If you haven't been in the loop, Halliday Wine Companion has been reviewing New Zealand wines for a few months now! There are a few hundred wine reviews ready for you to peruse already, so if you're not sure where to start on your New Zealand wine journey, you've come to the right place.
Below, we spoke to three stellar producers from New Zealand – Catalina Sounds in Marlborough, Felton Road in Bannockburn, and Nanny Goat Vineyard in Central Otago. Not only do these wineries represent three of the best-known wine regions in the country, they've also put forward a range of wines for you to try, including sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.
Perfect for the summer months, Catalina Sounds' 2023 Single Vineyard Sound of White Sauvignon Blanc is a "pretty, captivating wine" that is "unbeatable with fresh seafood". Felton Road's 2023 Calvert Pinot Noir has "characteristic floral notes of rose petal and violets" with "typical Calvert mineral-laden fine tannins". And Nanny Goat Vineyard's 2021 Super Nanny Pinot Noir is "mid-weighted and supple" – pairing it with lamb is a must!
Ranging between $35 and $110, these wines are perfect for drinking now (or cellaring for later).
Catalina Sounds
Wine to try: 2023 Catalina Sounds Single Vineyard Sound of White Sauvignon Blanc
From the Waihopai Valley, the wine is fragrant in its frangipani and freesia blooms. White nectarine, white strawberries and pink guava. A chalky and talc-like minerality. Succulent but languid flow of acidity with a delicacy of pure fruit. Grapefruit, crab apple and a slight pine nut finish. Such a pretty, captivating wine and made with gentle hands. – Shanteh Wale, 93 points, Halliday Wine Companion.
Winemaker Matthew Ward says: I love making this wine because I get to focus on such a small scale and delve deeper into the characteristics of these two pockets of the vineyard. Sourced from blocks D & E at the Sound of White vineyard in the heart of the Waihopai Valley, the higher proportion of clay content in the soil is crucial for highlighting an extra element in the wine. I also play with oak and lees to add more dimension and texture.
H. What makes this wine suitable for the summer?
MW. There is only one wine for summer and it’s sauvignon blanc. The freshness, high acid and delicate fruit weight are an unbeatable pairing with fresh seafood.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
MW. The portion from E block was machine harvested at night and the hand-picked fruit from D block whole cluster pressed in the afternoon. Most of the juice is lightly clarified and fermented in stainless steel. A small portion was fermented with high-solids in 500L oak puncheons with wild yeast. Both stainless steel and barrel components spent seven months on yeast lees before blending, lightly fining and then bottling in late-November 2023.
H. Is the wine available for purchase in Australia?
MW. Yes! Visit Corkscrew Cellars (NSW), Gum Tree Good Food (VIC), Black Sheep (QLD).
Best enjoyed: Take a fresh Marlborough oyster and generously top it off with a slosh of our Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – impeccable! Enjoy it chilled, preferably adjacent to the sea and always in a Plumm Three No.2 glass.
RRP $35 | Drink now | catalinasounds.co.nz | Shop this wine
Felton Road
Wine to try: 2023 Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir
Characteristic floral notes of rose petal and violets are complemented by hints of cola, cardamom and polished leather. A sweet core of red cherry through the middle provides an elegant backbone in this finesse-driven wine. The wine is not excessively fruited, allowing the typical Calvert mineral-laden fine tannins to take centre stage, leading to a sustained and memorable finish.
Winemaker Blair Walter says: Calvert is a beautifully situated vineyard on a terrace between two gullies with a gentle north east slope down to the Kawarau River. The deep silt soil provides tannins that, while evident, are sufficiently plush, giving great presence and length. It’s a distinctive pinot noir that we have been bottling as a single vineyard wine since 2006.
H. What makes this wine suitable for the summer?
BW. Lighter styles of red wine like pinot noir are always going to better suit summer dining than heavier and more opulent styles. Plus, there is always a need for a fine pinot noir on the table!
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
BW. The vineyard has been farmed organically and biodynamically for 20 years now. The vines are truly in a balanced state and we follow this through to the winery with a very gentle process of carefully guiding the wine to the bottle – indigenous yeast and malo, no fining, no filtration minimal use of new oak to allow the vineyard to shine.
H. Is the wine available for purchase in Australia?
BW. QLD (Brisbane) – The Wine Emporium; NSW (Sydney) – Best Cellars; VIC (Melbourne) – Armadale Cellars; SA (Adelaide) – East End Cellars; WA (Perth) – Lamonts Cottesloe; TAS (Launceston) – Pinot Shop.
Best enjoyed: Be sure to serve in pinot noir or Burgundy glasses at cellar temperature and never at room temperature. This allows the wine to blossom in the glass as it slowly warms – the finesse and delicate qualities of fine Pinot Noir will be much better appreciated.
RRP $110 | Drink to 2039 | feltonroad.com | Shop this wine
Nanny Goat Vineyard
Wine to try: 2021 Nanny Goat Vineyard Super Nanny Pinot Noir
A little more aromatic horsepower here ... darker cherry tones with underlying red plum and strawberry/raspberry compote. Deeper on the palate, too, with a concentrated flow of cherry and berry fruits, toasty barrel spice, mushroom broth, purple flowers and earth. Still mid-weighted and supple despite the increase in concentration with some nice sinew to the tannin structure and excellent carry on the finish. – Dave Brookes, 94 points, Halliday Wine Companion.
Winemaker Alan Peters-Oswald says: Super Nanny is exactly as the name suggests, it is the ‘Super’ pinot noir we produce from select one or two parcels that stand head and shoulders above the pack in any given vintage. Having the freedom to produce from any of our vineyards means that, each year, the wine tells a story not only of vintage but of place and how each site is developing with age.
H. What makes this wine suitable for the summer?
APO. Super Nanny is the perfect wine to celebrate with! Our decadent and maybe a touch demonic feature goat is a real statement, whether as a gift or on your dinner table. Super Nanny is rich, luscious and memorable.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
APO. Select parcels are carefully hand harvested and gently destemmed into small open-top fermenters. Retaining a large proportion of whole berries alongside 16 per cent whole bunch, the fruit is allowed to undergo a natural fermentation and extended post ferment maceration for a total of 30–32 days on skins before pressing to 225L French oak barrels (29 per cent new) where it is matured for 14 months. Bottled without fining or filtration to ensure the beauty we see in the vineyard is reflected in the finished wine.
H. Is the wine available for purchase in Australia?
APO. Yes it is! Shop at Kent Street Cellars (NSW), Black Sheep (QLD), Prince Wine Store (VIC).
Best enjoyed: Around the dinner table with all of your favourite people. And with lamb. Simply a must, whether Aussie or Kiwi lamb we will leave that up to the hosts!
RRP $90 | Drink to 2034+ | nannygoatvineyard.co.nz | Shop this wine
