father of Martinborough - John Martin himself. Over 40 years later, and the Seifried family now farm over 200 hectares across eight sustainably accredited vineyards in the Nelson region. A real summer wine with notes of apricot and lemon iced tea, it has decent, rounded palate weight and good length, helped along by albariño’s unshakeable acidity.$30. The name ‘Prophet’s Rock’ is taken from a local landmark at the claim of pioneering goldminer Bob Prophet. Under Rudi’s custodianship Pinot Noir becomes the essence of Central Otago whilst Pinot Gris takes on a rich textured dry style. We have chosen what we believe are some of Hawke’s Bay’s greatest vineyard sites from the coast at Te Awanga to our most inland site at Maraekakho. Zippy and lingering.$37 TOP 10, CO-BEST IN SHOW. Today we are a family-owned Sogrape company, our range includes Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Viognier and Montepulciano. The emphasis is on fruit definition, mid-palate fullness, subtlety, complexity and elegance ensuring that the wines will age gracefully; a hallmark of Alpha Domus. The Triple Block refers to a blending of sites across the two main Marlborough valleys of Wairau and Awatere (the latter is generally the cooler, fresher of the two). Metro has run a summer wine feature for several years now, but going into 2020, we detected a sea change in what many of us are drinking. Chardonnay, muscat, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and viognier from a range of sites in Hawke’s Bay: Mangatahi is an inland spot on a terrace overlooking the Ngaruroro River and Te Awanga is coastal; there’s also a touch of fruit from the warm Bridge Pa region. Under her expertise, the original vineyard area has increased by 2.5 times its original size and the company’s annual output has grown to around 75,000 cases of wine, nearly 65% of which is exported. Producing hand crafted wines from their custom build winery amidst the stunning back drop of Lake Wanaka in Central Otago, New Zealand. Not befitting the world of espionage, the wine has been called "impossible to ignore" and the company among "the planet's 20 most notable new producers.". He represented Rangitikei for 15 years and during his time in the National Government he was for 6 years as an Associate Minister of Agriculture with responsibility for horticulture, 5 years Minister of Conservation and for 3 years Minister of Lands. Home Destinations Interests Top 2020 by Month. On her arrival in New Zealand Ulrike became actively involved in promoting New Zealand food and wine at culinary fairs in Europe. From its beginnings in 1997 Aurum Wines has been committed to an environmentally aware philosophy. This is one of those wines where you read the tasting notes and wonder why it wasn’t rated even higher. With a skilled team in place, including dynamic winemaker Helen Masters, Clive now has more time to focus on his commitment to conservation and to the Ata Rangi alliance with Project Crimson. During this time, the wine is protected, so no sulphur is necessary. Glassware: Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon, provided by Atelier Nash. URLAR Gladstone utilises some biodynamic practices in the vineyard and winery. Sign up here for to receive the Metro Eats! Spy Valley Wines, is one of Marlborough's leading family owned wine companies. Our elevated north facing site on the lower slopes of the Te Mata hills is not only an excellent location for grape growing it also provides us with stunning views, a warm sheltered micro-climate and a perfect situation for the visitor to spend an hour or two, a night or two or even a week or two. The 11 Ha vineyard which has predominantly loam over clay soils, was planted in 1979 with a mixture of varieties. True to the adage: quality over quantity. These plantings were the visionary response by a small group of enthusiastic investors led by Derek Milne, to a 1978 DSIR survey that revealed that the closest New Zealand climatic analog to Burgundy (the French home of Pinot Noir) was to be found in the small rain shadow centred on the township of Martinborough. Ostler Vineyards is a boutique producer of wines of distinction in the South Island’s Waitaki Valley. Like Pinot Noir, but don't like paying Oregon or California prices? Stone fruits and almonds with petrol hints, everything you want from the nose of a New World riesling. The judges have swirled, sniffed, sipped, tasted and debated more than a thousand wines to find the Top 50 drops under $25, and now New World has made them available for you to share and enjoy. The estate breathes the soul of Hans and Therese Herzog – the very passionate, hardworking and hands-on owners who embrace a holistic approach. If wine is meant to be the bottled breath of a certain place, from a certain moment in time, then we feel that working with yeasts from that site, of that season, is an important step towards transparency and authenticity. Yet it’s not so far removed from the New Zealand staple to be completely alien to fans of the style. Ceres, though, is their “legacy” brand, and this 2017 riesling shows just what the site and their skills can deliver. Giesen Organic Chardonnay 2016 Gewürztraminer. South Africa, too, is cementing itself as a producer of top-end chenin. Owned and run by Jules and her husband George, Jules Taylor Wines is the successful result of big dreams, hard work and a dedicated team. It’s a wine to get people talking.$40 TOP 10, Most of the pinot gris wines we tasted served only to justify the prejudice this grape faces from wine buffs: aromatically uninteresting; broad, cloying, and lacking freshness. Mount Riley Wines is a family owned and run Marlborough winery. Ranging from grassy to tropical fruit flavors, it's one of our favorite wines to drink in the summer. Whilst in partnership they produce the Cornerstone Bordeaux red from their vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels Region of Hawke's Bay and premium Pinot Noir from their vineyards in Bannockburn and the Waitaki Valley, Otago. A real peppery, fruit-forward number with a decent structure but with soft tannins and a lovely, lingering juicy finish.$14 VALUE! SCHUBERT'S philosophy is to craft wines of uncompromising quality that would stand out alongside the finest in the world. Both subregions are well known for their red wines but the whites are equally great. Now, Kelly Washington is a joint project with husband Simon Kelly, and their wines shone at the Metro tasting; all three they submitted comfortably made the cut. URLAR is a Gaelic word that means "The Earth”. This wine shows delicious elements of both, with a zippy, refreshing acidity and herbal, sappy notes from the Awatere alongside a plush, rounded, appealing, almost comforting palate from the warmer Wairau. Flinty, stoney, almost sémillon-like, this is lean, fresh, driven, and thoroughly likeable.$27, Another sauvignon blanc that has obviously seen the inside of a barrel. This technique tends to give pinot noir quite a beautiful aromatic intensity, but this is overall an intense wine with dark, smoky, plummy notes and a big, bold palate.$40 TOP 10. Strict tasting rules were applied. Its drinkability belies some decent tannins, which means this will go just as well with a range of summer fare as it will with a nice view from the deck.$25. A great summer quaffer.$35, With fruit from the Upper Moutere in Nelson, handpicked and fermented with an aromatic yeast strain from Spain (albariño’s homeland), this actually shows some aromas pretty reminiscent of northwestern Spain — maybe it’s the yeast, maybe it’s the fruit. It is a name that reflects our new world setting; here, we work on the margins, perched on the edge in the southernmost wine growing region on earth. In the early 1970s he started to employ staff and the company began to expand rapidly. Awatere River, by Louis Vavasour (Peter and Anna Vavasour's son) is a collection of award winning, low yield, premium quality wines that reflect the distinctive terroir of the alluvial river flats on which they were grown. But good news, winos: It's now on the rise again in the world of wine. The striking Nautilus shell - its shape expressing natural beauty and mathematical perfection - is our inspiration to create a collection of expressive, textural, precisely crafted wines. It’s zippy, mineral, fresh and long on the palate, with aromas that range from floral to petrol to lemony citrus. This is the red version with a predominance, obviously, of pinot noir. Today, Villa Maria employs more than 250 permanent staff and exports wine to over 50 countries worldwide. No.1 Family Estate is a specialist and boutique Méthode Champenoise winery founded by Adele and Daniel Le Brun. We aspire to capture the unique flavours of the vineyard in our wine. Regional vintage charts. newsletter. Made from grapes sourced predominantly from the Wairau Valley — original Kiwi sauvignon blanc territory — this is a herbal, refreshing, juicy sav with a lovely, fresh finish. In order to pursue that dream, I immigrated to New Zealand with my family in May 2001, where I believe has one of the greatest potentials to grow Pinot Noir. This may be a touch broad for some palates but for lovers of luxuriant chardonnay, it is hard to go past.$24, Fresh from a recent takeover by Kiwi wine pioneer and industry stalwart Steve Smith MW and US business partner Brian Sheth, this is the start of a new era for Pyramid Valley. If you’re a wine pedant, you should probably stop reading now, because this is not your run-of-the-mill list of the top 50 wines in New Zealand. For some, the nose is a little confected and, while the alcohol is stated at 14.5%, it also seems a touch hot, but — and this is a big but — there is a depth to the palate that really is quite captivating. We are dedicated to producing intense, concentrated wines. Located in the Lowburn Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand, our wine reflects the dedicated work by a small team in the vineyard and winery. This is a wine with great balance and a racy acidity. When we visit Queenstown, we like to include one wine tasting session every day or two. A small family owned, boutique winery located in Marlborough, New Zealand – New Zealand’s premium wine growing region. This was 60% barrel fermented and 40% tank fermented, then aged for eight months before being bottled in February 2019. This is a delicate pinot, although the oak at times seems quite prominent. “Perfectly balanced,” as one taster noted. Peppery, with good aromatics and a lovely acid line, there’s no reason it shouldn’t do well in New Zealand. We produced wine from our new winery on Conders Bend Road in the Wairau Valley for the first time in 1998. ... best wines 2020, sauvignon blanc, Wine Recommendation; Become a French Wine … There’s not much sweetness on the palate — it’s certainly on the dry side — but that acidity drives it on and on and on. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the emergence of new biodynamic and organic wines, of “natural” wines made with minimal intervention, of long-marginalised varieties and long-forgotten winemaking techniques. The combination of the north-east facing terraces and the warmth of the lake has given us a unique terroir which enables us to produce a wine which is reflective of the strengths of Central Otago - structure and complexity. Very nice.$25, James and Matt Dicey are synonymous with Central Otago institution Mt Difficulty. And we expressly briefed our judging panel not to be too concerned with varietals. Minimal intervention at all stages from vine to bottle typifies our approach. Brothers Matt and James and their father Robin, have a passion for focussed hand crafted wines that reflect the Bannockburn region. To ensure the Domaine remains the best possible custodian of the land, biodynamic land practices are deployed - the result is pure and perfumed wines expressive of the Central Otago terroir, renowned as one of the finest in NZ. All our wines are Estate Grown and the fruit is hand picked. With the help of some decidedly tasty grapes, the team at Jules Taylor handcrafts a small collection of top quality wines for all lovers of fine wine. This huge potential was something that was recognised back in 1979 by Jane Hunter and her late husband Ernie when they planted their first vineyard in the picturesque Wairau Valley. Crop loads are kept very low by shoot thinning and also by selective bunch thinning after fruit set. Hopefully, they’ll move it into a regular slot in the range as this wine showed some lovely autolysis (yeasty, biscuity, brioche) notes on the nose. Nearly half from Waiheke, 24% came from Central Otago, 20% from Auckland, 6% from Marlborough and 1% from Northland. Stonecroft was the first winery to be established in the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District® and it has the oldest Syrah vines in New Zealand. Follow Metro on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. The vineyard is dry-farmed organically on north facing Moutere gravels, and their ethos of minimal intervention extends into the winery. The wine itself has a complex nose of rose petals and watermelon. Quartz reef was founded in 1996 and the principal partners are Rudi Bauer, Trevor Scott, John Perriam. Here you can find the most recent Top 10 lists in detail, with photos, videos and complete reviews—ratings, prices, tasting notes and when the wines are best to drink. Our wines seek to express the uniqueness of the land. Subtle in flavour yet offering a complete experience in every glass, both the Pinot Noir and the Sauvignon Blanc provide a memorable experience. This wine belies its warm regional climate by showing some lovely freshness with some classic chardonnay notes of toast and lemon curd, but there are quince hints, too. New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs: 20 under £25. With Wilco Lam as Chief winemaker since 2013, Dry River continues to build on its reputation as one of New Zealand’s most iconic pioneering wineries. It doesn’t seem completely dry but it sure as hell finishes that way. A small block of much valued Riesling, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc vines, now over 30 years old, remains. What people are doing with sauvignon blanc is getting more and more interesting. The focus at Stonecroft is obtaining great fruit from the vines, and then the wine making can then be non-interventionist with the emphasis on making wines which will cellar well. The team at The Boneline admit the vinification is still evolving, but wines like this show the potential of the site. Vicki’s Vineyard runs alongside the Bostock family home at Ngatarawa, positioned centrally within the Bridge Pa Triangle. Quartz Reef vinifies wines of outstanding flavour and intensity. From nurturing the grapes in our vineyards through every aspect of winemaking, we pour our shared inspiration into every bottle. 14 hectares of wines are closely planted in the traditional, European style and the unique climate produces low yields. It is a wonderful destination for travellers and wine lovers alike. The company's mission is to create world-class wines that exceed their customers' every expectation. Although the property was planted in 1997, 2011 was Domaine Rewa’s first vintage. Here's your complete guide to Kiwi wine. Proudly family owned and operated Babich Wines was founded in 1916 by Croatian immigrant Josip Babich. Designed to complement your food, not overpower it, these wines work perfectly alongside many different dishes. Discover our wines and be part of our journey. The New Zealand wine harvest, in common with others around the world, attracts many young interns, mostly from Europe and the United States. 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