£20 to 30

We love this hidden gem of a wine. Erbaluce is a grape you've probably never heard of, we're baffled as to why it's not more famous! Fresh, saline and lemon zesty on the nose, the palate is clean, but slightly textured with a hint of wax. The finish is long, minerally and has note of lemon sherbit, in a really grown up kind of way.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte, Canavese

Grapes: Erbaluce

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Grilled prawns with parsley or hard Italian cheese.

Fermentation is in stainless steel with further ageing in the same vessels for 12 months before bottling. 6 months bottle ageing before release.

Stunning dry Riesling that really talks of its terroir. Floral on the nose. It is ripe, full of yellow plum fruit flavours. The Riesling that makes this "Melaphyr" wine are grown on the steep, south facing slopes of Schneider's estate that are rich in volcanic rock. The soil warms up quickly, providing perfect growing conditions.

Country: Germany

Region: Nahe

Grapes: Riesling

ABV:12%

Food Match: Fresh shellfish or Goat's cheese salads

A classic style of Chianti, with a fruity intensity. Ruby-red in colour with delicate floral notes of violet and iris, fresh ripe cherries and cranberries with a hint of spice. Well balanced acidity, soft tannins and a long finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese: 95%, Colorino: 5%

A heady mix of Barbera and Bonarda grapes combine to produce a delicious and aromatic wine full of ripe plums and cherries that is really brought to life by a hint of anise and bright juicy acidity.

Country: Italy

Region: Emilia Romagna

Grapes: Barbera and Bonarda

ABV: 14%

Country: Spain

Region: Jerez

ABV: 15%

Grapes: 

New wave Sherry! Diatomists was founded by three friends - Antonio Antonio Morenés (7th Generation Jerezano!) and his friends George from Oxford, and Tommy from Barcelona They all share a passion for wine produced in Andalucía and have over 20 years combined experience in the wine trade, the Diatomists team explore every corner of this southernmost point of Spain in search of winemakers committed to excellence.

Ruby red in colour and beautifully fresh and fruity on the nose and palate. Velvety tannins and a long, elegant finish. The Dão region of Portugal is known as their Burgundy - when you taste this lovely wine you will understand why.

Country: Portugal

Region: Dão

Grapes: Jaen, Alfrocheiro and others (field blend)

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Lamb tagine

Very pale straw with a slight green hue. On the nose, ginger, green apple and crisp highlights of lime. Citrus focused palate with quenching acidity and varietal elegance.

Country: New Zealand

Region: Marlborough

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13.5%

Bright copper in colour,  notes of  wax, wild strawberries, raspberries and tropical fruits. Full bodied and textured on the palate with a long, mineral finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Friuli Colli Orientali

Grapes: Pinot Grigio

ABV: 12.5% 

Food Match: a great food wine, will go well with roast white meats, duck and partridge

Superb quality Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. Beautiful ruby red colour, violets and cherries on the nose, lots of crunchy red fruit on the palate and a long fresh finish.

Country: France

Region: Loire Valley

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 12.5%

Seriously delicious Bordeaux blend from SA. Full of black cherry, and blackberry along with warm notes of baking spice and vanilla pod. Subtle liquorice and seductive tobacco and hazelnut add a luxurious dimension. Long, silky finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Paarl

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc

ABV: 14%

Seaside salinity and mandarin zest on the nose. There's a beach pebble minerality texture to the palate along with a blood orange tang. Persistent zing and lift to the finish.

Country: England

Region: Sussex

ABV: 12.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir 80% , Pinot Meunier 20%

Vegan, unoaked

Gardner Street is the historic name of Henners’ home village of Herstmonceux. The old name captures the hand-harvested, artisanal craft of tending vines & wines down English country lanes. A modern marriage of bright Pinot Noir and plush Pinot Meunier.

Intense, long, persistent, floral, fruity, with a warming sensation on the palate. Soft, elegant, and concentrated. Very typical of Timorasso, mineral with notes of chamomile, ripe yellow plums, and toasted almond in the finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmonte, Colli Tortonesi,  Sarezzano

Grapes: Timorasso

ABV: 14% 

Food Match: Poultry, seafood, soft cheeses, and grilled vegetables.

Perfumed nose of fynbos flowers and raspberry. The palate is juicy and appealing with notes of rooibos tea and blueberries with smooth velvety tannins and a lingering, elegant aftertaste.

Country: South Africa

Region: Wellington

Grapes: Pinotage

ABV: 14%

Food matches: great with rich meaty stews - potjie kos especially

Quinta de Saes Tobias Branco is a low-intervention, floral and aromatic white from the Dão region, made entirely from the indigenous grape Cercial.

Country: Portugal

Region: Dão

Grapes: Cercial

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Crab linguine

Concentrated, warming aromas and flavours of blackberries, blueberries and bitter cherry on the nose with a secondary layer of meatiness and stewed fruit. Earthy and minerally on the finish. This is the perfect treat for Sunday roast lunch.

Country: Georgia

Region:  Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Goes wonderfully with roast lamb or slow cooked pork dishes.

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

Crisp, vibrant, lemon citrus with intense buttery, toasted vanilla notes. Fermentation was carried out using a mix of wild and Burgundy yeasts in 2 year old French oak and stainless steel, adding a rich mouthfeel, excellent body and notes of ripe stone fruit, brioche and honey. Wonderful lingering finish.

Country: England

Region: Devon

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 12%

59 year-old vines, some of the oldest in South Africa. This complex and interesting Chenin is fermented and matured in clay eggs, producing distinctive notes of yellow apple alongside green melon and lime on the nose. This wine is beautifully structured on the palate, bursting with fresh yellow and white fruit flavours and a subtle yet distinctive finish.

Country: South Africa

Region:  Stellenbosch

ABV: 13%

Grapes:  Chenin Blanc

Food Match: This goes beautifully with a wide range of foods because of it's fruit character and great acidity. Our suggestion would be roast pork loin or seafood.

A charming fragrance and intensity, with aromas and flavours of raspberries and blackberries. Very elegant, with soft, round tannins and a lovey lingering finish.

Country: Austria

Region: Thermenregion, Lower Austria

ABV 12.5%

Grape Variety: Pinot Noir

ORGANIC

 Food Match: This wine fits excellent to roast veal, wildfowl (pheasant, partridge), and coq au vin. Pairs very nicely with mushroom risotto/pasta dishes too. 

Now in its fourth generation of winemakers, the 40 hectare estate is run by Johann Reinisch's three sons: Hannes, Michael and Christian. With a 2,000 year legacy of wine growing in the region, the Reinischs maintain traditions with vineyards planted with 65 % red and 35 % white vines. 

A light and aromatic indigenous wine, Friulano (previously known as Tocai Friulano) is distinguished by its delicate almond notes and subtle white floral aromas. On the palate, it is dry, fresh,and balanced with a pleasant savoury finish and a mineral note. 

Country: Italy

Region: Friuli Colli Orientali

Grapes: Friulano (also known as Sauvignonasse)

ABV: 12.5% 

Food Match: Versatile and refined, it pairs perfectly with antipasto, cheeses, and fish dishes.

A full-bodied with medium tannins red wine, medium to high acidity. The notes of red (cherry, strawberry) and dark (plum, blackberry) fruit. The secondary notes of vanilla, oak, tobacco,

Country: Spain

Region: Ribera del Duero

Grapes: Tempranillo

ABV: 14.5%

Food pairing: lamb, beef, game (deer, venison)

This dark, almost black wine has enormous concentration, resulting in very ripe seductive fruits like roasted aromas of plums, cassis and dark cherries and currant, toast, coffee and mocha. Perfectly aligned alcohol and lively acidity with an elegant smooth finesse. The sugar level is attractive and well integrated and the wine shows serious soft and ripe red wine tannin structure.

Food Match: The relatively low sugar level (compared to other Sweet Reds like Banyuls or Port) allows this wine to pair with main courses like roast beef, game, roasted duck, stews, Steak or smoked fois gras... and any kind of bitter flavours like coffee, nuts, bitter chocolate, smoky, toasty aromas...and fresh and mature cheeses...and simply by itself.

Fermentation is halted with the addition of grape alcohol retaining a natural sweetness of 70 g/l. Fermentation is controlled at 27-29ºC with indigenous yeasts used. Maceration for 30 days, both varieties are vinified together in stainless steel tanks. Not cold stabilised but undergoes a light filtration.15 months in French Oak.

 Country: Spain

Region: Montsant

Grapes: Grenache 70% Carignan 30%

ABV: 16.5%

Food Match: Black Forest Cake or 70% fine dark chocolate

Nestled in the rugged hills of the Catalan countryside, in the tiny village bearing its name, is the well-respected Celler de Capçanes. It was this wild Montsant landscape which first captivated Jürgen Wagner back in the early 90s, but the huge potential he recognised in this unique village co-operative that determined what followed. Pouring all his efforts into working with the growers to nurture the best from their vineyards and the most honest expressions of their terroir, Celler de Capçanes has established itself as one of the most engaging wineries in the area.

Kosher

From a warm vintage, this wine displace beautiful aromatics with notes of guava and passion fruit paired with a wonderful freshness, which combined with its inherit intensity and complexity makes this a finely balanced, terroir focused, dry white.

Country: Italy

Region: Soave

Grapes: Garganega 70% and Chardonnay 30%

ABV: 12.5%

Food Match: Blue Cheese like Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte

Deliciously plump fruit, poised, refined and very approachable. Plum, some bitter cherry fruit, clove, cinnamon nose. Spicy up front and smooth, rounded fruit.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Montagne St Emilion

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Merlot

Straw yellow in colour. Concentrated, persistent mousse. Generous on the nose, intense and well balanced with delicate white flower notes, such as wisteria and acacia blossom, with notes of green apple and pear. Very dry 'brut' in style with only 4g/l residual sugar, with crisp acidity on the palate, very dry yet richly-flavoured, with a long stoney finish.

Region: Veneto, Italy

Grapes:  100% Glera

ABV: 11.5%

Food Match:  This would work throughout a meal, but goes best with fleshy white fish dishes.

Elegant stone fruit aromas with hints of herbs. Round and weighty on the palate with a crisp fresh finish, this Cretan variety has found a home in the cool Macedonian hills.

Country: Greece

Region:  Macedonia

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Vidiano, Roditis

Food match: tabouleh, grilled fish and pasta salad

We love these organic, low intervention wines from ancient terroir with a touch of New Zealand magic. Expressive and unique you've got to try them!