News

Six of the world's greatest wine regions are represented in our new imports, selected by store manager, Matt King and I, who were both lucky enough to have tasted them, along with a vast range of other wines, on Thursday 12 March.  It was our last structured day of meetings and tastings with many of our regular suppliers, so it's fantastic to have these wines available now, especially with the Covid-19 Alert level 4 lockdown in place. The store is closed but our online sales are open because the Government does consider wine to be an essential service. So you can go shopping for these wines by emailing our  warehouse manager: stefan@regionalwines.co.nz   German Pinot Gris from the Pfalz region 2017 Stepp Pinot Gris $29.99 Here is a wine to restore anyone's faith in dry Pinot Gris without botrytis or residual sugar for effect. This wine has a slight spritzy character, which adds interest to its savoury flavours. The fermentation began with wild yeast and total sulphur is low. The wine was bottled straight from its lees to retain freshness, so there was no fining or filtration. New organic Pinot Noir from Marlborough 2018 Novum Pinot Noir Marlborough $43.99 You could say this is the ultimate insider's wine. It's a new brand made by highly experienced Marlborough winemaker William Hoare, who was the original winemaker and then GM at Fromm. Novum is his new brand. It is named after the Roman word 'novum', meaning new. The grapes are from Dog Point's Settlement Vineyard, which is certified organic. It's tight, youthful, medium bodied, silky in texture and will age superbly.   Maverick Langhe Hills red blend 2017 Gaja Sito Moresco Langhe $76.99 "Amazing wine of power," I wrote in my notes after tasting this typically maverick blend of Nebbiolo with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the great Gaja family in Barbaresco, in Piemonte, north west Italy. This wine is produced along biodynamic guidelines and is named after the site of Moresco, hence Sito Moresco; a reference to the previous owner of the vineyard, to whom Angelo Gaja and his daughter, Gaia Gaja both want to pay tribute.  On the face of things, it can sometimes seems at odds with the strong personalities of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo to blend them both together, but it works in this wine because both get to express themselves, with Merlot adding  a ripe juiciness. Barolo from the Gaja family 2015 Gaja Dagromis Barolo $139.99 The Gaja family bought two vineyards in Barolo 1995 from a family named Gromis, hence the name of the wine - Da Gromis, which is Italian for 'at home with the Gromis family'. One of the vineyards is in Serralunga, adjacent to the Sperss vineyard, while the other is in La Morra, adjacent to the Conteisa vineyard. Grapes from each are fermented separately then aged for 12 months in oak, then blended and aged for a further 18 months in large oak. This is a stellar wine from one of Piemonte's great producers. Biodynamic Rhone red 2017 Lunar Apogee Lirac Rouge $38.99 This wine has biodynamic certification with Demeter and is a dark and complex dry red made from 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah. It's an outstanding new brand in store and in this country. The Lirac appellation is famous for its high quality southern Rhone Valley reds as well as dry pale rosés.  Next level Spanish Cava Privat Rosé Brut Nature Cava $30.99 Cava is one of the greatest value for money traditional method bubblies in the world. It's made the same way as Champagne, although usually typically aged for about half the length of time in the bottle (9 months), which means it retains yeasty flavours and tends to taste lighter in body. This one is an exception to the usual rule, thanks to being bone dry, medium bodied and richly flavoursome - it's made with two of the three Champagne grapes, Pinot Noir (hence its pink colour) and Chardonnay. Fab newcomer to Regional. We love it. To order these wines email our warehouse manager:  stefan@regionalwines.co.nz

It's hard to imagine a week when things have changed so dramatically during our life times and while the bumpy ride continues, there is good news this morning - we have been given the green light to deliver wine, beer and spirits to you - online via contactless delivery. What does this mean? The Government has given us permission to deliver wine, beer and spirits to you via online sales. Delivery will be by courier and will be contactless during lockdown at Alert Level 4. This means our website is on and ready to deliver to your front door. Our plan is to work from Monday to Friday for online sales. We will aim for next business day delivery, which our couriers say they can achieve at this stage. We hope they will be able to meet this estimated time frame, but we really appreciate your patience and understanding if some deliveries take slightly longer. We hope they won't but at this stage, we need to be prepared for anything.  So, without further ado, we are thrilled to be back up and running - and, as always, we look forward to being of service to you. We will keep you posted with any and all new developments as and when they happen. The store will remain shut until we hear otherwise from the Government.  Pick ups are not permitted from the store. We wish you and your families all the best during lockdown and we hope you enjoy your online shopping now that you can stock up with your favourites from our shelves. Best regards, From the team at Regional Wines & Spirits 

Two words are used to describe wines from France's southern Rhone Valley - great value. And most of them are too, but the vast majority are also big soft fruity reds, so where does that leave the whites? This year we have been finding out with a growing number of great value (and good tasting) white Cotes du Rhones, which have come our way from importers and distributors of these exceptionally tasty and super good value wines, which tend to be blends of big flavoursome grapes such as Viognier with fresh crisp cut through from Clairette and Bourboulenc, both of which add balance. Cotes du Rhone wines tend to be made from grapes grown around the southern end of the Rhone Valley’s 56,000 hectares of vineyard land, which carpets the region with red and white grapes. It’s most famous for its red wines but the growing quality of white Cotes du Rhone is worth writing home about, hence our wine of the week. Solitude by name... Our wine of the week is, despite its lonely sounding name, made from five different grape varieties - Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. Together, the sum is greater than its parts, as is also true of the reds made at Domaine de la Solitude, which is in Chateauneuf-du-Pape (the first legally defined wine region in France's now extensive appellation controlee system). The Domaine owns 35 hectares of grapes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC, 30 of which are devoted to red wines, with the remaining five hectares dedicated to white grapes. Modernisation has come to this winery, which has replaced its large old oak foudres with concrete vats and stainless steel tanks. The winery also uses new, French oak barrels as well as aged barrels for the maturation process. In 1999, the Domaine expanded its output, launching new labels. Pop in store this Thursday from 1pm onwards to find out why this white - the tip of the Domaine's production - is such a winner. We look forward to seeing you at Thirsty Thursday from 1pm onwards. No bookings necessary. Just pop in when the time works best for you.

Champagne Taittinger is one of the big names in Champagne so it was interesting to meet the company's export man, Nicolas Delion, in Wellington last month. He guided a group of wine professionals through a range of Taittinger Champagnes, which I have written about and reviewed below. It was a great event, not least due to the outstanding wines, the food and the venue - it held upstairs in the private room at Boulcott Street Bistro, where invitees, myself included, learnt a lot more about these well known bubbles. So, to the tasting. Champagne Taittinger began life in 1734 as Champagne Fourneaux. Today it is headed by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, who purchased the company in 2006 in collaboration with the Credit Agricole bank. His uncle and family had previously purchased the Château de la Marquetterie from the wine house of Forest-Fourneaux in 1932 and set up Taittinger Champagne in the ancient Abbey of Saint-Nicaise, built in the 13th century in Gallo-Roman chalk pits dating from the fourth century. The company now owns 288 hectares of vineyard land in the Cotes de Blancs, the Vallée de la Marne and the Montagne de Reims. This provides the company with about 50 percent of the grapes it needs; the remaining half need to be purchased in.  The tasting was an opportunity to learn more about the key five champagnes produced by Taittinger. The tasting... Taittinger Cuvee Prestige NVThis is the most important champagne in the stable; and the reason that the house doesn’t always produce a Comtes de Champagne (its prestige champagne, made as a blanc de blancs in top years only). This wine allows the house to use those grapes destined for higher quality champagnes, so that it retains its style and quality too.   Taittinger Prelude This wine is made in relatively small quantities and is not well known, hence it's often referred to as 'the insider's champagne'. It's a blend of 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, made from 100% Grand Cru vineyards and only using the first press, followed by five years on tirage (lees aging in bottle). It could be a vintage champagne in that 90% of the grapes used in this wine are grown in one year, but athe aim is to retain the flexibility of producing a non vintage champagne.   2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Named after the legendary Count of Champagne, Count Thibaud IV, King of Navarre, who left for the crusades in 1239. He is said to have brought back two treasures from the Orient, the Damask rose and a new grape variety, now known to be the ancestor of the Chardonnay grape, hence Comtes de Champagne is always 100% Chardonnay.  This wine is the current vintage of Comtes and it's as fresh as the proverbial daisy with high but balanced acidity adding a crisp edge to the full bodied style. It ages superbly.  2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé The shape of the Comtes de Champagne bottle is modelled on the first bottles made in the Champagne region; thick glass and a wider body to prevent the lees from pouring into the glass since disgorgement was not initially a practice. This wine is a blend of 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 100% Grand Cru vineyards and first press. It has 15% red wine added which was made from grapes grown in the village of Bouzy (15% is the maximum percentage of red wine permitted to be blended into champagne). The 2006 vintage was warm and this wine expresses that in the glass with ripe flavours. It was aged on lees for 10 years. An outstanding wine. 

West Auckland is well known for many things, not least its outstanding Chardonnays from Kumeu River Wines, a small winery that's been making a big splash in the world of wine for decades now.   We are thrilled to announce the arrival of winemaker, Master of Wine and master of New Zealand Chardonnay, Michael Brajkovich, in Wellington on Thursday 21 May this year to host a tasting of Kumeu River Chardonnay, which began with humble Kumeu River Chardonnay and has since grown to include the single vineyard range, which began with Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay - named after the founder of this winery, the late Mate Brajkovich; much loved and missed husband of Melba and father of their four children who run the winery today.  The single vineyard expressions of Kumeu River Chardonnay today also include Hunting Hill Chardonnay and Coddington Chardonnay but wait there's more. The family have now extended their winemaking in Hawke's Bay. Michael is the eldest, a Master of Wine and Dux of Roseworthy when he graduated from wine school there. His brothers Paul and Milan run the marketing and vineyards, respectively while their sister, Marijana, looks after the business side of things.  Come along to Regional WInes this May to learn all about Kumeu River Chardonnays; their beauty and their challenges. 

So we’ve done crazy casks before and we’ve also done wine casks, and, well hell, we’ve certainly done single casks and verticals from a single distillery... but 

This is the story of our Wairarapa wine (and gin) field trip.  Take eight people, one wine region and a truckload of Pinot Noir and what do you have? Our latest staff visit last weekend offered some great insights into what makes the Wairarapa and its fantastic Pinot Noirs tick.  The winemakers were saw were spread far and wide, with one new gin distillery thrown in for good measure at Reid & Reid - a tiny distillery with a big new building on the horizon (scroll down to see its new premises, which are forecast to open in April this year).  Day one... Schubert Wines, left to right: Winemaker Kai Schubert with the team from Regional Wines & Spirits and our parent store, The Hamilton Beer & Wine Company - Mat Bayly, Geoff Henderson, John Ridley, Matt King, Joelle Thomson, Chris Barclay and Kane Muggeridge. Palliser Estate We started the trip with a tasting and lunch at one of the region's biggest wineries, Palliser Estate, which had its first vintage in 1984, making it one of the earliest wineries in the region. Lunch was platters of mostly local produce, including outstanding frittata, Spanish style. The 2018 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir is drinking delicious right now, especially with the platters at the winery, but a good trip is a fast moving one when the agenda is full of great winemakers to see and our next visit was to Schubert. Schubert Wines - 100% organic certification Kai and Marion Schubert are both winemakers who have been in New Zealand since 1998 and now own 14.5 hectares of vineyards in the Wairarapa. Their characterful cellar door is on Huangarua Road in Martinborough and home to two hectares of their vines; the remaining 12.5 hectares are in Gladstone. Like most wineries, theirs is based primarily around PInot Noir.  Kai fell in love with wine on a school trip to Alsace when he was 16 and had an eye opening wine and food experience; "I wasn't from a wine growing family but that experience changed the course of my life and I did a viticultural apprenticeship with winemaker Ernie Loosen in the Mosel then studied wine at Geisenheim." He then worked in Oregon, met his winemaking wife, Marion, and they came to New Zealand, tasted Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir and the rest is history. About 85% of their wines are exported and 75% of their production is Pinot Noir.  We tasted these wines with Kai Schubert: 2019 Schubert Tribianco Muller Thurgau, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris blend; fermented in French oak, 1500 bottles made. Fresh and refreshing light white. 2019 Schubert Rosé Light salmon in colour, bone dry in flavour with fresh medium acidity adding length, a light body and made 100% from Pinot Noir. 2015 Schubert Con Brio  Interesting blend of Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir, aged in a combo of new and aged French oak (35/65%) for 48 months.  2017 Schubert Block B Pinot Noir Dijon clones, more new oak (45%) and my pick of the Pinots tasted on the day. Dark, full, bodied, rich but elegant. Has a long life ahead, potentially. 2017 Schubert Marion's Vineyard Pinot Noir Abel and Pommard Pinot Noir clones, 100% destemmed grapes, 3 weeks maceration, 18 months in French oak, 35% new, 65% aged.    Johner Estate Talk about the back blocks. This estate is in East Taratahi on Dakin's Road, Gladstone. It's owned by Karl Johner (pictured above); another German winemaker, who also owns a vineyard in Germany. He spends time in both countries each year. He owns 14 hectares in Gladstone and leases another two hectares at Lansdowne, an historic site, thought to be home to the first grapes ever planted in the region, in the late 1800s.  We tasted a vast number of wines with Karl, who (like Kai) is an excellent host. Highlights included: 2017 Johner Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie Three years old and a fresh as a daisy; dry, full bodied with a smooth mid palate and lightly fresh acidity on the finish. Great alternative style for Sauvignon Blanc fans. 2018 Johner Viognier Gladstone Stunning example of a little known grape - Viognier. This wine is dry, full bodied and rich with flavours of dried apricots and ripe peach, finishing on a crisp refreshing taste. 2018 Johner Chardonnay This full bodied Chardonnay was 100% barrel aged in German oak; spicy, creamy notes lead into a ripe, clean and fresh dry white.  2018 Johner Lime Hill Chardonnay Next level Chardonnay with all the fresh bells and creamy whistles, balanced by beautiful acidity and a long finish. 2017 Johner Lime Hill Pinot Noir One of the best Pinot Noirs in New Zealand thanks to low yields, hand harvested grapes, small batch winemaking and attention to detail every step of the way. This wine comes from the 1.3 hectare Lime Hill Vineyard in the northern Wairarapa. A special place and a wine to watch, cellar and enjoy.  2018 Karl Johner Baden Grauer Burgunder Pinot Gris from Karl's German winery, dry with 3-4 grams of residual sugar and a more savoury style than many New Zealand Gris. 2017 Johner Gladstone Pinot NoirOutstanding, dry, spicy, smooth, earthy, smoky Pinot Noir that takes this grape to the next level. 2014 Johner Terroir Pinot Noir One metre deep channels of limestone were dug as trenches around the vineyard that this Pinot Noir comes from; the aim was to investigate the effect this has on the land. It's a big wine with a long life ahead, thanks to its concentration of flavour, richness and full body. One for the cellar.   Day two... It's always easier to make indepth tasting notes when seated and the tastings on day two were mostly stand up affairs, but the knowledge that our team gained from meeting the makers, seeing their vineyards and learning about their philosophies were every bit as rich as our experiences on day one of this field trip. Dry River Winemaker Wilco Lam (pictured above) was our host at Dry River and he gave us a refreshing new take on this iconic old brand - Dry River Wines is one of the first wineries in Martinborough. Its reputation has always been for big, bold, cellar worthy wines; the whites aging arguably longer than the reds (this writer's viewpoint from experience of aging the wines).  The Riesling and Gewurztraminer have always been flag bearers not only for this winery and the region but also for New Zealand's outstanding ability with these beautifully expressive aromatic wines. The winery's founder, Neil McCallum, has retired and sold the vineyard and winery, so it now has a change in focus. Wilco's aim as winemaker is to respect the land and treat the grapes and their production with as much care and as few chemicals as possible. He gave us an outstanding vertical tasting of many of the current wines with some older vintages too - it was great to taste Dry River's wines as they are now; elegant rather than blockbusters. I personally love the Pinot Noir as it is today; less oak and more about the fruit. Reid & Reid   There's nothing like a winemaker's gin because it's born out of a desire to drink a super refreshing, crisp and classic style. Enter Chris Reid, one of the brothers in the Reid & Reid duo, who are building a new gin distillery in Martinborough - pictured above. It was a privilege to see the insides of the new distillery, yet to be completed with an estimated opening date of April this year. Bring it on. The Reid & Reid gins are doing exceptionally well commercially at Regional Wines & Spirits and Chris says he can barely keep up with production from his small one room facility, so he's looking forward to this new home for Reid & Reid.  It will have a bar and an area to enjoy the gins on site.  Cambridge Road   Winemaker Lance Redgwell is a visionary in the new wave of young winemakers in Martinborough and a pioneer of the region's edgier wine styles such as his outstanding bottle fermented sparkling, The Naturalist. Grape varieties vary from one year to the next, depending on the source - he grows his own but also buys from James Millton (king of organics and biodynamics in New Zealand's wine scene) in Gisborne, among many others. Lance has also bought two old totara barrels, originally constructed for Ivan Brajkovich in Kaikohe, north of Auckland. These barrels (pictured above with Lance) are going to be used for winemaking by Lance. Large, old oak formats are on trend and so is Lance's thinking. As are his innovative, descriptive labels and unconventional blends, such as Dovetail - Pinot Noir and Syrah. Unusual? But it works... A visit to Cambridge Road is a must on any visit to Martinborough. As is a visit to...  Te Muna... home to The Escarpment Vineyard   The Escarpment founder Larry McKenna, one of the region's most experienced Pinot Noir producers; 'king of Pinot' to many and rightly so. Wines such as Escarpment Pahi, Te Rehua and, top of the tree, Kupe, are among New Zealand's most outstanding reds each year.  Larry talked to our team about the history, the climate, the incredibly hot, incredibly dry summer that the region is having right now - and he showed us some barrel samples in the cellar - a well concealed secret underneath the cellar door area.  “Even by our standards, it’s very dry and very hot this summer,” says McKenna, who has been making wine in the region for decades, initially at Martinborough Vineyards, then at The Escarpment Vineyard, which he founded with three others in 1998. Larry talked about how the region's weather patterns typically lead to reliably long autumns when grapes can hang on the vine longer than in many other regions, which accentuates their ripening, the robust tannins and long, slow development of flavour. The region's wind and dry climate also reduce crops of grapes in most years, which is why the Wairarapa is home to about three per cent of New Zealand’s producing vineyard area but regularly makes less than two per cent of New Zealand’s wine. * Thank you to all the winemakers who shared so generously of their time, their wines and their hospitality - we have all learnt a huge amount more about a small but hugely significant wine region. The place where New Zealand's Pinot Noir story all began.

The German born Giesen brothers have added a new Riesling from their homeland to their range of wines. "It's a happy coincidence of timing and a chance meeting at the German wine fair, Prowein, in 2017 with a young German winemaker, Tobias Treis, says Alex Giesen. “Tobias and his family are deeply rooted in Mosel where they own and run a multi-generational vineyard and their family has been making wine in Mosel since 1684,” says Alex Giesen.  “We remained in contact and within a few months of our return to New Zealand, Tobias was on the phone letting us know about a rare opportunity – a Riesling vineyard for sale in Mosel, within the village of Reil. Given our grandfather’s love of Mosel it didn’t take much convincing and our new wine is the result.” The new wine is the 2018 Giesen Mosel Reiler Goldlay, made with grapes grown on a 120-hectare vineyard in the village of Reil, where the vineyards are on the steep, slate soils typical to the Mosel wine region. Giesen describes the wine as a balance of freshness with tropical flavours, balanced by firm acidity, which means it’s possible to age the wine for up to five years. Alex and his brothers, Marcel and Theo, all say it was memories of their father travelling to Mosel with his father, August, to buy barrels of Mosel Riesling that prompted them to buy a portion of the Goldlay Vineyard from which to make their own wine in the region.   Taste the new Giesen Mosel Riesling at Thirsty Thursday... * We have landed a shipment of the brand new 2018 Giesen Reiler Goldlay Riesling in store and we will open a bottle on Thursday 5 March in store to share and taste - pop in any time between 1pm and 6pm to try this taste sensation. No bookings necessary. Pop in and share a sip with us at Thirsty Thursday 5 March from 1pm onwards.

Congratulations to one of our favourite wine brands - Whitehaven Wines from Marlborough, which has won a bunch of gold and double gold medals at the 2020 Sakura Japan Women's Wine Awards. “This is the largest number of awards we have received from the Sakura competition. We are keenly waiting to see if either of our Double Gold medal wines receives a Diamond trophy - that would make the outcome a truly fantastic result," says Sue White, co founder of Whitehaven, who is thrilled with the result.  Double gold medals were awarded to two whites from this iconic  winery - the 2018 Whitehaven Pinot Gris and 2019 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc both scored double gold. The winery also won three gold medals for its 2019 Greg Sauvignon Blanc, the 2019 Whitehaven Rosé and the 2016 Whitehaven Pinot Noir. Over 4000 wines were assessed blind in the 2020 Sakura Japan Women's Wine Awards, which were judged on 28 and 29 January 2020 by 560 Japanese female judges. All are active wine experts who work in the industry. "We're keeping our fingers crossed for even more awards when the trophies are announced next week on Thursday 20 February."

Central Otago winemaker Jen Parr of Valli Vineyards has been named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year 2020 by Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine. “Her experience and attention to detail serve her well when creating wines of great quality and sense of place," said Gourmet Traveller Wine editor Judy Sarriss, at the awards held it the Grand Hotel in Auckland on Monday 20 January.  Parr is one of the three winemakers who creates the four Valli Pinot Noirs every year; the wines make up some of the most interesting comparative Pinots in the region; all are made along the same guidelines but from very different climates and soils in the wider Otago area. She works with Valli owner and founder Grant Taylor and fellow winemaker Karl Coombes. Parr was born in Oregon and now lives in Central Otago where she has been making wine for over a decade; at Olssen’s (now Terra Sancta) and now at Valli Vineyards, which she joined in 2015. She also consults to Wild Earth, Kinross, Stewart Town Vineyard, and Black Quail wine brands.  Valli Vineyards founder and fellow winemaker Grant Taylor describes Jen Parr as the most thoughtful winemaker he knows. “We are a small team of three winemakers who click.  I don’t think the Rolling Stones in their heyday worked together as well as we do. We share everything but perhaps nothing as much as our pride in each others’ successes” The finalists for the Winemaker of the Year competition were chosen by a judging panel chaired by Bob Campbell MW, alongside industry stalwarts Cameron Douglas MS and Liz Wheadon.

It may taste damned delish, but this vintage of Luna Pinot Meunier Rosé was far from easy to make. Jack Frost and high rainfall led to crop losses, so this wine was pretty pricey to make. Not only were quantities reduced, but the rainfall meant that the grapes had to be hand harvested, due to the condition of the vineyard. Add in the fact that crop levels were severely reduced, due to cold and rainy weather and you have smaller than usual quantities of a tasty rosé. The 2019 vintage is the first time this wine was made with an old Swiss grape clone called Mariafeld. This was blended with Pinot Meunier and whole clusters were fermented in a sealed tank, which led to intra cellular carbonic fermentation in the grape berries - the same winemaking method used in Beaujolais. It's a tasty way of accentuating the berry fruit sweetness in dry wines. After two weeks, the fruit was then pressed and fermented in stainless tank with a small portion going to barrel, which adds body to the final wine. By the way, this wine was fined with bentonite (clay), so no animal products were used in its production. Officially, it's a vegan friendly wine.  And, at least as importantly, it is super delicious. Pop in store on Thursday 13 February for a taste - and buy a few bottles while you're at it. All welcome - we look forward to seeing you in store. PS: It's Valentine's Day on Friday 14 February... Just saying.

“Riesling? Oh, it's too sweet for me,” is the common refrain of many wine lovers, often when they have never even tried a dry Riesling. Which was exactly what motivated New York restaurateur, Paul Grecco, to kickstart a movement called Summer of Riesling back in 2008. He wanted to bust the myth that all Riesling is sweet and he was not (and is not) alone. “It’s always been about aromatics at Zephyr Wines,” says Marlborough winemaker Ben Glover, who celebrates the greatness of Riesling regularly with a laid back, low key, decadent wine afternoon called Summer of Riesling. The aim of the Summer of Riesling movement is to highlight the incredibly diverse styles of Riesling in the world - and to show how versatile this grape can be. It's also one of the most transparent of grapes. It is almost never aged in oak, so its personality is allowed to shine in its vibrant, rich, flavoursome aromatics - which span the gamut of fresh citrus (lime zest and lemon) to green and red apples right through to ripe peach. Riesling can be ultra sweet but truth be told, it rarely is. Most of the world’s great Rieslings err on the dry side and it's the aromatic qualities of the grape, along with its high acidity (which makes it taste as fresh as a daisy and keeps it that way for decades) that are the reason a large number of winemakers, wine writers, wine marketers and wine geeks generally tend to love it.  Acid plays the role of a preservative in many of the great wines of the world, particularly in Riesling. Acid also needs to be balanced so that a wine with high acidity does not appear sharp or tart. This is the reason why many Rieslings can be balanced by a little residual sugar (aka "RS") - natural grape sugars. Riesling is one of the world’s great white wines and also one of the most misunderstood wines, which is why we are celebrating summer this year with our own in store, informal Summer of Riesling tastings.  Join us to try a bunch of dry Rieslings that taste so succulent, refreshing and dry that they may turn your head onto this outstanding white varietal yet. Summer of Riesling tastings at Regional... 9 January 2020, 1pm to 7pm 2016 The Boneline White Label Riesling Special $19.99 (RRP $21.99)  30 January 2020, 1pm to 7pm 2014 Seresin Momento Riesling  Special $18.99 (RRP $19.99)   But wait there's more great Riesling... Two New Zealand winemakers dedicated to making dry Riesling are: Duncan Forsyth of Mount Edward Wines (click here to buy his Riesling) and Ben Glover of Zephyr Wines (click here to buy)  Try these stunning wines at our Summer of Riesling tastings in store with staff - or come in to try from our wide range of Rieslings on shelf here at Regional Wines & Spirits. We look forward to seeing you.

This month marks the 105th birthday of the woman who inspired one of New Zealand’s best bubblies made using the French traditional method, the same way that champagne is created. The woman and the wine are called Dawn. The first vintage of Dawn was made from the 2012 vintage to mark its namesake's 100th birthday in December 2014. Now, Dawn Ibbotson has turned 105 and her family says she enjoys a daily glass of the bubbly they made in her honour. It's a top bubbly in taste too, as our instore experts pick it as one of their favourites, year round.  The wine is made from hand harvested, whole bunch pressed grapes, which were fermented in a combination of stainless steel (the Chardonnay) and seasoned French oak barriques (the Pinot Noir). The two still wine components were then blended and bottle fermented for three months to allow the carbon dioxide from the second fermentation to dissolve into the wine, creating its fine bubbles. It was then left on tirage (lees) for thirty-nine months until disgorgement. Story of the name Saint Clair... The Ibbotson family who founded Saint Clair Winery named it after the original land owners of their Marlborough vineyards, the Sinclair family. Saint Clair is also the name of a suburb in Dunedin, hometown to the Ibbotsons and to Dawn.  Dawn is made from... Vines grown on stone and sandy alluvial soils on Rapaura Road, Marlborough; overlooked by Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen. It contains 6 grams of residual sugar per litre; off dry, but only just, in other words. This wine tastes dry from the first sip to the last, lingering sparkling drop. Buy 2013 Saint Clair Dawn bubbles here.

Organically certified Giesen Sauvignon Blancs Old vines, hand harvested grapes and organic certification are buzzwords in wine circles, especially at this time of year when people are likely to dig a little deeper than usual for a bottle or a case of their favourite wine. But how do these words translate into actual taste in wine?  What makes these wines better It can be tricky explaining how hand harvested grapes can and do make an actual difference to the taste of wine, let alone old vines or, even more controversially, organic certification. All of these factors sound like they have a ring of quality about them but how do they actually make wine better? Two Sauvignon Blancs whose makers put their money where their mouths are come from the quality driven Giesen brothers; Marcel, Theo and Alex. Marcel is standing next to a German fuder oak barrel in the picture in this blog, which is used to ferment and mature their top wines in. The oak pick up is less in these large, 1000 litre fuder oak barrels because the contact area with the wine is less, due to the large volume in the barrels. This means the wines fermented or matured in these barrels tend to taste less oak driven. Fuder barrels also have thicker staves, which means fermentation temperatures tend to be warmer. "We find the fruit characters gain greater depth and complexity due to the warmer temperatures during fermentation in fuder," says Marcel Giesen. And then there's the fact that he and his winemaking team use only their best quality grapes to make wine in fuder, which adds another layer of quality. Two wines worth trying We have two full bodied, dry whites on special this month, both of which highlight the high quality of winemaking in fuder barrels - and also show Sauvignon in a special light. The wines are... 2013 Giesen Dillons Point The Fuder Special $36.99 (RRP $39.99) 2014 Giesen Matthew’s Lane Special $36.99(RRP $39.99) Both are made from hand harvested grapes grown on organically certified vineyards and fermented in 1000 litre German oak fuder barrels.  Dillon’s Point is one of the oldest vineyards in Marlborough. It was planted on the east of Opawa Stream in 1991 and is now certified organic. Matthew’s Lane Vineyards is 12 kilometres from the coast on light free draining soil and has supplied Marlborough vine nurseries with over one million vine cuttings. It is also home to the grapes that go into Giesen’s premium The August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc, named after the grandfather of Marcel, Theo and Alex, founders of Giesen Estate. Buy any two bottles of 2013 Giesen Dillons Point The Fuder  or 2014 Giesen Matthew’s Lane Sauvignon Blanc - and receive a gift pack of Riedel aromatic white wine glasses - free. Each bottle is on special till Xmas for $36.99 (RRP $39.99) Buy here

It loves heat, hates drought and is named after an old Latin word - Monastrell is an indigenous Spanish red grape, taking its name from the word monasteriellu, which means monastery. It's easy to see how the name Monastrell grew from there and today the grape is also known as Mourvédre in southern France and Mataro in Australia. It has a long and fascinating history and makes delicious deeply coloured red wines, such as the cult Bandol red from Tempier, which arrived in store last week - 2017 Domaine Tempier Cuvée Classique Bandol. Cuvée Classique Bandol from Tempier... This is the estate's best known red and is a blend of grapes from around the winery and also La Cadiére, Sainte Anne d'Evenos and Ollioules. It grows on sandy marl, limestone greseux and rudist limestone as well as acolluvions. Sun and wind exposure vary widely on the different sites. This wine is a blend of 75% Mourvédre with Grenache and Cinsault with smaller proportions of Carignan and Syrah. Average vine age is 35 to 40 years. All grapes are hand picked then destemmed, crushed and fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts for three to four weeks. The wine is then matured in large oak for 18  months before bottling. All about Domaine Tempier... The Tempier team sources grapes for its wines from a 60 hectare patchwork of plots spreading over a geologically diverse area in the Bandol appellation in southern France.  All about Monastrell...  Monastrell is an indigenous Spanish grape that was originally cultivated by monks in a place called Sagunto in the Camp de Morvedre region in Valencia, in Eastern Spain. It was the main grape variety there until phylloxera arrived in the early 20th Century. Master of Wine Jancis Robinson writes about it in her seminal book, Wine Grapes, co-authored by fellow Master of Wine Julia Harding and grape geneticist José Vouillamoz. "Morvedre (Spanish Murviedro) was until 1868 the Catalan name for the town of Sagunto, an important wine port north of Valencia from the fifteenth century onwards. Outside Spain, Monastrell is often known as Mataro (or Mataro), a name also derived from a town on the Mediterranean coast, between Barcelona and Valencia." Monastrell makes some of our favourite Spanish wines, big juicy dark red wines that we stock here at Regional Wines & Spirits. It originates in Spain but also thrives in the south of France where it’s known as Mourvedre. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll either be a fan or want to become better acquainted with Domaine Tempier’s wines, made from this grape… * We have a small allocation of 2017 Domaine Tempier Bandol and 2017 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. Come in to buy these great collectible French wines from the heat loving Mourvédre / Monastrell grape.   

The whiskies... Glenfarclas Family Casks 2002 Cask #3773 57.8% Amrut Portonova Single Malt 62.1%  Tamdhu Batch Strength (Batch #3) 59% (mystery whisky on the night) Ardnamurchan Malt Spirit 2018 Ad 55.3%  Glendronach 27yo 1990 #7902 52.1% Benromach 2010 Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured 59.9% Benriach 2005 12yo Cask#2565 Batch 14 58.8%  ................................................. It was a pugilistic battle until the bitter sweet end. Seven heavyweight whiskies going toe to toe until only one was left standing. Unrelenting blow after blow of port, PX and sherry leaving us dazed confused, heady and happy.  Was there too much sherry? Yes of course there was, but this was a lineup that was just sooooo tantalising - a coming together of like minded big whiskies, that were ready to flex their muscles and certainly weren’t going to pull any punches.  The first whisky set the tone nicely - stepping into the ring and immediately rippling its layers of muscular stewed fruits that were stretched taut over a frame of big tannins. This was the Glenfarclas Family Casks 2002 and looked to be in super shape - fit and ready for anything…  Or so it seemed, until the gargantuan Amrut Portonova appeared from its corner and proceeded to grab the Glenfarclas in a head grip and then body slam it to the floor. This was a crazed WWF wrestler (rumoured to have been drinking port in the changing rooms) taking on a classically trained boxer and winning. As the Glenfarclas was dragged off for a wet toweling and some resuscitation, the Tamdhu Batch Strength stepped into the fray whilst the Ardnamurchan 2018 AD could be seen warming up on the sidelines. With aromas of leather, cedar and graphite this seemed a serious contender, but a few rounds later the Amrut was still standing - its bourbon braun and dark chocolate upper cuts proving too much for the Tamdhu - a bantamweight in the wrong class whose banana lollies and salted caramels had proved impotent. High hopes were riding on the Ardnamurchan - a young and feisty whisky barely old enough to be in the ring, but with a proven track record of defeating giants.  However, this whisky too was effortlessly and surprisingly brushed aside and left applying iodine and bandages to its bruised pride. It was clear it would take something special to beat the bourbon brut from India - something with more than just power and strength. Enter the 27yo Glendronach - the old timer who had been on the circuit a few years. This whisky wasn’t quite as taut and muscular, a touch flabby one might even say, but had swapped alcoholic braun for sophisticated complexity and things were about to change. The Glendronach danced effortlessly about the Amrut with grace and agility unexpected in one so old - landing PX puncheon punches at every opportunity until finally the Amrut was down. Now only two whiskies stood in the Glendronach’s way The Benromach was a below the belt bar brawler if ever there were - reeking of stale cigarettes and old beer mats. For a moment, the Glendronach was on the ropes and a serious upset looked possible but as as the Glendronach absorbed the Bernomach’s peaty stomach jabs and cheeky kidney punches, soon the Benromach tired and was finally defeated. The Benriach failed to show up and was last seen cowering in the dressing room. And so we have a new heavyweight champion of Wellington - the 27 YO Glendronach batch 16 #7902 - an almost unanimous verdict from the 100 Judges who also fought hard to keep focus and hold their nerve faced with such a tricky contest. Well done all and see you next year!  Here are the scores for those who are interested... Glendronach 27yo 1990 #7902 52.1% - 9.59 Benromach 2010 Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured 59.9% - 9.02 Amrut Portonova Single Malt 62.1% - 9.00 Glenfarclas Family Casks 2002 Cask #3773 57.8% - 8.81 (available in store to purchase - $299.99) Tamdhu Batch Strength (Batch #3) 59%- 8.71 Ardnamurchan Malt Spirit 2018 Ad 55.3% - 8.58 Benriach 2005 12yo Cask#2565 Batch 14 58.8% - 8.29 And here's some photos of the night...    

Festive fizz is top of mind with the big day looming on 25 December and a busy lead up between now and then. So we have devised a great in store tasting programme for you to pop in and enjoy the fruits of the labour of those who age their high end bubbles in the bottle for years to gain the complexity that makes champagne such a great drink. Our next bubbles tasting is one of our staff favourites - for good reason. Read on to find out why André Clouet Grand Reserve Champagne has earnt its flash sounding moniker. It was an easy choice as our wine of the week because it comes from the highly esteemed village of Bouzy in Champagne, France.   The wine is named Grand Reserve because it was aged four times longer than most non vintage champagnes. It spent six years on yeast lees after its second fermentation in bottle and as the lees decompose, they release mano proteins and nutrients that add yeasty, toasty flavours to the wine, so six years aging is like dialing up the taste to high volume.  Like the wine, the town more than lives up to its name. It's situated 20 kilometres south east of Reims, one of the most famous cities in the Champagne region. And as it's planted with 89% Pinot Noir and 11% Chardonnay, Bouzy’s vineyards are rated Grand Cru – the highest quality classification in the Champagne region.   Our tasting... Thirsty Thursday 12 December 1pm to 6pm It's definitely a case of first come, first served on Thursday 12 December because we will keep serving the deliciously decadent  André Clouet Grand Reserve Champagne until it runs out. It's a shame bottles like these tend to go fast but we look forward to sharing it with you from 1pm on Thirsty Thursday 12 December.  And it's on special too - as if it's usual RRP is not already an outstanding bargain.  Prepare to be wowed. Special $54.99 (RRP $56.99)

It is often said that champagne is the greatest sparkling wine in the world but how often does it live up to the powerful perception that its brand name carries? Brands tend to guide our buying decisions when it comes to champagne and the big names are so powerful that it can be tricky navigating unknown wines in the sea of lesser known wines from the world's best known sparkling region - Champagne. Enter Lallier. This is a champagne house that over delivers on quality, under demands on price and is barely known at all in New Zealand but is available in three specialist wine stores, including here at Regional Wines in Wellington. The Lallier champagne house was founded in 1906 and run initially by founder Réne Lallier whose grandson, Réne-James Lallier, followed in his footsteps, running the company until he sold it to his adviser, the winemaker Francis Tribaut., in 2004.  Champagne Lallier is based in Ay, one of 17 Champagne villages to be classified with top tier, Grand Cru, status in 1936. The wines are made in two locations, in Maison D’Ay and  in the new Cellier D’Oger, 10 kms outside of Ay on the Cotes des Blanc; a modern facility built in 2012. Lallier Champagnes are made solely using the two most respected sparkling wine grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.   The champagnes Champagne Lallier Ay Brut R015 $49.99 This is one of our staff faves year round. It's a blend of 61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay and 80% of the wine comes from grapes grown in 2015, hence the name R015. R stands for recolte, which is the French word for harvest and indicates the year that the majority of grapes in this wine come from. It also includes 20% of reserve wines, in this case a blend of wines aged on lees in bottle from 2008, 2009 and 2012. This long aging time adds freshness and complexity to the wine, delivering hugely on value and deliciousness. It is also drier than many champagnes with a dosage of 8 grams per litre. A stunning wine Champagne Lallier Blanc de Blancs Ay $59.99 This 100% Chardonnay is made from grand cru vineyards in Avize and Cramant et Oger. The wine spent 36 months on lees in bottle, gaining creamy complexity from the lees and retaining freshness. It has a low-ish dosage of 9 grams per litre. Full bodied, dry in taste with a long finish. Pop in store to talk with our wine specialists Matt, Joelle and John or ask for any member of our passionate team at Regional Wines - we would love to show you the Lallier range of champagnes. Wines that over deliver every time.