Eight Standout Wines to Try Before the End of Summer
Light, electric and refreshing — here's what to drink when it's scorching this summer.
'Tis the season and when the mercury soars there's nothing like reaching for a refreshing bottle of fermented grapes. Read on to discover eight delicious varietals worth chucking in the cooler this holiday season, including a gold medal Chardonnay, an R-rated blend from across the ditch, a rosé perfect for guzzling in the warmer months and an unfiltered drop from Nelson that literally translates as summer.
PINOT NOIR ROSE, RABBIT RANCH, CENTRAL OTAGO
From Central Otago winery Rabbit Ranch comes one of the most anticipated drops of the season. The heavenly pink 2017 Pinot Noir rosé is perfect for guzzling in summer. It's made entirely from Central Otago fruit, lightly pressed to extract just enough colour to deliver a sensational Provençal-esque pale pink rosé. It's fresh, floral and gives off sweet candy and strawberry notes across the palate.
CHARDONNAY, ISABEL ESTATE, MARLBOROUGH
This delightful Chardonnay took top honours at this year's Air New Zealand Wine Awards where it was called "a very classy example of the Chardonnay" thanks to it beautiful balance and rich long finish. It comes from Marlborough's Isabel Estate Vineyard which has some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in the region.
TREBLE ROSE, BLACK ESTATE WINES, WAIPARA
Waipara family-run vineyard Black Estate is famous for its organic and biodynamic wines. The 2017 Black Estate Treble Rose was sourced from all three of the estate's certified organic hillside vineyards, using Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. The ruby red drop has an alluring bouquet of strawberry, gooseberry, rhubarb, nutmeg, cinnamon, vine blossom and liquorice.
KINDELI VERANO (SUMMER), ALEX CRAIGHEAD WINES, MOUTERE
Alex Craighead is a boutique wine producer who focuses on the production of natural and low intervention wines, unfined and unfiltered. He has a drop for each season; the dedicated summer batch is the 2017 Kindeli Verano, a rosé blend of every variety across his Nelson vineyards (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah). An electric, ever-changing wine.
BLANC DE BLANC, BISOU BISOU, YARRA VALLEY
Meaning 'kiss kiss' in French, Bisou Bisou is a sparkling blanc de blanc from the Yarra Valley. It was made in collaboration with Steven Webber from a blend of four vintages. It's balanced, creamy, moussy and sparkles with zesty lemon and apple. Pop a bottle and experience a bubbly mouth kiss.
ALBARINO, NAUTILUS, MARLBOROUGH
Albariño (alba-reen-yo) is a Spanish white variety known for its acidity, citrus notes, and subtle saltiness — making it the perfect match with seafood. The varietal is a recent introduction to Marlborough, and Nautilus' gold medal beauty is instantly appealing with stone fruit, citrus and apple blossom notes, together with a long juicy finish.
GRENACHE-SHIRAZ-MOURVEDRE, THE ORGY, MCLAREN VALE
You'll likely pick up this one up from the R-rated artwork alone. While reds are generally seen as a warm blanket in cold weather, this tangle of Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre is a beautiful trifecta that sits well in any season. The grapes come from South Australia's McLaren Vale, while the legwork was done by the Leask brothers at Hither & Yon.
SKIN-FERMENTED SAUVIGNON BLANC, THE HERMIT RAM, OMIHI
Theo Coles knows a thing or two about wine. Under his label The Hermit Ram he uses traditional techniques to produce unfiltered and unfined natural wine. The skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc comes from the clay and limestone rich Omihi in North Canterbury. Expect: white stone fruit, fresh acidity and a rich mouthfeel.
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