I like a pinot noir that’s brazenly showy and spicy and that’s why this new vintage of a WineFriend favourite has me grinning. Hints of cassia bark and tea leaf combine with cherry, cranberry and fruit-wood smoke to create a complex, savoury, earth-edged pinot noir that shows classic dried herb and soy notes on the finish. Marlborough pinot is incredibly versatile and lends itself to so many different foods – but I prefer classic duck liver parfait spread on fresh ciabatta.