This wine has those glorious, mysterious hedgerow and forest-floor type flavours that send me into a little swoon and yet, the wallet remains calm and happy. Opawa means ‘smoky river’ in Maori, and the vineyard is located in what was the riverbed of the old Opawa River. It’s crafted by Brett Birmingham and the talented team at Nautilus wines, who have built buckets of vibrant red cherry and berry characters into the palate and retained lipsmacking acidity and a long, feisty finish.
