Braided River Wines

Just when you thought you’d seen every Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc known to man, we’ve found another that we know you’ll just love. It’s redolent of the superb vintage expressing everything you’ve come to love about the variety. Grapefruit and intense citrus excite the senses preparing the palate for a rich and mouth-filling experience of jaunty fruit and sprightly acids before a long finish. Superb with mussels and chilli, or any Asian seafood dishes.

This Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc displays full flavoured characters of grapefruit and lime with crisp acidity and a long, focused finish. Enjoy the lovely fresh aromas heightened by a delicate bead and flavour packed finish. Try as an aperitif or with grilled fish.

The tide hasn't gone out on the ocean of Marlborough Sauvignon yet, so who knows when the 2010s will land on our shores. In the meantime, there are a few 2009s which have lasted the distance, and here's a good one. This month it's still showing primary guava and blackcurrant bud fruit on a zesty citrus palate with a poached pear roundness to the finish.

This is a good example of why Marlborough sauvignon is such a good drink. It's restrained, clean, fresh and plump, with ripe sweet fruit and some cool tropical characters. There's no distinctive flavours but it's easy to enjoy. Imported by Cheviot Bridge.

This Marlborough brand is part of the Cheviot Bridge empire and in 2006 offers a smoothly textured pinot with good ripeness, redcurrant and dark cherry flavours made more complex by some savoury notes. Imported by Cheviot Bridge.

This well-priced Marlborough pinot looks the part with bright crimson colour, aromas sail out with sweet cherry fruit leading the charge, impressive lift and verve, some wild raspberries and sweet oak spice. Supple palate and simple light tannins. Easy-drinking style, very fruit driven.

Bright, attractive poached pears and stone fruits here - very much in the more opulent gris style. Ripe banana, along with musky banana candy here too, the palate has a chalky texture and the sweet yellow musk lasts long through the finish.

Quite a spicy, earthy style of pinot with a little musky lift across the top adding colour and interest, some leafy nuances too. The palate's reasonably taut to start out and then opens to simple, light cherry/berry flavour. Not especially concentrated but balanced all the same.

Soft green aromas of herbs and limes and good citrus-like varietal flavours with slight residual sweetness and tangy finish.

Jasmine/honeysuckle aromas and soft, rounded palate with crisp floral flavours.