Every second glass of wine consumed in New Zealand is now from overseas. A decade ago, imported labels held just over a third of the domestic market. Forty years ago, when slightly sweet white wines made from müller-thurgau grapes grown in Gisborne ruled the roost, imported wines held 5% of the market.
Today, 72% by volume of the imports flow from Australia, followed by Chile, France, Italy, South Africa, Spain and Argentina. Prestigious wines, including champagne (the real stuff), and premium Bordeaux and Burgundy, are highly visible at the luxury end of the market, but we also import a sea of cheap wine, including cask wines (retailing at the equivalent of $7-$8 per bottle), and bottled Aussie reds, sold as low as $7.99.
Whites
Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône 2023
★★★★
This highly attractive French white is a blend of five traditional grape varieties, including grenache blanc and viognier. Full-bodied, it is buoyantly fruity, with strong, ripe stonefruit flavours, gentle spicy notes, fresh acidity and a fully dry finish. Well worth discovering. (14% alc/vol) $23-$27
Delibori Garda Pinot Grigio 2023
★★★★
This good, all-purpose wine is from pinot gris vines, grown in the Veneto region of north-east Italy. Bright, light lemon/green, it is medium bodied, with peachy, citrusy, slightly spicy flavours, fresh and strong, lively acidity and a dry finish. (12% alc/vol) $27
Eidosela Albariño 2023
★★★★★
From Spain’s northwest coastline, this is classic albariño. Light lemon/green, with a hint of straw, it is fresh, strong and vigorous, with penetrating, citrusy, peachy flavours, a slightly salty streak and a long, dry, crisp finish. Full of personality, it’s a tightly structured, finely poised wine, for drinking now or cellaring. (12.5% alc/vol) $34-$39
Jovly Chenin Blanc Vouvray 2022
★★★★½
Invitingly scented, this vibrantly fruity, full-bodied French wine is from a region famed for chenin blanc. It has strong peachy flavours, a sliver of sweetness and balanced acidity. Already delicious with a strong sense of youthful drive, it offers fine value. (12.5% alc/vol) $25-$29
Kaapzicht Sonsteen Chenin Blanc 2023
★★★★½
From vines planted at Stellenbosch in 1985, this single-vineyard wine was aged in old French oak casks. Full of interest, it is mouthfilling and dry, with rich stonefruit flavours, a distinct touch of tannin (from skin contact) giving a sense of backbone, and a lengthy finish. One for the cellar. (13% alc/vol) $36-$38
O Luar Do Sil Godello 2023
★★★★★
This intriguing wine is from godello grapes, grown in Galicia, northwest Spain. It has a powerful presence. Bright yellow/green, it is mouthfilling, with vibrant, ripe peach, pineapple and spice flavours, showing a real sense of depth and vigour, and a crisp, dry finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $46
Robert Mondavi Private Selection Vint California Buttery Chardonnay 2023
★★★★
This powerful, sweet-fruited wine was French and American oak-aged. Bright, light lemon/green, it is fleshy, with very good depth of ripe stonefruit flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, gentle buttery notes, fresh acidity and a dry finish. Drink now onwards. (14% alc/vol) $21-$26
Robert Mondavi Private Selection Vint California Chardonnay 2023
★★★½
This robust, vibrant, very easy-drinking chardonnay was partly aged in bourbon barrels. Bright, light lemon/green, it is weighty, with generous, peachy flavours, showing moderate complexity, and a slightly buttery, rounded finish. (14.5% alc/vol) $21-$26
Viernes Godello Bierzo 2023
★★★★
Already highly enjoyable, this medium-bodied white wine is from the godello variety, grown in northwest Spain. Bright, light lemon/green, it is fresh and lively, with strong, peachy, spicy flavours, crisp and dry. (12.5% alc/vol) $32
Sparkling
Vilarnau Barcelona Cava Brut Reserva NV
★★★★
This invitingly fragrant Spanish bubbly is from González Byass, famous for its sherries. A lively, very energetic sparkling, crisp and off-dry, it is citrusy and yeasty, with very good immediacy and a refreshing sense of lightness and vigour. (11.5% alc/vol) $21-$25
Rosé
Killibinbin Sweet Lips Rosé 2023
★★★
Pink, with a gentle splash of sweetness, this South Australian rosé is probably at its peak. Full-bodied, with fresh acidity woven through peachy, strawberry-ish flavours, it offers very easy drinking. (13% alc/vol) $16-$18
Listel Grain De Gris Rosé 2023
★★★½
The “No 1 selling rosé in France” was grown in its biggest wine region, Languedoc. Very pale pink, it is medium-bodied, fresh and lively, with gentle peach, strawberry and spice flavours, crisp, dry and youthful. Good value. (12% alc/vol) $15-$17
Reds
Alexandre Burgaud Beaujolais-Villages 2023
★★★★
This very generous style of Beaujolais was made from the classic gamay variety and handled without oak. Imagine a cross of pinot noir and syrah. Deep ruby, it is mouthfilling and supple, with strong, well-ripened plum and spice flavours, woven with fresh acidity. Best drinking 2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $27-$30
Antigua Bella Donna Marselan 2020
★★★★★
Uruguay is a small, fast-rising star of the wine world, and this highly distinctive red shows why. From the marselan variety (cabernet sauvignon and grenache), it is deeply coloured and full-bodied, with dense, ripe plum, dark berry and spice flavours, leathery and nutty characters adding complexity, and a fairly firm finish. Best 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $41-$43
Barton & Guestier Bordeaux Cuvée Rambaud 2023
★★★★
This highly typical ageworthy Bordeaux red was blended from merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Deeply coloured, it is medium to full-bodied, with very good depth of youthful blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, earthy, savoury notes adding complexity, and a tightly structured finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $23-$25
Barton & Guestier Les Galets Côtes-Du-Rhône 2022
★★★½
Priced right, this slightly gutsy red is a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre. Mouthfilling, it has strong, ripe, red berry and spice flavours, slight liquorice notes, considerable complexity and fairly firm tannins. Ageworthy. (14.5% alc/vol) $19-$22
Beronia Rioja Crianza 2021
★★★★
Already drinking well, this Spanish red shows considerable complexity. Made from tempranillo grapes matured for at least a year in French and American oak casks, it is perfumed, with full, slightly developed colour. Mouthfilling and savoury, with generous blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, it’s ready to roll. (13.5% alc/vol) $26-$28
Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva 2016
★★★★½
This mellow Spanish red was matured for two years in barrels and two years in the bottle, prior to release. Full-coloured and fragrant with very good depth of berry, spice and nut flavours, it is complex and savoury in the classic Rioja style. Drink now. (13.5% alc/vol) $32-$35
Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 2018
★★★★
Lengthy ageing in American and French barrels gives this popular Spanish red a perfumed, sweet oak influence. Still youthful, it is mouthfilling, with berryish, plummy, nutty flavours, showing good depth, complexity and harmony. (13.5% alc/vol) $21-$25
Castano Hecula Monastrell 2022
★★★½
This slightly gutsy Spanish red is from the monastrell grape (known elsewhere as mourvèdre and mataro). Barrel-aged for six months, it is deeply coloured and sturdy with balanced tannins and generous, very ripe berry, spice and liquorice flavours. (14.5% alc/vol) $23
Château Le Bournac 2023
★★★★
Looking for a top value, affordable Bordeaux? Grown in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, this deeply coloured red is mouthfilling, with blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, balanced tannins, and very good ripeness and density. Best drinking mid-2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $18-$21
Clos Lojen Bobal 2023
★★★★½
Full of youthful energy, this fragrant, medium-bodied red is from old vines of the indigenous bobal variety, grown organically in central Spain. Deep ruby, with fresh acidity and good complexity, it has strong, vibrant red berry, plum, spice and nut flavours ‒ savoury and instantly appealing. (12.5% alc/vol) $34
Domaine Fond Croze Confidence Côtes du Rhône 2023
★★★★
This bold, youthful, deeply coloured French red is a fruit-driven style. Robust, it has strong, ripe, plummy flavours, hints of spices and dark chocolate, and supple tannins. Best drinking 2027+. (14.5% alc/vol) $25
Killibinbin Seduction Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
★★★
From the Metala winery, in South Australia, this is a full-bodied smooth red. Slightly gutsy, with ripe berryish, spicy flavours and a touch of nutty oak, it’s an easy-drinking style, ready to roll. (14.5% alc/vol) $14-$18
Killibinbin Sneaky Shiraz 2022
★★★½
This is a “full-on” style of Aussie red. Robust, it has good depth of ripe, spicy flavours, hints of liquorice and nuts and lots of drink-young appeal. (14.5% alc/vol) $16-$18
Las Pizarras Fabla 506 2022
★★★★½
From Aragon in northeast Spain, this characterful red reminded me of a Côtes du Rhône, which is no surprise, given they are made from the same varieties: garnacha (grenache) and syrah. Deep ruby, fragrant and sturdy, it has good tannin backbone, hints of plum and liquorice and strong, well-ripened, distinctly spicy flavours. (14.5% alc/vol) $37
Orlando Bungalow Lane Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
★★★★½
This powerful, generous red will be long-lived. Aged in French oak barrels, it is dark, sturdy and youthful, with rich ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, a hint of dark chocolate and firm tannins. Best drinking 2028+. (14% alc/vol) $30-$35
Orlando Printz Shed Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021
★★★★½
Blended “to deliver knockout varietal style and quality”, this deeply coloured, rich red is still unfolding. Oak-aged for 20 months, it is mouthfilling, with strong, vibrant red berry and spice flavours, a hint of liquorice and supple tannins. Fresh and elegant, it’s well worth cellaring. (14% alc/vol) $35
País Mágico Reserva 2021
★★★★
Pais was once Chile’s most planted variety, before it was overtaken by cabernet sauvignon. Freshly scented, mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and savoury, it is quite Bordeaux-like, with delicate, berryish, spicy flavours, hints of earthiness and nuts and a lingering finish. (13% alc/vol) $29
Robert Mondavi Vint Private Selection California Merlot 2021
★★★½
Matured in rum barrels, this sturdy red has fullish colour. Freshly scented and mouthfilling, it has very good depth of berry and spice flavours, showing some savoury complexity and a smooth finish. (14.5% alc/vol) $21-$26
Robert Mondavi Vint Private Selection California Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
★★★½
This robust red was aged in bourbon barrels. Full-coloured, it has good depth of red berry, plum and spice flavours, considerable complexity and a smooth finish. (14.5% alc/vol) $21-$26
Sardón 2020
★★★★★
A lovely mouthful, this rich red is from the classic tempranillo variety, grown in northwest Spain. Fragrant, dark and mouthfilling, it has an array of plum, blackcurrant, spice and liquorice flavours, revealing highly impressive depth, delicacy and complexity. A top find. (14.5% alc/vol) $37-$42
St Hugo Barossa Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro 2023
★★★★½
Offering great drinkability, this South Australian red combines three traditional Rhône Valley varieties. Full-coloured, with slightly earthy, meaty aromas, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with rich cherry, plum and spice flavours, ripe and smooth. Best drinking 2027+. (14.5% alc/vol) $33-$37
St Hugo Barossa Shiraz 2021
★★★★★
This powerful, yet refined and silky textured South Australian red was matured in French (principally) and American oak casks. It has a dark, inky colour, dense, vibrant plum and spice flavours, black pepper notes, and a seasoning of toasty oak. Classy, youthful and well worth cellaring. (14.5% alc/vol) $32-$40
St Hugo Barossa/Coonawarra Cabernet/Shiraz 2020
★★★★★
This classy, fine value South Australian red is a seamless marriage of cabernet sauvignon (60%) and shiraz (40%), aged in French and American oak barrels (over half new). Deeply coloured, it is weighty, with blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, deliciously vibrant and rich. Already drinking well, it’s ageworthy, too. (14.5% alc/vol) $33-$38
St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
★★★★½
Still youthful, this South Australian red is full-bodied and smooth. It has strong blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, with gentle herbal notes, and toasty oak characters adding complexity. Vibrant, with fresh acidity, it should break into full stride 2027+. (14% alc/vol) $35-$40
Tartana Tempranillo 2021
★★★★
From Castilla y León, Spain’s largest wine region, this briefly oak-aged red is a vibrantly fruity style, enjoyable young. Deeply coloured, it is full-bodied and fleshy, with strong plum, red berry and spice flavours, deliciously fresh, ripe and smooth. (13.5% alc/vol) $25-$28
Taylors Estate Clare Valley/Limestone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
★★★★
This highly drinkable South Australian red is a great buy. French oak-matured, it is deeply coloured and mouthfilling, with finely balanced tannins and strong, well-ripened blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing considerable complexity. (14.5% alc/vol) $18
Taylors Jaraman Clare Valley/McLaren Vale Shiraz 2022
★★★★½
This muscular South Australian red was aged in American oak casks. Dark and purple-flushed, it has vibrant plum, spice, blackcurrant and liquorice flavours, ripe, concentrated and smooth. Combining power and elegance, it’s already drinking well. (14.5% alc/vol) $24-$27
Tilia Malbec 2023
★★★½
An ideal, all-purpose wine, this Argentinian red was French oak-matured for six months. Deeply coloured, it is mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, with fresh, ripe, berryish, spicy flavours, showing good depth and harmony. $17-$23 (13% alc/vol)
Vallehondo Syrah Roble Allier 2022
★★★★
From Andalucía in southern Spain, this gently oaked syrah has loads of drink-young appeal. Full-coloured, with refined, supple tannins, it has considerable complexity and strong, ripe, vividly varietal, well-spiced flavours. (13.5% alc/vol) $37-$40
