Unusual measures
Looking for something out of the ordinary? John Saker has a few suggestions to pep up your palate.
Aman walks into a bar and says: “I’ll have the unusual, thanks.”
If it’s a New Zealand bar, he might well be served one of the following wines. All represent unusual styles, either because of brave, experimental winemaking or because the grape variety is not so well known. All but one are Kiwi.
So if you’re over the usual and feeling game, cross the road and try these off-piste delights:
Mahana Estate Pinot Gris 2016 $29.50
“The pinot gris variety is not white or green but a brown, dark copper colour so why would it be made as a ‘white’ wine?” With that thinking, Mahana Estate’s enfant terrible winemaker Michael Glover has used plenty of skin contact and time on lees to create an orange wine (“I firmly believe that is the colour pinot gris wants to be”). In the mouth, flavours are writ large – limes, pickled ginger, earthiness – but held in place by the finest framework. It finishes with juiciness and verve. This singular wine is organically grown and made with next to no additives. Glover recommends chicken as a food match.
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Braided Gravels Albarino 2016 $30
Villa has been producing albariño, a white grape from northwestern Spain, since 2014, but this is the winery’s first reserve level release with variety. It’s delightful crystalline purity, light apricot notes with a lovely thread of minerality. Albariño has been raising a few hopes around the country and it’s starting to deliver on its early promise. Villa is backing it by planting more in both Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.
Prophet’s Rock Pinot Noir Infusion 2016 $35
Winemaker Paul Pujol worked several vintages in France where frisky, lighter styles of red (think beaujolais, Bordeaux clairet) are part of the winescape. With this Central Otago-grown wine he successfully recreates that effect. Limited skin contact, a wild ferment and no secondary fermentation has resulted in an intense, red cherry-laced wine that lights up the mouth with its fresh acidity and brightness. Pujol reckons it may be the best pizza wine he’s ever made.
Escudo Rojo Carmenere 2013 $29.90
Originally from Bordeaux, where it never regained its place after the late 19th century phylloxera devastation, the red grape carmenere now lives happily in Chile. It had been a while since my last taste of the variety and what a joy it was to reboot the relationship. This fine example is laden with dark, rustic cherry flavoured fruit behind which a tarry presence lurks. The texture is supple and leaves you with a little tannic chew. The finish is long and fine.