Every so often I find bottles in my tasting pile that haven't fitted into my regular varietal tastings.
This batch included sparkling shiraz - a wonderfully left-field wine, some rosés, stickies and a handful of viogniers and gewurztraminers. Being big, rich whites with oodles of fruit, these last two varieties are delicious alternatives to pinot gris.
◊ BEST UNDER $20
($19.99 but often on special)
Viognier is a perfumed, robust white becoming fashionable in New Zealand but usually expensive, so it's great to see an affordable one as good as this. It oozes ripe fruit - pears, quinces, tropical fruit with hints of toasted cashews and coconut and a bright, clean finish.
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
(about $19)
A frivolous wine - a freshy, slightly herbal sauvignon with a touch of sweetness softened and coloured with a little syrah.
Two stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $22)
A perfumed rosé from Central with hints of strawberries and a savoury undertone, and a textural finish. A good alternative to viognier or pinot gris.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $23)
With perfumes of rose petals and tropical fruit, rich, off-dry and mouthfilling with a citrus lift and nice intensity, this is a typical Gisborne gewurztramer. Match with pork and apple or quince, chicken with apricot or a not-too-hot chicken korma.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $26)
Sparkling shiraz, with its rich berry flavours, hint of sweetness, firm tannins and mouth filling bubbles, is always moreish. An Australian speciality, it sounds an unlikely wine, but is delicious.
It's great with dishes like turkey and cranberry (think midwinter Christmas), with blue cheese, and with plums poached in spiced red wine, or just by itself.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $20 - 375ml)
A good example of the rich, honeyed botrytised wine that can come from Marlborough in suitable years. Hints of dried apricot, grapefruit, mandarin skin, golden kiwi and ginger with a sweet, unctuous intensity, complexity from a little oak aging and a nicely bright crisp finish. Good with a sharp blue (I had Whitestone Highland Blue) or a cardamom and almond biscotti.
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
ANOTHER GLASS
Waimea Nelson Gewurztraminer 2008
(about $22)
Oozing roses, Turkish delight and tropical fruit with a hint of nuts, this is a big, oily wine, full in the mouth and intense on the finish. Classic gewurztraminer.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
Seresin Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2008
(about $30)
A more elegant style of gewurztraminer with hints of eau de cologne, ripe golden kiwifruit, tropical fruit, with rich silky texture and a bright, well balanced finish.
Four stars (out of five)
Average value
Montana P Patutahi Gisborne Gewurztraminer 2007
(about $36)
Over many years P has become one of the benchmark Gisborne gewurztraminers with its powerful but stylish fruit (pawpaw, grapefruit), a hint of decadence relieved by the lift of eau de cologne mint and its mouthfilling, texture and long finish.
Four stars (out of five)
Below average value
Spy Valley Marlborough Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2008
(about $20 - 375ml)
Hints of earl grey tea and mandarin peel with underlying quinces, dried apricot and passionfruit, bring an underlying richness to this bright, slightly herbal wine. Good with not-too-sweet apple pie.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling 2006
(about $35 - half bottle)
Australian botrytised riesling tends to be powerful and rich compared with the more elegant wines from our cooler climate. This hints of new leather, grapefruit marmalade and buttered toast, with a big, oily texture and intense lingering aftertaste. Already three years old, it will continue to develop with bottle age. Good with a morsel of sharp blue cheese or just by itself after dinner.
Four stars (out of five)
Average value
- Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
