Righto. Time to sidestep away from your safe old supermarket wines and tip some of these leftfield lovelies down your sipper…
Ogier Heritages Cotes du Rhone 2014 $25
This wine is SO delicious and fruity and saturated with cherry cola, raspberry and black forest gateaux flavours, that I want to shout from the rooftops how much I love it! A blend of grenach, syrah and cinsault, its texture is toasty and mouthwatering and edged with peppercorn, blueberries, cocoa and redcurrant characters. It’s fleshy, sweetly spicy and just a joy to drink with mildly spicy curry like a lamb rogan josh.
Pyramid Valley Sutherland Till Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 $53
Organic wine icons Claudia and Mike Weersing of Pyramid Valley, have decided to work with a tiny group of special winegrowers around New Zealand to produce these ‘Growers Series’ wines. This vineyard was planted in 1983 by Ivan Sutherland, the legendary viticulturist behind Cloudy Bay and Dog Point and 30-plus years vine age has produced Mendoza-clone chardonnay bursting with spice and roast stonefruit, subtle nougat and grapefruit zest notes and a lovely creamy, oak induction. Savour with Tuscan garlic chicken.
www.cultwine.co.nz
Tesch Krone Riesling 2013 $39
If riesling with a kiss of green apple, lime and ripe peachiness sounds like a bit of you, then wait until you sip this dry little dazzler. Tesch’s Krone vineyard in the town of Laubenheim, lies directly next to the Löhrer Berg on an eyewateringly steep slope consisting of coarse, decalcified loess and weathered sandstone (sounds comfy) and dramatic temperature extremes give this wine an ‘edgy disposition with layers of lifted citrus and appleskin which work beautifully with apricot chicken.
www.greatlittlevineyards.com
