Wines from New Zealand

Image Credit: NZW Inc. Craggy Range

Wine in pubs always creates a fierce debate amongst wine producers, pub operators and customers. What wines, how many and at what price should you list them? Like some many other aspects of pub life the word premium is starting to come into play. With many customers changing their drinking habits by drinking less and demanding better quality. This “trading up” can be seen in pubs throughout the UK but what does it mean for your pub? There is no simple answer but the best pub operators will always say know your customers and what they want along with the customers you want to attract. To help you with your wines this is the first feature of a monthly series where we take a peek at whats out there and suggest four wines for you to consider. We have started with wines from New Zealand and included unsurprisingly three Sauvignon Blancs and also a Tannat!

Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 
Stunningly aromatic tropical fruits and bright citrus notes, with a refreshingly zesty finish. The first Oyster Bay, which happened to win the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Its brilliant clarity, extraordinary aromatic flavours and refreshing zest are both thrilling and enthralling. Marlborough’s warm days and cool nights create an extended growing season allowing the grapes to develop strong, intense varietal characteristics whilst maintaining a balanced, crisp natural acidity. The result is a distinct wine that is always crisp, elegant, and refreshing.

Craggy Range Winery Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Pale lemon straw colour. The nose is abundant with kaffir lime leaf and subtle tropical notes. The palate is electric. The hallmark saline acid of Te Muna and a pithiness to the fruit giving succulence and enhanced drinkability. Potentially the greatest release of this wine by Craggy Range to date.

Maui North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Aromatically an intense wine showing classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas of gooseberry, nettle and dried herbs and minerality with an underlying tropical and citrus background. Flavours of tropical fruit and herbal notes have been derived from the careful selection of various areas of our best blocks in the Waiata Vineyard situated in the Waipara Valley

De la terre Reserve Tannat 2016 

A multiple award-winning (Decanter 2021, London Wine Competition 2022) unusual wine from Hawke’s Bay. The Reserve Tannat is full of blackberry, earthiness and melted tannins from micro-oxygenation. Aproximately 30% new French/Hungarian oak, un-fined and unfiltered, estate bottled, hand-labelled and hand-numbered, only 2368 bottles. Tony and Kaye Prichard own and operate de la terre winery, Hawke’s Bay’s only earth brick winery, producing small volumes of high-quality wines, with an emphasis on elegance, texture and balance. Provenance is key and, for de la terre, that means “owning what’s in the glass”.