ALCA SELTZER!

If the thought of sipping water with bubbles and some alcohol in it doesn’t sound that romantic, then prepare to be wowed people, because there’s a tsunami of hard seltzer frothing across our shop shelves that’ll keep every kind of flavour persuasion happy. Hard seltzer is essentially a sparkling water enriched with around 5% alcohol by volume, and will appeal to those keen on low carbohydrates and calories. Hawke’s Bay cider heroes Zeffer have launched cider-based seltzers in three taste sensations – Watermelon, Orange & Grapefruit, and Guava – at around $32 for 10 x 330ml cans at

The good folk at DB have also launched Club Setter Seltzers in Tropical, and Watermelon & Strawberry flavours. They’re seriously low impact in the calorie stakes yet hit heavy on taste. Local brewers Good George have also unveiled their

Real Good Seltzer in flavours including Mandarin & Lime.

Colere Wines winemaker Julian Richards crafts experimental styles that celebrate the phases of the sun and the moon and the health of the soils. Colere is a Latin word that means to farm, cultivate and worship, which is interpreted in whimsical, fairytale-like labels. Right now he has a 2015 pinot noir ($35) from Nelson’s Moutere Valley, crafted by minimal-interventionist champion Michael Glover from biodynamic, dry-farmed, whole-bunch fermented fruit; a 2016 semillon from the organic, iconic Greenhough Hope Vineyard in Nelson; and Solera, a unique non-vintage blend from the famous Kerner vineyard in Marlborough. It’s classified nonvintage because it’s comprised of one barrel of 2012 pinot gris/pinot blanc, two barrels of 2016 pinot gris and three barrels of 2017 pinot blanc, with a “little touch of riesling” (LTR) to add citrus complexity. Email Julian on wines@colere.co.nz to find out where to buy.

zeffer.co.nz.