Pegasus Bay VIRTUOSO Chardonnay 2019 $65 I love the way this wine smells of popcorn, bacon, grilled grapefruit and roasted peaches drizzled in vanilla and butterscotch sauce. It’s so fresh, energetic and vibrantly nutty. A Virtuoso chardonnay is only attempted in exceptional years, from a selection of Mat Donaldson’s best barrels produced from fruit grown … Read More
Main Divide North Canterbury Merlot Cabernet 2020 $18-$21 A lipsmacking blend of classic varieties produces a plummy, cocoa and blueberry-laced wine that’s ripe, spicy and very easy to drink. It’s a smile-inducing, uncomplicated style that’ll work nicely with anything meaty. Just drink it, don’t overthink it. Main Divide
Terrace Edge North Canterbury Albariño 2022 $29 Gorgeously golden in the glass and crammed with spiced peach, luscious lemon and baked apple complexity, it’s a crisp, crunchy yet generously juicy white wine from the limestone-layered soils of North Canterbury. Clearly, this Spanish variety is loving living under the Waipara sun and if you’re a plate … Read More
Vergence MK II Waipara Red by Pegasus Bay 2021 $40 For Mat Donaldson, winemaker at Pegasus Bay, his Vergence range is all about pushing the oeno-envelope, so steady yourself for an unusual blend of some whole-bunch pinot noir and whole-berry cabernet sauvignon that’s earthy, cherry-driven and laced with soft spearmint, plum, bay and tobacco leaf … Read More
The Bone Line Pink Noise Waipara Rosé 2022 $38 The Boneline are one of North Canterbury’s most exciting producers, crafting wines on Ram Paddock Road, from soils rich in rare fossils. In fact, the 58 million-year-old palaeocene seabird fossil on this label is a real one found in the Waipara River by local fossil expert … Read More
Pegasus Bay North Canterbury Sauvignon Semillon 2020 $34 Buy. This. Wine. Now. Go! Goddamn it!! I don’t even know how to start telling you how incredibly delicious this wine is. It’s been a long time since I’ve just been so moved by a wine that I literally feel like running out into the street to … Read More
Pegasus Bay Waipara Gewürztraminer 2021 $30 This wine is so beautifully balanced, it’s like the liquid equivalent of a Simone Biles beam routine. Released in the 30th anniversary year of Peg Bay brilliance, this gewürz glows with candied lychee, crystalised ginger, a whiff of white pepper, persimmon and showing a soft, creamy, peachy undertone. Clean … Read More
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Merlot Cabernet 2019 $34 Three years on from harvest and this soothing, saucy Bordeaux-style blend is soothing, lithe, cocoa and coffee-edged. A saucy blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc, it was aged in French oak for 18 months (25% of the barrels were new) which encouraged the wine … Read More
Tiki Waipara Riesling 2018 $23 Royce McKean ditched the corporate grind for a new life in wine after almost meeting his maker. Caught in an avalanche while skiing, he decided during recovery that he wanted to be more connected to the land — and this is the result. Sweet and beeswaxy, heaving with apple, honeysuckle … Read More
Tiki Waiata Vineyard North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 $18 If you were expecting a soft, light, simple rosé then you’ll be wanting to do a u-turn and zoom on out of the cul-de-sac because this wine is bursting with apple, peach and cherry characters, brisk acidity and boasts a generously dry finish. It’s appropriate … Read More