Anne Laure Riesling 2018
The gorgeous nose of lime and citrus. The dry palate shows some attractive notes of white flowers.
Ansgar Clusserath Riesling 2019
This is Mosel Riesling with a difference, Feinherb is neither dry or sweet but (transliterated) featherweight. I describe these wines as “just sweet enough” and this one is rich and creamy with tropical fruit, citrus and acid for days.
ORGANIC
Astrolabe Chenin Blanc Sec 2021
Grown on the sunny clay slopes of Marlborough, this fresh Chenin reveals soft apple and honeysuckle flavours to enjoy year-round. Medium-bodied, with good acidity and a light spritziness, giving flavours of red apple, nectarine and honeysuckle. Delicious when youthful but has strong maturation potential.
ORGANIC
Aurum Dry Riesling 2018
This southern star smashes through the palate with green apple and quartz-powder, mineral-driven mouthfeel that lingers long and will send your saliva glands into overload. The citrus intensity is one thing, but the honeysuckle and hints of biscuit really add to the complexity of this wine in the mouth.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Bodegas Zarate Albariño 2019
The Zarate estate encompasses a total of 9.6 Ha of vines, over 12 different parcels. It is located in the Val de Salnés subzone which is prized for its cool climate and close proximity to the sea, which gives the wines a ‘salty’ character. The soils here are what is called Xabre, or weathered granite, which also helps to accentuate the intense minerality of the wines. The vines are farmed organically with many biodynamic techniques employed as well.
“The eponymous 2019 Zarate is their entry-level Albariño, a vintage with structure and acidity, still very young, a powerful vintage with more of everything and probably a long-distance runner. It’s varietal and clean, characterful, powerful and with a long, tasty finish, vibrant and almost salty.” The Wine Advocate
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Bründlmayer Grüner Vertliner Berg-Vogelsang 2018
Anis spice remains discreet, animated and distinctive. Round and balanced on the palate despite a bit of weight. Apple and yellow fruit in the background, crystal clear with promising potential.
Conceito Vamp White 2019
Bright citrus colour with greenish tones. Intense and complex aroma, with citrus notes, tropical fruits and slightly floral. In the mouth, it has good volume, firm and well integrated acidity, fruity notes and harmonious and persistent finish.
Decibel Giunta Crispy White 2020
An intriguing blend of 35% Chenin Blanc, 33% Viognier, 32% Chardonnay. Very light, pale straw colour. High notes of white stone fruit and hints of exquisite floral notes, which open up to broader spices and richer tones of ripe peach and red delicious apples. The palate is soft and lush up front but quickly evolves into a racy midpalate and bright finish. Lingering notes in the midpalate of brioche while the finish has a lasting spice and vibrancy.
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Hand-picked from its own vineyards in Marlborough, Dog Point’s Sauvignon is bright, crisp and super-fresh, more typical in Marlborough style than the barrel-fermented ‘Section 94’ cuvée, with huge punch and verve. Passion fruit is there, with tropical notes suggesting lychee and guava, a touch of capsicum, but really all about the fruit. In the mouth the texture has some richness and mealiness to it, the citrus blast of the acidity balanced perfectly against that more unctuous, tropical fruit into a dry and beautifully balanced finish. Typical and yet not, this is a fine example of Marlborough’s unique Sauvignon style.
Domaine des Grandes Espérances Le Roi Soleil 2016
Bright and citrus based wine with hints of elderflower and melon. The 2016 Domaine des Grandes Espérances Le Roi Soleil is a light bodied wine with a strong acidic finish. Aimed at those who may enjoy a glass of vino in summer with a filleted fresh fish on the grill.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Domaine Felines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet 2020
Fresh, sweet, lively and enticing, with creamy lemon notes and a little floral freshness. Soft though prominent acidity and citrussy fruits. Perfect with seafood and oysters!
Domaine Mosse Goldeneye 2019
Domaine Mosse make impeccable and complex wines. With grapes Loin de l’Oeil from the South West France and Grüner Veltliner from Austria, the two combine effortlessly to produce a highly drinkable white wine of considerable charm. This wine shows the Mosse brothers, once again, showing their experience and adaptability to combine grapes from two different countries to produce a very interesting and delightful wine.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Jose Pariente Verdejo 2018
Lemony-yellow bright, with reflections green. intensely fruity aroma, with aromas of fennel, floral, scrubland and aniseed background, some tropical fruit notes. Elegant, fresh and persistent. In the mouth it is equally fruity and fresh. Unctuous, sweet and a touch of bitter finish, which gives the elegance characteristic of the Verdejo.
Marcobarba Barbabianca 2019
The wine sees a few days on skins which gives it a lovely texture. Vibrant lemon aromatics with tangerine acidity, hay and minerality. It’s a perfect white for the aperitif.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Mas Candí Baudili 2019
Bottled unsulphured, and very unfined / unfiltered. Layers of lively fruit with citrus, florals, chalk and white grapefruit. Cadences of salinity and minerality lead into a long day-dreamy finish.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Michel Leon Pinot Gris 2019
This wine has a beautiful brilliant golden colour. The nose is fine, elegant and aromatic with a freshness which opens up with undergrowth and ripe fruit notes like apricot, peach, plum and cherry. This wine is full-bodied, aromatic and has an great volume. Acidity enables a good balance so that undergrowth and ripe fruit notes can be released.
Milan Nestarec Forks and Knives White 2018
This uncharacteristically dark coloured white cuvee, brings low-medium acidity to this peach and melon infusion. A blend of Neuburg, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Pálava & Riesling with just a short time on the skins, this cloudy genius has the qualities of a poolside cocktail, so juicy and delicious it captures you from the first sip.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Millton Muskats At Dawn 2020
The wine has a soft, semi sweet, full and tingling flavour like fairy dust and white roses, on a moonlit evening. Intensely perfumed and quite exotic like blossoms in spring, this tantalizing wine delights the senses with vibrant tropical fruit leaving a tingle on the tongue and the sweetness of a teenage kiss. Advancing antiquity into the modern era… The most delicious summer wine just to drink and reflect, with friends.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Mont’Albano Pinot Grigio 20
This well-balanced wine from the Friuli region to the north of Venice has plenty of character, with a delicate rose petal aroma and a tinge of pears and apricots on the palate.
ORGANIC
Mountford Estate Hommage A l’Alsace 2015
Rich with complex stonefruit, fruit salad, manuka honey and minerals that attack your senses upon first glace. Bringing together four noble varieties of Alsace; Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Riesling. This enriching medium bodied integration will both excite and invigorate with a beautiful balance of acidity and sweetness.
Norman Hardie Riesling 2016
Beautiful balance, but also a nice depth of flavour. There is a slight funkiness to the nose that is layered over apple and citrus. There is a slight sweetness on the mid palate but it is met with nicely balanced acidity.
Pluma Vinho Verde 2018
Perfect combination of the aromas of the four best-known varieties of the region. The result is a fresh wine, fruity and with a refreshing acidity.
Quinta das Amoras Branco 2018
Portugal flies under the radar when it comes to dry white wines but this wine over delivers with its fresh succulent flavours and complex notes from the five different grape varieties used in the blend. These grapes are all indigenous to Portugal; Arinto, Fernao Pires, Vital, Rabo de Ovelha and Moscatel. Together, they provide fresh acidity with beautiful aromatic notes from the Moscatel. It’s a characterful white with freshness, a tangy finish and a medium body.
San Lorenzo Verdicchio Classico Di Gino 2018
Extraordinary depth and layers of exotic stone fruit, melon, citrus, ground nuts, spice with more-ish texture balanced by refreshing line of acidity. If you are knew to Verdicchio it reminds me of a fine Pinot Grigio meets a Chardonnay with an exotic twist.