Mills Reef Reserve Merlot Malbec 2009 $24 
A Gimblett Gravels wine already with a gold medal from the San Francisco Wine Show under its belt, it’s a lovely wine which will definitely appeal to anyone who loves ripe, sweetly exotic black fruits, anise, mace and soft peppery perfume in their reds. This wine got the big thumbs up from all 14 attendees at a recent Wild Food pot luck dinner I went to recently where I served this wine with red-wine marinated wild pork and mushroom vol au vents. It is beautifully textural in the mouth with warming, full-bodied, juicy plum, berries and is an addictively satisfying winter release. www.millsreef.co.nz
