A tale of two brands
New Delegat releases show up some pearls among its affordably priced wines.
If you study a map of the Marlborough Sounds, you can easily spot Oyster Bay, on the south side of Tory Channel, east of Picton. Jim Delegat, who launched the wine brand in 1990, says Oyster Bay resonates with consumers with high disposable incomes. “Oyster Bay is an aspirer’s brand and it appeals to those kinds of people who can afford to have wine as an everyday affordable luxury.”
Twenty years ago, Delegat and his sister, Rose, made a key decision. Instead of trying to attract all wine drinkers, they would focus on producing quality wines in a $20 price category that would be widely available and delicious young. Their long-established family brand, which was high-achieving in the 1980s, sounds less exciting than Oyster Bay, but in a recent tasting offered even better value.
Delegat Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Highly aromatic, this medium-bodied Marlborough wine (12.4% alc/vol) has pure, zingy, melon and green-capsicum flavours, very good delicacy and vibrancy, and an appetisingly crisp, dry finish. $20
Delegat Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2016
This deeply coloured, fleshy, full-bodied Marlborough red (13.5% alc/ vol) has generous ripe-cherry, plum and nut flavours. Matured in French oak barriques, it’s already delicious and a great buy at $26.
Delegat Crownthorpe Terraces Chardonnay 2016
Fresh and lively, with a slightly nutty, buttery bouquet, this rich, mouthfilling Hawke’s Bay wine (13.5% alc/ vol) was fully barrel-fermented. It has strong, vibrant peach and grapefruit flavours, and a harmonious, wellrounded finish. Bargain-priced. $20
Oyster Bay Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2016
This red accounts for a huge slice of New Zealand’s exports of Bordeauxstyle wines (merlot and/or cabernet sauvignon). Winemaker Michael Ivicevich aims for a wine with “sweet fruit and silky tannins. The trick is not too much oak.” Fragrant and full-coloured, it is fresh and vibrant, with mouthfilling body (13.5 % alc/ vol), strong, plummy flavours, a hint of herbs and loads of drink-young appeal. $20
Correction: The September 30 “Wine of the Week” was Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Dry Riesling 2016 ( , $18), not the depicted Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Dry Riesling 2016 supplied.