Cold comfort
Your fridge is bored. So bored. Do it a favour. Ditch the yawn-inducing, bog-standard sav, gris and chard and give your favourite appliance something to look forward to…
Tua Marina Marlborough Arneis 2016 $30 How brilliant to finally find an arneis specialist here in New Zealand. Lucky for us, Franzi Grab is obsessed with this tricky little Italian number from the northern Piedmont region, which is nicknamed “Little Rascal”, due to it regularly having hissy fits in the vineyard and not playing by the rules. Grab now has three vintages under her belt and her certified organic style is wildyeast fermented, chalky, bone dry and limey on both the nose and palate and boasts zingy acidity, racy texture, nuttiness on the nose and excellent length. Sip with: leek and mozzarella dumplings. tuamarinavineyards.co.nz
Villa Maria Ihumatao Vineyard Verdelho 2014 $29 Verdelho is the famous white grape grown on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where it’s traditionally used in the production of sherry. It’s very rare in this part of the world and who’d have thunk it’d thrive in an ancient volcanic crater out in Mangere, South Auckland? I love its lovely musky florals and orange oil aromatics that work awesomely alongside white pepper, passionfruit and tangy acidity in the mouth. It’s lithe and dry, yet generously proportioned.
Sip with spicy seafood stew. villamaria.co.nz
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Chenin Blanc 2017 $45 The Naish family planted chenin blanc on their “Home” vineyard back in 2011. The vines thrive under the baking Waipara sun and those wild Nor’Easter winds. This is the fourth vintage made by their winemaker, Nicholas Brown, an obsessive fan of wines from the Mid-Loire Valley in France (where chenin and cabernet franc are the white and red heroes). This example is so finely tuned, yet intensely flavoured. Think freshly cut apple, activated almonds, hints of mineral salts, and with a crystalline complexity; it’s brisk and bracing to drink. Fresh yet creamy and crazy-good.
Sip with: vegan yotta soup blackestate.com