On a recent trip overseas, my tasting and drinking was dominated by European wines and in particular, Italian, writes wine expert Mark Henderson.
No suffering there of course, but Italian wines can be drier/less fruit-driven than Kiwi wines, and with more emphasis on the tannins and acidity as a complement to food, which makes them a quite different proposition.
One can also build up a bit of a ''European palate'' with fruit-driven Aussie and Kiwi wines seeming starkly different.
Sitting down with this selection of outstanding wines though, I felt like someone had unfurled a large banner saying, ''Welcome home''.
My tasting colleagues, Mr McLaren and Mr Collins, also found much to enjoy in this marvellous selection, which we tasted blind.
Price: $45
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Dark fruits, a perfumed note and a touch of oak. Subtle rather than showy. A touch of bramble, pepper and spice. Some tannic grip on the back palate which is swallowed by the fruit. Nicely measured this. Some raspberry and plum comes up as the fruit and tannins swell. Excellent length. Bright, youthful and delicious.
Price: $65-70
Rating: Excellent
Quite perfumed with a gentle, funky, forest-floor note which dissipates with aeration. Subtle at first: wild herbs but not ''green''. Palate is drier and firmer. Quite powerful with good fruit depth: the tannins build on the palate. Has a syrah-like note to it. Nuanced, with a lot of interest here. Big but not overblown.
Price: $55
Rating: Good to very good
The nose has a sulphur and reductive ''burnt match'' note, which dominates the wine at first. Underlying that is a plummy sweetness with spice and savoury notes. Powerful, mouth-puckering tannins. The back palate tails off a little but then comes roaring back strongly. This one may need some time to show its best.
Price: $42-45
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Quite open on the palate with dark cherry and dried fruits (strawberry). Fragrant. Powerful, cherries on the palate with raspberry undercurrents. Quite fine with softer tannins. Nice balance here: quite complex with some earthy/fungi notes adding interest. Tannins build with time. Bright, lovely.
Price: $65-70
Rating: Outstanding
Darker fruits, wild herbs and a funky note: a hint of oak seasoning. Fruit impact on palate followed by savoury characters and wild herbs again: that little bit of funkiness is appealing. Nice mouthfeel: silky, rich and mouthfilling. Excellent length here and a lovely overall package. Has the yummy factor.
Price: $85-90
Rating: Excellent
Attractive nose; powerfully fruited: hints of leaf and herbs develop. Darker fruits on the palate: rich and powerful. Sweet entry, spicy notes with dried herbs. Real concentration and intensity here. The flavours hang on the palate, becoming more savoury. Lovely all round.
Price: $30
Rating: Good
Dark fruits, cherry and charry oak: lead pencil perhaps? Sweet cherries on entry; rather more subtle fruit expression after the previous wines. Acidity more marked: has a cooler climate feel, with rhubarb touches and a touch of astringency. A bit of a gangly youth today: time or food will work wonders here.
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Price: $65-70
Rating: Outstanding
A whisper shy at first, but raspberry, herbs and spice come rolling in. Sweet fruit with herbal notes: a zippy palate with freshness and quite chewy tannins. This opens up and really builds in the mouth. Dark cherry fruit provides a counterpoint to the tannins. Great mouthfeel and long finish. Youthful but with great potential.
