Quirky performers

They’re in a happy place, just left of centre but right

THE FAMILY COMPANY GISBORNE VIOGNIER 2015 $25 When art dealer Gene Walker married Gisborne-based clothes designer and cafe owner Chelsea Thorpe, little did he know that soon he’d be in business making wine with her dad. The Family Company are now one of Gisborne’s most exciting producers, crafting viognier perfumed with apricots, cardamom, jasmine and orange oil with ripe peach and flinty, smoky notes on the finish. Sip with: classic roast pork and salty crackling. gisbornegourmet.com

FOX BY JOHN BELSHAM MARLBOROUGH PINOT NOIR 2015 $26 This is a classic “berries and cream” pinot noir, packed with pomegranate, red cherry and raspberry on the nose and palate. However, there’s also this really curious aroma of roasting pan juices and savoury, spicy notes in the background, all followed by a wave of superfruitiness again on the finish. It’s a lithe, luscious pinot that’s gentle and plush. Sip with: chicken liver parfait and redcurrant jelly. foxes-island.co.nz

AKE AKE PRESERVATIVE FREE NORTHLAND MERLOT 2016 $30 “We basically just guide the wine from grape to bottle with as little interference as possible” says Ake Ake winemaker John Clarke. Totally inexperienced when he bought the property in 2004, he went to the library and borrowed some books on how to grow grapes and make wine. Many medals later, he owns Northland’s only fully-certified organic vineyard and turns out plummy, berry-boosted, chewy merlot’s like this that’re vegan-friendly, unfiltered, un-fined, with no additives or preservatives. Lashings of spice and herb notes make this a happy place in a glass. Sip with: classic spaghetti and meatballs. To buy email john@akeakevineyard.co.nz

YVONNE LORKIN IS CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF TASTING OFFICER OF WINEFRIEND.CO.NZ AND A WINE WRITERS OF NZ MEMBER.