Love at first sip

It’s beyond exhausting keeping up with those social media influencers, right? It’s also their fault my Instagram is heaving with yoga pants ads. Wine helps me accept this injustice.

MT ROSA CENTRAL OTAGO

PINOT BLANC $40

Buy this, chill it slightly and, like me, you’ll be wowed by the peacherine aroma that’ll punch you in the face as soon as I sniffed it. It’s incredibly elegant, statuesque and has such depth of flavour and texture — it’s a white wine that’ll have you pondering the meaning of life, the direction of humanity, nature, space and the supernatural. Plus its long, zesty, persistent length makes this my absolute new love.

Sip with: courgette and chickpea fritters. mtrosa.co.nz

BLANK CANVAS MARLBOROUGH

RIESLING 2018 $28

I love the honeysuckle hit you get from a great riesling. How winemaker Matt Thomson manages to cram that many crunchy apple, lime, mandarin and nashi notes into every sip, I’ll never know. Juicy, natural sweetness shines through and the acidity is having a party all on its own, so prepare for a tingle on the tongue.

Sip with: chilli chicken spring rolls. winedirect.co.nz

LOVEBLOCK MARLBOROUGH GEWURZTRAMINER 2018 $22

Favourite award now! Ultra-juicy, incredibly flavoursome, darn gorgeous. This outrageously tasty, organically crafted gewurz became a firm favourite of mine from the first sip. I’m a massive, ridiculous fan of Thai cuisine, so I’m always on the hunt for good gewurztraminer because it’s a style that works wickedly well with classic chilli, ginger, coriander, and garlic flavours. Lifted lychee, musky peach, and spicy tones wrapped up in fresh, tingly acidity: that’s what you’ll find in every glass.

Sip with: garlic king prawns. glengarrywines.co.nz