Mud House Wines

It would be lazy to say that all kiwi savvy tastes the same. Sure, at the bottom end of the market there is uniformity but, you take in consideration sub-regions and winemaking influence and there’s a whole wealth of Savvy to be explored. There’s the typical passionfruit and grapefruit nose on offer here, before an explosive and concentrated palate of tropical fruits, subtle green bean and a core of citrussy acids. It’s vital and persistent on the finish meaning your seafood will be enhanced when matched with this savtastic style.

It’s a Pinot from Marlborough New Zealand called Mudhouse, but it’s anything but muddy in the glass, although we could call it earthy, which is something quite different. This easy drinking red is helping put those Kiwi’s on the map for more than just Sauvignon Blanc an we think you’ll love the innate drinkability of this wine. Red fruit and spice on the nose hint at what’s to come before a wave of cherry fruit and subtle oak. Nicely structured with soft, slurpable tannins ramping up the easy drinking dial to max.

The Sauvignon Blanc tidal wave shows no signs of abating and the quality on offer just gets better and better. Marlborough continue to produce the kind of aromatic whites that please a plethora of palates, with the combination of tropical fruits and zesty acids. This is the very essence of Kiwi savvy with lifted guava and green herbs before a full on palate of tropical fruit and citrus, some green bean characters and a long, balanced finish.

The Pinot train is leaving the station and you would be foolish not to jump onboard. Central Otago is shaping up to be the Kiwi equivalent of Burgundy thanks to its vineyard sites that are showing real promise and the mind-blowing quality of Pinot Noir like this. Nicely varietal with red fruits, earth and a hint of spice the wine shows a nicely generous profile of cherry on the smooth and supple palate. Pair it with game, especially duck for a taste sensation.

Kiwi Pinot Gris has the potential to match the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc so we are championing the style at Cracka ensuring you get the best range. Textured and delicate this wine style suits food brilliantly, especially white meats like pork or poultry. It’s full of fresh aromas of pear and honey with a luscious palate of minerals and cleansing acids.

The Pinot train is leaving the station and you would be foolish not to jump onboard. Central Otago is shaping up to be the Kiwi equivalent of Burgundy thanks to its vineyard sites that are showing real promise and the mind-blowing quality of Pinot Noir like this. Nicely varietal with red fruits, earth and a hint of spice the wine shows a nicely generous profile of cherry on the smooth and supple palate. Pair it with game, especially duck for a taste sensation.

Colour: Straw yellow Nose: Delicate aromas of quince, honeysuckle and freshly cut pear. Palate: The front palate is luscious with flavours of nectarine and spicy pear. The smooth palate finishes with a hint of mouthwatering minerality.

Colour: Pale straw Nose: Lifted notes of guava, elderflower and fresh nettles. Palate: Mouth watering flavours of tropical fruits, citrus and green beans marry perfectly to give a long, balanced finish. Food Match: Fresh Blue Cod, lightly grilled with new season potatoes and garden peas.

Medium red-purple; the bouquet is clean, with some attractively savoury edges to light to moderately intense plum fruit on the bouquet. The palate creeps up on you, its intensity and length building as you retaste it. Plum and forest flavours intermingle with excellent oak and tannin handling. Subtlety, not power, is the exercise.

Lovely wine with attractive, warm, ripe, varietal fruit profile showing a nice earthy edge. Oak is quite forward but the fruit can handle it. Has great texture and warming alcohol.

Distinct gooseberry aromas with a lovely floral lift. Vibrant palate full of grapefruit and blossom-like flavours and wrapped in crisp, clean acid. Good commercial style.

Refined, sweet-fruited wine, estate-grown and tank-fermented. Fully dry, with a minerally streak and good intensity of youthful melon, lime and green capsicum flavours, showing excellent delicacy and length. Youthful wine, full of promise.

Light green-yellow; the bouquet is clean, moderately ripe with gooseberry notes. The palate provides the flavours promised by the bouquet, having both depth and some grip on the finish which helps the wine structurally.

Light yellow-green; the bouquet is delicate and fine, with flashes of tropical/passionfruit aroma. The palate is quite light and crisp, with a delicate mid-palate, before moving through to a slightly minerally grip to the finish. This note and rating give the benefit of the doubt on the level of volatile acidity in the wine.

Nothing muddy here, just bright, brambly fragrance, and ripe cherries, dark toasted spices and plenty of aromatic complexity on offer. The palate's rich and ripe, really big on bright fruit flavours and strong tannin stride, sweet dark cherry finish. Great balance.

Swan, the Mud House reserve label, is showing class, clarity and richness, deep dark concentrated cherry fruit aromas, really pure and primary, gentle fragrance. The palate picks up with bright acidity and takes a fine tannin line to the finish, decent flesh through the middle, pure cherry flavour again, finishes juicy. Perfect for smaller birds like duck.

This has plenty of passionfruit on the nose, fresh and lively. The palate has the same fresh passionfruit pulp too - really quite rich and full-flavoured, with a fresh river of acid running right throughout.

Lemon-scented, single-vineyard wine, estate-grown. Medium-dry style, very harmonious, with lemony, appley flavours, showing good delicacy and freshness, finely balanced acidity and a lingering finish.

This Marlborough sauvignon has a heady mix of wild herbs, capsicum, green passionfruit and gooseberry. The palate's tangy, light and juicy, with sweet herb flavours and a bright, easy finish.

Medium red-purple; there is a degree of complexity to the bouquet, but leafy/gamey aromas are foremost. The palate is lively but altogether lacking the plush ripeness of the best wines of the year. If it were not from the '98 vintage, would in all probability receive higher points.