As Kath and Kim would say, arneis "is noice, it's deeferent, it's un-yew-sual ...".
I'm totally enamoured with arneis right now and I'm hoping that soon you will be, too. Arneis is a white grape which originates from Northern Italy's Piedmont region, where it's been grown for centuries.
Over the past couple of years it's also begun to establish itself as a rather snazzy new variety here in godzone.
Pronounced (Ar-Nay-iz), the name translated into English means "little rascal", which is a good moniker because back in the day the Italians found it notoriously tricky to grow and make into wine.
I like it because it's so tasty, but also because it's a really curiously flavoured wine.
I like it because it's also quite a challenge to describe so it's one of those wines which makes you stop and think each time you sip.
I'm a fan because it's incredibly versatile in the winery. It's a bit like chardonnay in that winemakers can throw all sorts of things at it - put it in tanks or barrels, use wild or cultured yeasts, do some lees-stirring or whatever - and you get vastly different flavours as a result.
Typically, arneis tastes crisp and dry, with really interesting chalky, minerally characters.
Chances are you'll find elements of crushed oyster shells, along with peach and citrus flavours and, hopefully, you'll enjoy a lovely richness, weight and delicious dryness on the finish.
Fantastic arneis is being produced by Forrest Estate in Marlborough, Trinity Hill and Villa Maria from their Hawke's Bay vineyards, and Matawhero Estate and Coopers Creek in Gisborne, plus there's a bit grown in Clevedon, I believe.
Food match? Most people reckon seafood of any description, which I agree with, but I love arneis with anything featuring artichokes or white beans.
It's also been a really interesting week in terms of wine tasting. There are loads of lovely new wines that have landed on shop shelves recently. There's something for everyone and I can't wait to tell you about them.
VILLA MARIA PRIVATE BIN HAWKE'S BAY ARNEIS 2011, $21
Bright straw-gold colour and lovely, lifted aromas of white flowers, nectarine stone and minerally notes. In the mouth it is clean and dry, but also very rich and slightly nutty. It almost has a hint of sake-like, grain-spirit flavour with wet stones on the finish. Great stuff! Drink it young, though. www.villamaria.co.nz
TRINITY HILL GIMBLETT GRAVELS HAWKE'S BAY ARNEIS 2010, $34
Glossy, sparkly, straw-gold colour and loaded with juicy peach and grapefruit pith aromas. This wine has hints of phenolic complexity which give the palate a real lift, along with its minerally, spicy, white-pepper flavours and some lovely florals floating around that make it a firm favourite. www.trinityhill.com
SERESIN RESERVE MARLBOROUGH CHARDONNAY 2009, $40
If you're balking at the thought of paying two twenties for a bottle of chardonnay, this wine will instantly allay any fears you'll have about money well spent. This isn't just a wine, it's an experience. Gorgeous tangy mandarin and biscuity spices combine with vanilla, grapefruit and marmalade brulee flavours. There are hints of marzipan and melon and, along with power and personality, it has superb concentration of flavour. Stunning stuff. www.seresin.co.nz
MATAWHERO GISBORNE ARNEIS 2009, $26
This is the first vintage produced by Matawhero and, after a couple of years in the bottle, it's developing really beautifully. Aromas of white flowers and fennel, white pepper and peach lead to spicy, mineral-driven, slatey flavours and it has sensational length of flavour. www.matawhero.co.nz
OSAWA PRESTIGE COLLECTION HAWKE'S BAY PINOT NOIR 2010, $46
Showing savoury, earthy shitake mushroom-redolent aromas which combine with dried strawberry, liquorice, raspberry and cinnamon flavours on the palate. It's a very lightly textured wine with a soft, slippery finish.
CHURCH ROAD LIMITED EDITION ROSE 2011, $28
Wow! Five-star ratings on rose don't come easily, but if I could give this wine more I would because it's absolutely one of the sexiest things I've tasted in ages. This is the first time the team at Church Road have ever risked releasing a rose, but what a result! Gorgeous pale pink colour and boasting lifted creaming soda, crab-apple and candy floss characters wrapped around an incredibly crisp, cleansing texture - this is an ultra-refreshing autumnal sip. www.churchroad.co.nz
CRAGGY RANGE GIMBLETT GRAVELS SYRAH 2010, $31
The colour of this wine is insane. It's impenetrably purple black, like glossy squid ink or something. It's going to take you ages to actually sip this wine because it smells so gorgeous and every sniff reveals something different. Cocoa, cracked pepper, blackberry, violets, plum, liquorice, coffee, iodine and graphite. In the mouth it's plush, slippery and incredibly elegant, and it has supple, stretchy tannins and a long, smoky finish.
Great drinking now but will develop beautifully over the next five years. www.craggyrange.com
FEUDI DI SAN MARZANO MALVASIA NERA 2009, $25
This is a snazzy winter wine if ever there was one - and great value for money! Intense magenta-black colour and oozing sweet fruit-wood smoke, ripe plum and dusty rose aromas. In the mouth it is an absolute whopper - hearty, hairs-on-your-chest stuff with robust cherry, chocolate and berry flavours - like a liquid black forest gateaux. Smooth, velvety and boasting masculine tannins, it also has solid length of flavour. See www.eatily to buy.
AUNTSFIELD BLOCK 88 MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011, $12
This has to be my Buy of the Week because it represents insanely good value for money. Classic passionfruit and punchy lemon-lime flavours crackle in the mouth, edged with crushed herbs and tingly acidity. Great length of flavour means it'll definitely wow the crowds. Available from the Fine Wine Delivery Company www.finewinedelivery.co.nz