Probably the most essential book for New Zealand wine lovers, Michael Cooper's annual Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wine (Hachette) is celebrating 20 years with the 2012 edition and a new website, michaelcooper.co.nz.
Other wine guides have come and gone but Cooper's has grown larger, from 800 wines to more than 4000.
With today's wine glut there are many discounted wines, some genuinely good value, but others are not, he says.
"[Producers and retailers] know the key influence on buying behaviour is the size of the discount, so we have this big game going on where people invent a so-called retail price - this is a $30 wine and we are going to promote it for $15 so you save $15. But when you taste what's in the glass, it tastes in line with the scanner price."
"I feel sorry for the people who don't play that game and make consistently good wine and price it realistically. Because they aren't playing those games they don't attract attention."
However, despite his reservations about discount game-playing by producers, last year his two best-value wines were stalwarts, Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc which was discounted to $11.95 (and still is), and Church Road Merlot Cabernet at $14.95.
"The price goes so low that consumers probably grapple to understand how good the wine is because in blind tasting it often comes through with four or five stars, but because it's in such large volumes and under $15, it probably doesn't get the full recognition."
This year his best-value picks are Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 ($18-$20) which is probably better known in the US than here, and Wild South Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010, which at $18 or less is unusually savoury and complex and as impressive as most pinot noirs in the $25-$30 price range, he writes.
He is concerned some health experts lump wine in with RTDs as a substance abused by teenagers.
"To me, wine is actually part of the increasing sophistication of New Zealand culture. People like to have pleasure and they are going to drink alcohol but if they are going to drink it, surely wine with food is the way to go."
