New Zealand Wines

The Spy Valley is not a valley full of mysterious looking guys in shades trading in microfilm, but a place where they make damn fine Pinot. The Wairau Valley is the site of choice to make this single site wine and it exudes all the Pinosity the Cracka office tend to get excited about. We think you’ll be excited too when you sniff the red fruits and spice before enjoying the supple sweet fruit as it flows freely down the palate.

Pinosity is the key to any of the Pinot Noirs that we source for you. What does that mean? It means that all of these wines are packed full of soft, supple fruit, a touch of earthiness and bright berry fruit. This Isabel Estate wine from Marlborough is brimming with strawberry, chocolate and gentle spice and is sensuously curved with structure and complexity. It’s got all the bells and whistles that we look for in proper Pinot and pairs superbly with earthy dishes, especially mushrooms and truffles.

If Sauvignon Blanc is the flag bearing white variety for New Zealand then we think Pinot Noir could just be its offsider. This is from Canterbury where we are starting to see classic examples of Pinosity (the silly term we use in wine to describe it’s varietal correctness). Fragrant with earthy, forest floor aromas before a palate of full bodied red fruits. This is beautifully structured and built to last, so clear some space in the cellar.

The envoy has arrived. Normally an envoy is a diplomat with a message, well the message is well and truly clear with this single site Riesling. That is a wine that states clearly where it’s from and that place is the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. It’s lifted in aromas of lime and apple and has some nice minerality, but the palate is where the magic happens with the acid and sweetness balancing on a tightrope with elements of honey and lanolin on the focused finish.

Try saying Wairarapa five times after you’ve sunk a bottle of this seriously sexy Chardonnay. Because that’s the Kiwi region the fruit comes from and Escarpment are a winery to watch. The wine is obviously inspired by the old world but has its heart and soul in the new. It’s rich, layered and textured with minerals and shows bold flavours of stone fruit. Stirring in barrel has lent complexity and character and it ends with tight, natural acids.

I love the Flight of the Conchords, but I think I’d like it more if they had sub-titles, because some of the script gets lost in the translation, or should that be the ‘uccent’. It happens to me in conversation too, like the time when my Kiwi mate was trying to teach me about the legend of Kiwa, guardian of the ocean. I wasn’t paying much attention, so when he said Kiwa and ocean, thought he was talking about Kirra, the once-great surf break just over the Queensland border. The classy Escarpment Kiwa Pinot Noir doesn’t get lost in the translation and its complex savoury cherry flavours demand your attention.

The Escarpment Wines are indicative of the potential that Martinborough displays and the Kupe is from a single site that shows enormous promise. If you are a Chardonnay nut then you are in for an absolute treat with this wine as it’s seen the star treatment from star winemaker from Larry Mckenna. It’s got the perfect balance of fruit, oak and minerally acid and would complement a roast chicken or some yabbies perfectly.

This wine shares its name with the Nga Puhi chief Te Pahi, who was the first Maori Chief to have significant contact with British colonial officials. He was a good ambassador who helped form the colonial’s belief that contact with Maoris would benefit both parties. The Escarpment winemakers have taken a leaf out of Te Pahi’s book by drawing on ‘old world’ winemaking techniques to craft this exceptional red. The Pahi Pinot Noir is silky smooth with all the generous berry and cherry fruit flavours that you’d expect from a ‘new world’ red.

The people at Escarpment told us that this wine is only available in limited supply, we’re not sure if it’s because they are ruthless in their selection, or because the staff snap up most of it up. We suspect it may be the latter as it shows all the good characteristics that you look for in a good Pinot Noir – a perfumed nose, with an irresistible combination of black, red and green fruit flavours and a silky smooth mouth-feel. This wine is perfect with roast duck, and our spies in Martinborough tell us the local butcher’s has put his kids through private school with the profits from his game meat sales.

In Maori mythology, Rehua is a very sacred person, who lives in the highest of the heavens. Because Rehua lives in the highest of the skies he is untouched by death and is a healer with the power to cure blindness and revive the dead. While Maori lore identifies Rehua with various stars like Antares and Sirius, we at Cracka identify the Escarpment Te Rehua Pinot Noir with gold stars. We love this classy Pinot because it has an ideal balance of ripe berry fruit and complex savoury flavours and its finish is longer than a comet’s tail.

Mahi translates as “our work, our craft” and in the scheme of things this Marlborough based winery are doing fantastic work crafting single vineyard wines using the varieties that best suit the region. We love this Pinot as it’s utterly varietal, showing red and black fruits, a generous texture and an essential earthiness. The key is letting the wine do its thing without any unnecessary intervention along the way and then you are left with a true reflection of the vineyard. It’s complex and savoury and would benefit by being served with pasta and duck or rabbit ragu.

This is big time Pinot Noir. The metaphorical cherry on top of the Pinot cake, and one sexy, slurpable and seductive wine that you’ll covet from the word go. A stunning nose that revels in Pinosity, showing everything that is so lauded about the variety. There’s cherry and earth and a gamey or mushroom like complexity on the nose before a wine that is rich layered and concentrated. Like drinking velvet cherries,this wine is a sensory feast.

This stunning Pinot Gris was voted by Winestate Magazine as one of the top five Pinot Gris of 2010, cementing Central Otago’s and Prophet’s Rocks reputation as cool climate maestros. Winemaker Paul Pujol made wines in Alsace so it’s no wonder this wine is heavily influenced by the wines of that celebrated region. It’s imbued with pear and peach aromas as well as complex spice mineral notes before revealing a crisp, concentrated palate. A really smart Pinot Gris that drinks well on it’s own or with a range of cuisines.

Waipara is so hot right now. Hot like a tar road on a sunny January Sunday. Hot like a bowl of soup straight out of the microwave (without that annoying hot/cold thing that microwave soup gets). Suffice to say it's hot... Wines like this show us how too, a full bodied Pinot Noir with intense Pinot flavours and that wonderful Waipara tang. A beautiful Pinot this, no question about it.

Trinity Hills reputation goes from strength to strength and the Gimblett Gravels sub region is fast becoming the place to grow world class reds, particularly Shiraz. This is iconic wine made in only exceptional vintages, it is one of New Zealand’s best and highly collectible so if you want something impressive for the cellar, this is just the ticket. It’s a delicate and elegant wine perfumed and flavoured with black fruits, cherry and plum. It’s concentrated and long with a seamless structure ensuring it will last a decade or more. It’s best savoured with some beef or a plate of mature cheeses.

Winemaker Ben Glover has quite a task on his hands, it’ his job to oversee 900 hectares of vines get crushed and produce premium wines fro Wither Hills. His passion is for Pinot and you can see why when you try this marvel from Marlborough. The Pinosity we often talk about at Cracka is apparent, showing bright cherry, spice and silky fruit when young but able to age gracefully and express darker fruits and savoury elements. A supple palate weight shows elegance and balance ensuring that this will work wonders with crispy duck.

Looking to get in on the Central Otago action but don't want to spend a fortune? Start here! This is a classic Otago Pinot, with all the lovely ripe red fruit goodness and sappy regional highlights of the best wines, yet still without the huge price tag! Buy! Buy!

Unlike most of their countrymen, Kiwi winemakers believe the ultimate prize is crafting a classic Pinot Noir (not than winning the Rugby World Cup). New Zealand’s Craggy Range has reached the winemaker’s pinnacle with their 2009 Te Muna Road Pinot Noir. This cracking good Pinot has a perfumed nose, with layers of dark berry flavours and a long silky finish. It’s the perfect wine for Peking duck.

The search for high quality Pinot Noir can be very pleasurable for the palate, but is often hard on the pocket. The Eradus has everything you want in a Pinot Noir and doesn’t disappoint on price or quality. Its nose offers cherry aromas along with savoury notes and these flavours flow through onto its fine, silky palate. The finish is long and savoury, making it ideal with a mushroom risotto.

One of the success stories of Martinborough, Escarpment has come to typify premium wines of this part of New Zealand. The aim for the winery, under the skilful guidance of winemaker Larry McKenna is to make wines that show complexity, texture and structure. Well you can tick all those boxes with this stylish Pinot Gris showing a fuller body but without compromising the intense fruit flavour. Lively with pears and peach, some sweetness before a mouth-filling texture that makes a good alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.