It's been a good summer

Photo / Sarah Ivey

In the course of sampling hundreds of wines over a 12-month period, a significant number remain memorable for all the right reasons.

Purity of fruit, excellent structure and balance and those elusive X-factor qualities that occur when the art of the winemaker collides with an obliging weather for a perfect vintage.

Here, then, is a personal opinion of 12 top wines that ought to enrich your Indian summer drinking.

2007 Trinity Hill Homage Gimblett Gravels Syrah

Okay, this is not the sort of wine you'll find at the supermarket but it's the only New Zealand red wine on the list at Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse Restaurant in London's famous Dorchester Hotel.

Made only in exceptional vintages, this is a show-stopping Syrah. Steven Spielberg orders by the case and he has had considerable experience with blockbusters.
Price: $120

2008 Seresin Estate Pinot Gris

From a Marlborough vineyard that is pushing all the right buttons. A varietal that can suffer from a lack of flavour and body, this has both - and a spicy texture to boot. Taut, tight and terrific, a pinot gris that delivers and ought to turn the heads of those who have been long disappointed with New Zealand pinot gris.
Price: $28

2009 Eradus Sauvignon Blanc

The international wine critics who are sounding the demise of Marlborough sauvignon blanc may like to reconsider. Eradus has a short but impressive track record of high quality sauvignon that reflects the character of the Awatere Valley. And it is inexpensive. It is intense and herbaceous with lots of forward fruit, yet with a crisp and mature finish.
Price: $19

2007 Paritua twenty.one.twelve

First release of Paritua's flagship wine with a bold, distinctive label. The contents of the bottle are not just bold and distinctive but quite outstanding. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc, they have managed to combine character, finesse and power. Another example of a Hawkes Bay red that should rattle cages from Bordeaux to Baltimore.
Price: $52

2007 Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer

Wearing the mantle of the world's most-recognised New Zealand sauvignon blanc ought not to hang like an albatross around Cloudy Bay's neck. Their gewurztraminer, sadly a still misunderstood and under- appreciated varietal here, is a perfect example of a versatile exotic white wine that combines charm and verve and leaps out of the glass. The flavours are Turkish delight, rosewater, lavender and orange blossom. Hugely aromatic.
Price: $34

2008 Mt Beautiful Cheviot Hills Riesling

A great riesling can transform an average summer into a memorable one. Thanks, then, to Mt Beautiful, which has lived up to its name by delivering a pearler. A medium style that strides the boundaries of screeching dryness and saccharine sweetness. Restrained citrus flavours, poise and clean, light loveliness.
Price: $24

2007 Clos de Ste Anne Naboth's Vineyard Chardonnay

The Millton Gisborne vineyard that is known internationally for its organic and biodynamic farming. Named after the Old Testament vineyard owner Naboth and dedicated to wife Anne, James Millton's chardonnay is full of eloquence and subtlety, richness and minerality, and with the level of complexity that first-class chardonnay ought to exhibit. A serious wine for serious chardonnay aficionados.
Price: $54

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Velvet

Top-of-the-range first release red from the Waiheke Island producer. Bordeaux-style but the blend is not revealed and is to remain a secret. Fair enough, all you need to know is that it's well-named. I suspect there's enough merlot to give the wine that gentle roundness and velvet finish. Like Homage Syrah, Velvet will be made only in exceptional years. Rare, with just 1500 bottles produced, it's worth tracking down.
Price: $110

2006 Kennedy Point Merlot

Muscular, moody and marvellous. Waiheke's Kennedy Point has had a good year with some rave reviews and a clutch of significant awards for a cross-section of their wines. This tiny producer is turning out to be the mouse that roared. A luscious merlot with loads of dark fruit, dry herbs, sweet fruit and spice. Glorious soft tannins.
Price: $42

2008 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir

New Zealand's best-value pinot noir without a doubt. From a single Martinborough vineyard this exquisite wine embraces the brooding sweetish fruit aromas we normally associate with pinot, then unleashes layers of silky tannins with burgundian nuances of mushroom, truffle, bark, fennel and spice. A remarkable wine that keeps changing in the glass. Superb buying.
Price: $40

2009 Amisfield Saignee Rose

The perfect summer wine. Tastes as good as it looks, and it looks like raspberries, strawberries, cherries and watermelon. Made from classic Central Otago pinot noir juice, it is supple, silky and refreshing. Serve chilled at lunch or mid-afternoon or early evening or whatever works. Perfect aperitif and a most appropriate partner for alfresco dining.
Price: $25

No. 1 Family Estate

Bubbles from boutique Methode Champenoise Marlborough Winery under the guidance of Adele and Daniel le Brun. Le Brun brings the tradition and excellence of his native home, Champagne, to the New World. A bolter of a rose, salmon-pink with copious seamless beads, subtle cherry and almond flavours, and natural expression of 100 per cent pinot noir grapes. This is opulent and sophisticated.
Price: $44