BEST OTHER RED STYLES
Jules Taylor Marlborough Gruner Veltliner 2021 ($25) ★★★★★
Pronounced “groo-ner velt-leener”, it’s the signature white wine of Austria that’s made a very happy home here in Godzone if this delicious thing is any indication. I love its face-punch of florals, its avalanche of apple, and its sackloads of citrus, layers of lemongrass and its tsunami of salinity. It’s a powerfully refreshing, crunchy-crisp yet generously proportioned gruner that shows just how skilled the Jules Taylor team are. julestaylor.com
Unico Zelo Halcyon Days Riverland Nero d’avola 2020 ($45)
★★★★★
Nero d’avola from anywhere outside of Sicily is a rare thing, but to find a delicious one from the Riverland in South Australia? That’s something to sing about. Pronounced “nehro dah-volah”, it’s perfumed with sarsaparilla, dried herbs, candied boysenberries, and Szechuan pepper. The mouthfeel is dangerously smooth and will charm you into thinking you can dance like Jackson and sing like Jagger. So put on your funky pants, rustle up some ratatouille, and settle in for a boogie.
For stockists contact blancnz.co.nz
Koerner Clare Valley The Clare 2020 ($48) ★★★★★
Hands up if you’ve ever tasted a blend of 51 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 15 per cent cabernet franc, 12 per cent malbec, 12 per cent grenache, 9 per cent carignan and 1 per cent sciacarello before. No? Me neither. From the evil genius brothers Damon and Jono Koerner (winners of the 2019 Young Gun of Wine award) comes this sultry, silky-smooth blend of grapes grown in the Watervale area. Liquorice, cherry, earthy spices and hints of tamarillo combine with gently prickly tannins to create a long, lengthy finish. Delicious. For where to buy contact. vintners.co.nz
Tono Mas O Menos Hawke’s Bay Tempranillo/pinot Noir 2019 ($19) ★★★★★
Antony Mackenzie has slung the classic grapes of Rioja and Burgundy together in a Hawke’s Bay mash-up that works a charm. Mas O Menos loosely means “more or less” but it’s hard to see where the “less” occurs, considering this blend is a total backslapper. Tono (ton-yo) is the Spanish nickname for people called Antonio, so Ant adopted it for his Spanish-styled wines. Tutti frutti, liquorice-licked, and chocolate-edged, it’s a star. For stockists email
ant@antswines