Sit back and relax with these top-flight wines. Photo / Getty Images
Sit back and relax with these top-flight wines. Photo / Getty Images
Everyone loves a bargain, and these wines offer eye-catching value. That doesn’t mean they are cheap, but they certainly over deliver, in quality and price.
Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Pinot Gris 2023 ★★★★
Invitingly scented, this mouthfilling, vibrantly fruity wine has strong, ripe, peachy, slightly spicy and gingery flavours,a gentle splash of sweetness and a well-rounded finish. It’s already drinking well. (14% alc/vol) $17
Thornbury Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ★★★★
Full of youthful impact, this medium-bodied, fresh and vigorous wine has very good depth of ripe passionfruit/lime flavours, a slightly salty streak, tangy acidity and a tight, lingering finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $15
Opawa Marlborough Pinot Gris 2023 ★★★★½
From Nautilus, this is an ideal, all-purpose wine. Fragrant, full-bodied and vibrantly fruity, it has good intensity of peach, pear and spice flavours, fresh acidity and a finely balanced, dryish, lingering finish. Already delicious, it should be at its best mid-year and beyond. (13.5% alc vol) $22
Clouston & Co Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ★★★★★
This refined, vigorous regional blend was handled in stainless steel, concrete and oak vessels. Full-bodied, it has pure, incisive, ripely herbaceous flavours, and is crisp, dry and long. Best drinking 2025. (13% alc/vol) $25
Odyssey Marlborough Rosé 2023 ★★★★★
Bright pink, this fragrant, full-bodied wine was made from pinot noir, estate-grown and hand-harvested in the Brancott Valley. It has strong, lively watermelon, strawberry, peach and spice flavours, a hint of apricot, and a crisp, dry, smooth finish. Certified organic. (13.5% alc/vol) $22
Starborough Marlborough Pinot Gris 2023 ★★★★½
Drinking well from the start, this mouthfilling, fresh and lively wine has strong, ripe, peachy, gently spicy flavours, slightly gingery notes, a touch of complexity, vague sweetness and very good harmony. (13.5% alc/vol) $22
OTU Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ★★★★½
Estate-grown at Otuwhero Estate, in the Awatere Valley, this mouthfilling, ripely herbaceous wine has strong passionfruit, lime and green capsicum flavours, and is crisp, finely poised, dry and lasting. Best drinking mid-year. (13% alc/vol) $20
Deep ruby, this full-bodied red was matured in French oak barrels. It has deep, vibrant plum, berry and spice flavours. Nutty oak adds complexity, with fresh acidity and finely balanced tannins. Drink now or cellar. (14% alc vol) $23
Wine of the week
te Pā Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé 2023 ★★★★½
Grown in the Wairau Valley, this bright, light-pink, medium-bodied wine is very fresh and lively, with strong strawberry, watermelon and spice flavours, fresh acidity and a dry, sustained finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $20
