Taste bud tempters

A trio sure to inspire oohs and aahs

Give your taste buds a nip, tuck and lift this New Year by embarking on a quest for something new.

ASTROLABE WREKIN VINEYARD MARLBOROUGH CHENIN BLANC 2015 $25

If you’re looking for an eruption of green apple and seriously nice nectarine-like tanginess, here’s your ticket. Sourced from a vineyard in the southern hills of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley this chenin is layered with cheek-slapping freshness, juicy purity and has lovely depth, thanks to a wild-yeast ferment in older oak. Sip with: roast pork, salty crackling and apple sauce. astrolabewines.co.nz

MOUNT EDWARD CENTRAL OTAGO VERMOUTH NV $49

Normally vermouth is made from some kind of neutral grape variety that is then tricked up with botannicals and sugar, however this little lovely, crafted by Anna Riederer and Duncan Forsyth, is produced using 100 per cent organic elderflowers, the first of its type in NZ. I agree with Duncan when he says: “It’s a perfect summer smasher cocktail over ice, a splash of tonic and a slice of orange peel.” Email wines@mountedward.com

CHATEAU MARSYAS B-QA CABERNET SYRAH MOURVEDRE 2013 $41

One sip of this warm, spicy red and you’ll be shouting “Zaki!” Zaki’s the Arabic word for “delicious” and seeing as this is the first wine I’ve ever tried from Lebanon, it’s entirely appropriate. Marsyas was the original name for the Chateau’s home in the Beqaa Valley. It’s also known to the ancient Arabs as Noah’s Valley, in reference to his alleged burial site. Sip with: venison salad and raspberry balsamic. centrecity.co.nz YVONNE LORKIN YVONNE LORKIN IS CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF TASTING OFFICER OF WINEFRIEND.CO.NZ AND A WINE WRITERS OF NZ MEMBER.