Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020 $25 
One of the things winemaker Gordon Russell knows about chenin blanc, is that if you give it an inch, it’ll take a mile. You’ve got to keep it semi-starved and its vigour in check in order to produce these gorgeous apple and honeysuckle-centric flavours. It’s spiritual home is the Loire Valley in France and it’s rarely seen in NZ, however Esk have been making chenin blanc for a very long time, capturing fresh-baked apple, creamy, caramelised notes, masses of mineral-edged aromatics perfectly. It’s richly structured and superb with creamy, savoury foods, so I’m thinking smoked fish pie for sure.
