Holiday delights

This selection of head-turning drops comes from Great Little Vineyards, champion of boutique, organic and biodynamic wines.

01 Mahana Estates ‘Blood Moon’ Pinot

Gris 2014 $49.50 Every now and then we come across a wine that makes everyone who tries it stop in their tracks and question everything. This show-stopper orange pinot gris has a pink skin, which these days is typically discarded during the winemaking process, but the more traditional approach in Europe was once to ferment the wine with its skin on, resulting in a striking orange hue. Some producers have returned to this method, and Mahana winemaker Michael Glover is adamant that this is how pinot gris should always be made. Stocks of this limited-edition (1700 individually hand-labelled bottles produced) are, unsurprisingly, limited.

02 Rock Ferry Marlborough Blanc de

Blancs 2011 $39.90 This is made entirely from chardonnay in Rock Ferry’s certified organic, biodynamically farmed Wairau Valley vineyard. This vintage sparkler is as serious and refined as New Zealand Champagne-method wines get. Vintage Champagne-style wine like this takes on a unique character from the old oak barrels, with four years of lees ageing. It’s well structured and finessed, and more importantly it’s an authentic expression of the very special Marlborough terroir, allowing all that beautiful Wairau fruit to shine through clearly.

03 Meyer-Näkel ‘Illusion’ Blanc de Noir

Ahr Valley 2016 $49 The exact opposite to a blanc de blancs, this wine is made entirely from pinot noir grapes, but unlike most examples of the varietal it is fermented without skin contact, resulting in an unusual but thoroughly irresistible white wine. From the Ahr Valley in western Germany, Meyer-Näkel are specialists in pinot noir and have produced something very special with Illusion, a wine with gorgeous aromatics that translates into a voluptuous, dry palate, given serious structure from oak ageing.

04 Vinteloper ‘PP/17’ South Australia

Rosé 2017 $39.90 The daring project of winemaker David Bowley, Vinteloper (the name is a portmanteau of ‘vineyard’ and ‘interloper’) suggests his wines are here to make heads turn. He combines South Australian pinot gris and pinot noir to create a thoroughly distinctive rosé, which truly transcends the typical rosé blueprint of finding a home for unsatisfactory fruit. David has spent some time cracking the phenolic formula for the ultimate rosé: fruit without sweetness, and body and texture without sacrificing on minerality. greatlittlevineyards.com