauvignon is full of fresh apricot, cucumber, gooseberry and tomato leaf on the nose. The lively palate is packed full of crunchy green apple, stone fruit and white pepper flavours with a delicious line of salinity and a refreshingly dry finish.

Saddleback is the second label of Central Otago winery Peregrine. The region offers a cool climate with large diurnal (day to night) shifts in temperature, perfect for developing the subtle flavours and keen acidity that really makes Pinot Gris tick. This superb value wine is made with grapes from the Bendigo (39%), Pisa (34%) and Gibbston (27%) sub regions of Central Otago, is 100% hand harvested and fermented on the lees for 2 months prior to blending and bottling. A dry Pinot Gris  with floral, citrus and ginger aromatics and flavours of fresh pear, apricot and stonefruit.

Inspired by the elegant dry pink wines of Provence in southern Franc, this rose is made in Martinborough from one of New Zealand's top Pinot Noir producers, the Escarpment Vineyard.  It is dry with summer berry aromas and a lively lingering finish. 

This is the second release of this Chardonnay, following on from a micro release in 2024. Situated on the chalky hillside of this tiny North Canterbury single vineyard, the Chardonnay vines work hard in the prevailing warm winds. Each task is performed in the vineyard with quality in mind and the work is lovingly done by hand throughout the season. Hand picked at the end of March, whilst the vines were enjoying a prolonged period of dry Autumn weather. Gently whole-bunch pressed, with the new juice going into French oak barrels for a natural fermentation over the following months. Aged for 10 months and bottled without fining.

VARIETY - Chardonnay
REGION - North Canterbury
SUB-REGION - Waipara
VINEYARD DETAILS - Single Vineyard Isolated Hill, grown on chalky limestone soils.
PRESSING - Whole bunch
TIME IN BARRELS - 10 months, 3 barrels
AGE OF OAK33%  - 1 yr old, 33% 2 yr old, 33% 3 yr old +. Very fine grained, French.
MALOLACTIC - Yes, naturally in Springtime
ALCOHOL - 13.5%
pH - 3.49
TA - 5.60g/L

Off-dry and simply delicious! Our pick for serious Riesling connoisseurs. The fruit character of the Southern Valleys is balanced by the minerality of the river gravels, all wrapped up in a dry, crisp acidity. 10+ years of aging potential if you have the self-control but drinking exceptionally well now.

Vinification
The grapes were machine harvested in the cool of the morning, cold settled and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks before blending and finishing for bottling in spring.

Analysis at bottling

pH 3.09 | T.A. 7.35 g/l | RS 4.5 g/l | Alcohol 12.5%

This barrel fermented Pinot Gris is a great alternative to Chardonnay, which was inspired by the classical French approach to Pinot Gris, using lees stirring and partial malolactic fermentation to add texture, weight and dryness to burn. 

This wine is made from 100% Martinborough grapes, all grown on Te Muna Road, 9 kilometres east of the township on a vineyard first planted in 1999.

Winemaker Larry McKenna recommends cellaring it for up to five years - or enjoy right now. 

Winemaker Rudi Bauer uses winemaking techniques very much in keeping with the practices of the Old World, with an obvious nod to Pinot's spiritual home in Burgundy.

The results are a deep, warm wine with inviting perfumed ripe pinot aromatics, both stylish and emotional. The palate is vibrant and lively with great body and spicy minerality that holds defined tannins of Bendigo intensity.

Kumeu River Wines is New Zealand's top Chardonnay producer and best known globally. 

Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay is the flagship white from the winery. It is made from  grapes grown on six different vineyard sites in Kumeu and is consistently one of New Zealand's greatest dry, full bodied whites with outstanding freshness and complexity.

The winery is in the West Auckland village of Kumeu where it began life as San Marino Wines in 1944 when Croatian immigrant couple, Mick and Katé Brajkovich, bought a small property with a vineyard on it. Their descendents now own and run Kumeu River Wines, which produces 250,000 bottles of wine annually from its owns 30 hectares of vineyards in Kumeu and from another 10 hectares, owned by local grape growers. 

Exceptional North Canterbury Pinot Noir made in small volumes from the evocatively named isolated hill vineyard in Waiau. Spicy aromas and structured tannins lead into a full body wine made using indigenous yeast fermentation and spending 26 days on skins with ageing for 15 months in French oak.

This wine comes from winemaker Dom Maxwell, the talented winemaker at Greystone. Forager is his own personal winemaking project. 

Saddleback Pinot Noir is named after the bold and beautiful South Island Saddleback, a native bird to New Zealand. And the wine is also a bold one, representing a fruity expression of Pinot Noir from Central Otago. It's a blend of grapes from the region, including 39% Pinot Noir from Bendigo, 50% from Pisa and 11% from the Gibbston Valley, home to the winery's cellar door. 

This soft and fresh Pinot Noir is made from 100% destemmed grapes which were aged for 10 months in French oak.

It's made to drink now and in the next two to three years. 

Elephant Hill Syrah is made from grapes grown on two vineyards, at the winery's home block at Te Awanga and on the Gimblett Gravels, inland from the coast. It is a co ferment of 99% Syrah with 1% Viognier; a classic northern Rhone winemaking method, which provides wines with pronounced dark fruit flavours, fleshy texture and spicy notes. 

One of our biggest sellers and easy to see why with its fresh, soft, smooth body and white pear flavours. A lively, lovely off dry Pinot Gris made in a super popular style, offering good value.