Te Whare Ra, SV Dry Riesling
Te Whare Ra (TWR), pronounced Te Faré Rha (House of the Sun), is the oldest little winery & vineyard in Marlborough, being first established in 1979 in the sub-region of Renwick. Since 2003 it has been owned and operated by Anna & Jason Flowerday. She’s an Aussie from South Australia and he’s a Kiwi from Marlborough.
Anna and Jason firmly believe that biodiversity is the key to maintaining a good vineyard. They plant between the vines and plough alternate rows. To combat pests, they use natural methods such as buckwheat, and fertilize the vineyard using their own home-made composts and manure. In the cellar they practice a hands-off approach as they seek to express the nature of their individual vineyards and sites. The TWR wines are truly hand-made. Everything is hand-picked, hand-sorted and the attention to detail is meticulous. Anna and Jason are dedicated to making delicious authentic wines that showcase the very best of Marlborough not the mass-produced version.
I love this dry Riesling, it has such purity of fruit; it's light yet focused with complex citrus and herbal aromas.
Richer on the palate, it marries perfectly with dishes with some chilli (and lemongrass).
Such a good wine!
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc
Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, the person responsible for the ground-breaking early wines produced in Marlborough (Cloudy Bay). The name ’Greywacke’ was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard, located in Rapaura, in recognition of the prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the vineyard’s soils. ’Greywacke’ is a sedimentary rock that is widely found in Marlborough, consisting of layers of hard grey sandstone and darker mudstone.
Perhaps the best New Zealand Sauvignon on the market. Not too intense, balanced and delicious
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
Ata Rangi, meaning ‘dawn sky, new beginning’ is owned and managed by Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison. In 1980 Clive planted the bare, stony, home paddock at the edge of Martinborough, becoming one of a handful of people who pioneered grape growing in the area. Ata Rangi’s first vineyard covered less than five hectares on deep, free-draining alluvial gravels – the original course of a local river which flows from the hills that flank the eastern side of the valley. Today they are joined by a strong team including winemaker Helen Masters, who in 2019 was awarded New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine, as recognition of her 16 years’ work at Ata Rangi.
Ata Rangi is renowned for its Pinot Noir and is widely regarded as New Zealand’s top Pinot Noir producer. They were awarded Five Stars in the ‘2019 Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification’ by Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer for the consistent gold medal standard of their wines. At the 2010 International Pinot Noir Conference, Ata Rangi Pinot Noir was one of two producers granted the title of ‘Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa’ (which translates from Māori as ‘Great Growth of New Zealand’ or ‘Grand Cru’), in recognition of their unique site and of the family’s commitment to evolving and developing New Zealand Pinot Noir. The oldest Pinot Noir vines, which include a clone allegedly smuggled from Burgundy, were planted in 1980.
This is one of my favourite Pinot Noirs from anywhere! I love the slightly savoury style of Martinborough Pinot and no-one does it better than Ata Rangi.
I would drink this with anything but roast pork belly with fennel seeds springs to mind as a match made in heaven.
Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir
Simon Waghorn of Astrolabe Wines is one of New Zealand's most respected winemakers; his wines are always balanced, with great depth of flavour.
This Pinot Noir has more complexity than many from Marlborough, with a subtle savoury edge to the rich creamy red fruit flavours.
Delicious with rack of lamb or soft cheeses such as Baron Bigod.