Whites

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!

Vinified and aged on the skins in traditional qvevri clay pots for 6 months

Amber with orange hues. Stone fruits, peach and white flowers notes on the nose. Intense with pronounced but soft tannins coming from the skin contact balanced with
refreshing acidity. Medium bodied and moreish, with very good length.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Rkatsiteli

ABV: 12.5%

Food Pairing:  Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, aromatic rice, smoked aubergine. Serve cool, not cold.

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

This property has historical importance, being farmed by a pioneering family of the wine industry in the Uco Valley. The Italian José Zingaretti immigrated to Argentina at the beginning of the 20 th century, bringing along his knowledge of vine growing and winemaking from his homeland. He was one of the first settlers of Tupungato, which at the time was a remote and nearly inaccessible area. This wine comes from vines of more than 80 years old. Aged for 18 months in a combination of new, second and third use French oak barrels. 50% of the wine underwent full malolactic and 50% partial. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 400 cases made. Drinking beautifully now or hold for up to 6 years.

Stunning old-vine chardonnay shows beautiful density and concentration Precise with a round, creamy texture. It’s full- bodied, refined, soft and fluffy. Fresh and bright. Intense, yet subtle with notes of pear and cherry blossom. Wonderful white with unique character.

Country: Argentina

Region: Mendoza

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Chardonnay

After visiting Argentina in 1989, Californian trail-blazer Paul Hobbs became deeply interested in both the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and other varietals in the region. After meeting two kindred spirits, Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, they founded Viña Cobos in 1997 and since then there has been no looking back. Utilising gnarly old vines, careful vineyard selection, very low yields and an unerring empathy for the raw materials, Viña Cobos craft intense yet balanced wines that showcase the elegance and beauty of this region. The wines from Cobos have branched into four different brands – Felino, Bramare appellation, Bramare Single Vineyard and the super premium Cobos. Binding all of the wines from Viña Cobos is the true identity of each variety and the unique terroir of Mendoza, truly world class wines from a world class producer.

Lovely notes of citrus, tropical from and wild herbs on the nose. Crisp, dry with good weight on the mid-palate and a long, lemony, minerally finish.

Country: Greece

Region: Nemea

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Assyrtiko

Food match: Greek salads, shellfish and grilled white fish, turkey.

Delicate aromatic characters of ripe peach, apricot and melon, lead to a refreshing
acidity which balances the rich and charming palate. With an impressively aromatic
finish, this is the quintessential introduction to the Vidiano grape.

Country: Greece

Region:  Dafnes, Heraklion  Crete

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Vidiano

Food match: Tabouleh, grilled fish and pasta salad

Country: Australia

Region: Polish Hill River, Clare Valley

Grapes: Riesling

Food Matches: 

93 points, Tim Atkin
The Fynbos Vineyard has well drained soils with north facing slopes that result in a rich, fleshy, generous wine. This wine was 100% wild fermented in a selection of 228L and 300L French oak barrels (25% new, the rest in 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill barrels). It remained on the lees for a total of 12 months with no battonage. Nuanced and multi-layered – this vineyard produces wines with depth and weight, and great structure that allows for significant ageing potential. Sandstone is the dominant soil type in this north-facing vineyard on Iona's spectacular farm. More open and aromatic than its stablemate Kloof, it has top notes of fynbos and aniseed, flavours of honey and stone fruit and attractive patisserie spices from 25% new oak. TA

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Chardonnay

In early 1997, Andrew Gunn, an engineer by training was contemplating his next career move. Having always loved the outdoors, the prospect of farming appealed to him and feeling young and energetic enough to start a new career, left the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg to begin the search for the ‘perfect’ farm.

After months of searching and 40 farm visits later, Andrew and a very tired estate agent stumbled upon a solitary run down apple farm on a mountain top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prospect of a suitable farm in Elgin intrigued Andrew and on driving through the valley, he became excited by the beauty of the area. Surrounded by the Kogelberg Biosphere and Forestry the property had no agricultural neighbours. The rolling hills and the drive up the mountain to where the farm was situated, 420 meters above sea level, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was love at first sight.

As he drove in and stopped in front of a rather run down Herbert Baker homestead, he felt, “this is where I would like to live”, and the view from the front of the house overlooking the Elgin Valley below, made up his mind.

This famous Northern Italian Piemontese white grape Timorasso has found a new home in the Ukrainian Black Sea region.

Concentrated, floral, fruity, with a warmth on the palate. Soft, elegant, yet intense. Very typical of Timorasso, mineral with notes of chamomile flower,  yellow plums, and toasted almond in the finish. Lovely!

Grapes: Timorasso

Country: Ukraine

Region: Mykolaiv

ABV: 14%

Food pairing: Poultry. grilled fish, seafood, soft cheese and salads.

Beykush Winery is a family winery located close to the Black Sea in Chernomorka village, Mykolaiv region. Beykush vineyards consist of 14 hectares of French, Italian, and Georgian clones. They also expertly work with the Ukrainian indigenous white grape variety Telti Kuruk, which is the most important and unique for the area. The winery is recognized for its accolades at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

A fresh blend of Sauvignon Blanc and indigenous Obeidi. It is aged on its lees for 8 months in foudres and 500l oak barrels giving the wine some weight and texture. The vineyards are situated on the foothills of Mount Lebanon, around Faqra, at around 1400m altitude. Crisp and clean with a citrus character and an oriental twist, thanks to the local Obeidi. 

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc and Obeidi

ABV: 13%

Food match: Mediterranean chicken or fish dishes with grilled vegetables, tabbouleh

Surprisingly, this variety is not actually related to Gruner Veltliner. An aromatic, spicy, full-bodied white wine with a fresh acidity slight nutty character. Round and viscous palate, with fleshy white peach character and a long finish.

Country: Austria

Region: Wagram, Niederösterreich

ABV: 10%

Grapes:  Roter Veltliner

Food Match: great with pork schnitzel  and potato salad

A wonderfully mature Chardonnay character with ripe white pear, orchard fruits, candied orange and a savoury twist on the finish. Very well balanced and drinking beautifully now.

Country: France

Region: Southern Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Grilled trout

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

Country: New Zealand

Region: Marlborough

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13.5%

A fresh, zesty and tropical nose of limes, guava, nectarine, apricot and hints of almond blossom leads to a richly textured palate, has superb length, balance and plenty of finesse. Bright and zippy on the finish.

Country: Greece

Region:  Macedonia

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Malagouzia 

Food match: Pairs perfectly with Greek salads, shellfish and grilled white fish.

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!

A classy Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut from one of the best vineyards in the area. The palate is full of apricots and nectarine characters. It has a long, elegant finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto 

Grapes: Glera 100%

ABV: 11%

Food pairing: shellfish starters, grilled prawns with garlic and chilli, or mussels in a white wine sauce

Vegan, vegetarian