Winemaker Simon Waghorn brings grapes together from three sub regions of Marlborough to make this dry, full bodied style of Sauvignon Blanc. Vineyards in the Wairau Valley, Awatere Valley and Kekerengu Coast (the most southern of Marlborough's vineyards) all combine to make this succulent dry wine with its ripe flavours of tropical fruit balanced by green notes. 

All grapes are machine harvested at night or in the cool parts of the day to preserve the purity and intensity of flavours. WInemaker Simon Waghorn blends to suit what he thinks is Astrolabe?s style, which reflects what he has learnt as a winemaker and drinker over the years. This means he aims to create a Sauvignon that tastes dry, expressive and elegantly balanced with flavours of passionfruit, blackcurrant leaf and gooseberry. 

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Little Darling Sauvignon Blanc is the brainchild of Chris Darling and Bart Arnst, a leading organic grape growing and organic consultant in Marlborough; the biggest wine region in the country.

This wine is light bodied and intensely fruity in taste with refreshing acidity adding zesty appeal to every sip. It is great value for money.

Pinot Noir makes up over 80% of Central Otago's vineyards and it suits this cool climate because it is one of the earliest ripening red grapes in winemaking and can be harvested before the region's frosty winters set in. Roaring Meg is one of Central Otago's most popular wines and is named, cheekily, after a lady of the night during the infamous gold rush days in this southern region, in the 1800s. 

It's a light bodied, fresh and smooth red wine with notes of spice and cedar; made for drinking early in its life rather than aging.

Nautilus Cuvee Brut is inspired by the richness and depth of Bollinger Special Cuvee, which in turn takes its inspiration from Pinot Noir - which provides the toasty depths of flavour, along with three years ageing on lees in bottle, before release. The result is a dry, full bodied, deliciously yeasty sparkling wine is a blend of 71.4% Pinot Noir and 28.6% Chardonnay. All grapes are hand picked, fermented with a champagne yeast with only the first run of juice going to fermentation to retain a fineness in flavour and texture. The wine typically contains 5 to 15% of reserve wines, held back from previous vintages, to add complexity and consistency to the wine. 

It is aged on lees in bottle for three years prior to disgorgement, which takes place regularly to ensure every bottle on the market remains fresh in flavour. 

Winemaker Clive Jones creates a consistently vibrant sparkling wine here which has pronounced yeasty, fresh bread aromas and rich savoury flavours. 

Nautilus is a member of Methodé Marlborough, a group of quality minded winemakers in the country's biggest wine region, who have dedicated themselves to producing sparkling wines with a minimum of 18 months aging in the bottle and made 100% from grapes grown in their region.

Elephant Hill Chardonnay is made with grapes grown on the coast at Te Awanga, south of Napier where the cool sea breezes add zesty acidity to the grapes. This provides excellent balance to the creamy nuances of Chardonnay, which is one of Hawke's Bay's most popular grape varieties.

This wine is dry, creamy and full bodied. A stunner from our country's second biggest wine region. 

Odyssey Wines is owned by winemaker Rebecca Salmond, who sources grapes from a number of different regions. She produces exceptionally good value wines, including this full bodied, creamy big Chardonnay from Gisborne; the fifth biggest wine region in New Zealand - and aptly named the country's Chardonnay Capital.

A fantastic value wine made by John Quarisa of Johhny Q wines. 

This is rich and savoury and certainly punches above its weight for the price. Deep red with hints of purple in the glass, the nose is fresh yet decadent, with notes of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and spice. The palate offers warm spice and ripe berry flavours, complemented by smoke, spice and coffee notes. The finish is soft and smooth

Petite Sirah is a cross of Peloursin and Syrah and also goes by the name of Duriff.

Big, buttery and oaky in taste, Durvillea Chardonnay is the little sister to Astrolabe Chardonnay. It's made with grapes grown in two parts of Marlborough with 66% from the Awatere Valley and 35% from Wairau Valley. 

All grapes in this wine were hand picked then fermented with a combination of wild and cultured yeasts. A portion of barrel fermentation adds weight and structure to this incredibly accessibly priced wine. 

Its flavours are of cream, ripe grapefruit and softness. 

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Hogshead is made by South Australian winemakers Jim Zerella and Nicholas Crampton and is one of our best value Aussie Shirazes. It's dry with dark fruit flavours, a full body and spicy notes. A wine with a full body and smooth style. Tasty and great value. 

You could say that Durvillea Sauvignon Blanc has a lot to live up - it's Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc's baby brother after all. And like its older sibling, this wine offers consistently outstanding quality, especially when the price is taken into consideration.

Fresh, refreshing, succulent and crisp. Everything you want in a Sauvignon Blanc, and more.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

Marlborough is best known and loved for Sauvignon Blanc but here's a next level wine from one of the most experienced winemakers in the region, Kevin Judd; the first winemaker at Cloudy Bay and then founder of his own brand, Greywacke.

This wine is incredibly consistent in style from one year to the next. Dry, full bodied with powerful intensity of flavour and a long finish. It benefits from winemaking experience, which includes lees aging time and a portion of barrel ferment to add softness and complexity.

This is one of our best Pinot Noirs under $25 and consistently exceptional drinking at this price, thanks to fruit forward flavours of red cherries which are underpinned by refreshing acidity kept in balance by an under tow of savoury, earthy flavours. 

It's made by Martinborough winemaker John Douglas, who owns a small vineyard on Te Muna Road, 9 kilometres west of Martinborough village. This four hectare plot of organically certified vineyard land is home to the grapes that go into this excellent Pinot Noir, which over delivers on value, flavour and style.

Te Muna Valley has the same stony soils as vineyards the better known  vineyards around Martinborough village. It also has a slightly windier, slightly cooler climate, both factors that combine to make for challenges in the volume of grapes produced but exceptional depth of flavour in the great wines from this valley. 

Laya is a banging Spanish red made from a blend of heat loving Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell, both of which thrive in the dry arid climate of Spain and in this wine their big bold flavours are well balanced by being grown on vineyards at altitude. This wine is made from grapes grown at 700 to 1000 metres above sea level on limestone soils; two factors that encourage great quality grapes, which express themselves in high quality wines, thanks to the closer than usual proximity to the sun and the cool nights, which stretch out the growing season and provides refreshing acidity to the grapes.

Oak maturation was brief, which soften this wine, adding complexity.

Tempranillo is the king and queen of Spanish grape varieties with over 206,000 hectares in that country?s entire vineyard area, making it the most planted red grape variety and the second most overall after the little known white Spanish grape called Airen. 

This tasty and super affordable, dry Spanish red is made from organically certified vineyards in Ucl?s in Castile, Spain, where the vines are grown as part of an integrated ecosystem, along with old oak trees. This region's continental climate provides hot sunny days and cool nights, which provide favourable ripening conditions for the Tempranillo grape. 

The grapes in this wine are harvested in the cool of night and early morning, given a light crush and fermented in stainless steel to preserve fruit freshness. Maceration is typically eight to 10 days and no oak is used in the winemaking, so the fruit is hero in this smooth, medium bodied red. 

The name Tempranillo comes from the Spanish word temprano, which means early. It?s apt. Tempranillo is an early grape to bud in spring and it ripens early in autumn. Along with its big bunches of small, thick skinned grapes and relatively big yields (that?s means it provides a lot of grapes to harvest and make wine from), it?s a successful grape to grow. As for the taste, Tempranillo?s character tends to be soft, smooth, bright and fruity. What?s not to love? There?s

Big dark red with smooth mouthfeel and soft plummy flavours of ripe fruit, spice and liquorice notes leading into complex blueberry flavours. Montepulciano is one of the great red grapes of Italy, but is often considered a bit of a workhorse because it  naturally grows big bunches of grapes, which makes it easy to make high volumes of wine from. This wine is a step up from the most straightforward Montepulcianos on the market, and it's an incredibly smooth, deliciously drinkable red - a great wine to enjoy now and over the next two to three years. 

If you're looking for a next level red at an accessible price, here it is.