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Introduction
£50 6-bottle and £99 12-bottle Cases
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New Zealand
New Zealand
We are pleased to add New Zealand to the list of countries whose wines we sell; as with the other countries in our portfolio, we will be dealing with small family estates, handcrafting quality wines with passion.
Our initial offering is from 3 different producers in the North Island - the Amor-Bendall winery in Gisborne, The Cottier Estate in Wairarapa, and Mystery Creek Wines in Waikato.
All these producers make lovely wines - all are quality-driven, and all are family controlled. The grape varieties in our range are predominantly those you would expect from NZ - Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, with some Chardonnay and a handful of others.
These wines are all now in stock.
We also offer a few NZ mixed cases to get you started - one containing a cross-section of the range on offer, and one from each supplier - these are all listed on this page.
NZ Starter Case
Ref: NZMIX1
A mixed case with 4 reds and 8 whites, selected from our range. A good place to start getting familiar with decent NZ wine!
Price:
£143.40
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Gisborne
Gisborne is a winegrowing region centred on the city of Gisborne itself, which, being near the international dateline, is the first city in the world to see the sun each day. Gisborne is located on the sunny East Coast of the North Island, and as the site of the first meeting between Maoris and European, and as such is steeped in history. Captain Cook landed here in 1769, and a European settlement was first established in 1831, taking its name from William Gisborne, the Colonial Secretary, in 1870. A spectacular coastal route between Gisborne and Napier is one of the world's best kept secrets.
The Gisborne district has warm summers and mild winters, and is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand with average yearly sunshine of around 2200 hours. The region's annual rainfall varies from about 1000mm (coastal) to over 2500mm (inland); Temperatures of 38 deg C have been recorded and an average 65 days a year have a maximum of over 24 deg C. Wine has been made here since the early 20th century; German winemaker Friedrich Wohnsiedler established a vineyard at Ormond and released his first vintage in 1921, although it took till the 1970s before viticulture really took off here. Today, Gisborne is one of New Zealand's principal winemaking regions, the third largest in the country. Much of the output is Chardonnay, but a wide range of grape varieties are grown, and there is a large diversity of winemaking styles reflecting the different soil types (mainly clay/loam) and climates. Gisborne has become known for top-notch Gewürztraminer;- NZ's first Gewürztraminer vines were planted here in the 1970s. Pinot Gris and Viognier are also emerging as varieties with a promising future. Red varieties include vibrant fruity Merlots, Malbec and Pinotage. The climate and soils help produce wines with flavours melon, peach, grapefruit and passionfruit. The silt soils make for well-structured Chardonnays, and Gisborne wines generally have both body and finesse, floral aromas, and age well.
Amor-Bendall Wines, Gisborne
Our supplier for wines from the Gisborne area is Amor Bendall Wines (AB), which was established in 1998, and produced its first vintage in 1999. AB is owned and operated by partners Noel Amor and Alison Bendall. Noel's winemaking skills are the culmination of more than 20 years experience in the Food Industry, but he has now stepped aside from corporate life to bring one of his dreams to fruition. He is assisted by his partner Alison, who helps with the administration of the business. AB started life as a small-scale venture, in true Kiwi style in a shed - but has now matured into a serious wine producer concentrating on the very best grape varieties in the Gisborne region. AB has no vineyards of its own, but sources grapes from leading Gisborne growers to meet it's exacting quality needs. "We require vine mature fruit with a pre-determined acid balance" says Noel. Grapes are hand selected and hand picked and quickly converted to juice with minimal skin contact. AB is located in a stunning oceanside location at Wainui Beach just outside Gisborne; this little company now produces mainly white wines including stunning Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays, and a world-class Guwürztraminer amongst others. AB wines win countless awards both at home in New Zealand and also elsewhere in the world, and are proving immensely popular on the NZ restaurant circuit. We are pleased to be working with AB to offer you this premium range of Gisborne wines.
Sauvignon Blanc Gisborne 2005
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640007
**
Good growing conditions in 2005 followed by a slow fermentation have resulted in a lovely complex wine. The nose has principally aromas of rich tropical fruit and just a hint of gooseberry, with a smoky note and some Muscat grapes. The palate is rich and lush, with principally tropical flavours of passionfruit, ripe pineapple, nectarine, & other stone fruit notes. There is good length, with apricot flavours & a herbal note on the dry finish. Serve slightly chilled. This classy Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent example of the atypical wines produced in the Gisborne region. Really good stuff.
Sold out.
Price:
£14.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Sauvignon Blanc Nelson 2006
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640009
**
This wine is result of Amor-Bendall's first foray outside the Gisborne region; Nelson is a major winegrowing region at the north end of the South island, and is known for its excellent Sauvignon Blancs, which have a quite different character from those grown in Gisborne, being rather more aromatic and with less of the grassiness found elsewhere in NZ.
This wine has an extremely pale yellow colour - almost water-white - and the aromatic nose is of gooseberries initially, followed by lychees and a hint of pineapple. On the palate there is lychee, passionfruit, and gooseberry, with undefined tropical fruit and a hint of green capsicum. It's rich with excellent body, and a fresh racy character - lively, with good bite. There's good length, with a clean mineral character and some herbs on the finish.
Available now.
Price:
£14.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Chardonnay Unoaked 2004
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640013
**(*)
A fresh vibrant wine displaying varietal characters of peach and pineapple. The palate is rich and mouth filling with exceptional length. The accent is on ripe fruit characters providing a wine to compliment most dishes.
Available now.
Price:
£12.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Chardonnay Unoaked 2005
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640003
**
This is a wine made from selected grapes grown in different parts of the Gisborne region. A bright golden yellow, the nose has peach and pineapple, and on the palate it's rich and powerful, with good body, lots of clean fruit, flavours of tropical fruits with undefined citrussy notes. Wonderful, wonderful stuff, complex, with good length. Serve chilled - but don't overdo it, as you will miss so much - and open a good hour before consumption.
Available now.
Price:
£12.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Chardonnay Reserve 2004
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640005
*(*)
A Chardonnay made from selected grapes from the Gisborne area, partially barrel aged using 40% new French and American oak. A pale golden yellow, with a nose of gooseberry, spice, and a hint of citrus. The palate is rich and mouthfilling, with a creamy texture and savoury and vanilla flavours of the toasty but restrained oak complementing those of grapefruit and tropical fruit, and hints of white stone fruit and caramel. Extreme length, with toast and spice on the finish. An exceptional wine - drink now and till 2011.
This wine has been handcrafted to combine the ripe varietal characters of Gisborne Chardonnay, peach, grapefruit and citrus. Complimented by 40% new barrique ferment adding toasty flavours with savoury, toffee, vanilla, caramel and nutty characters. The palate is rich, integrated, and creamy and mouth filling with exceptional length and a clean lingering finish. Serve chilled - but not too cold, as you will miss so much - and open a good hour before consumption.
Available now.
Price:
£13.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Pinot Gris 2006
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640006
*
Quite a rarity in NZ, Pinot Gris is made by a handful of producers in small quantities. I couldn't really justify including more than one Pinot Gris in my NZ range (it's pretty small) and Amor-Bendall's was by far the best of those that I tried. It has a profound golden yellow sheen, and on the nose there is pungent spice, honey, a hint of tropical fruit, and pears. It's quite a big wine, dry, with a smooth texture, and clean flavours of ripe fruit, underripe melon, and minerals. Good length, with a dry smooth finish. Serve slightly chilled.
Available now.
Price:
£13.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Gewürztraminer 2004
Amor-Bendall
Gisborne
Ref: 640004
**(*)
Once in a while I come across something really very special indeed, and this wine is just such a find - a tremendous success. Made from some of the oldest Gewürztraminer vines in New Zealand, it's got an amazing colour - a medium golden yellow, with a hint of pink (!) On the nose are lychees, ginger, boiled sweets, and pink grapefruit, topped off with a good dose of rose petals. On the palate it's a big number, with those lychees evident again, but also with ginger and spice. Great length, with rose petals again on the finish. This works well with flavoursome foods - lightly spiced Asian food, perhaps some Thai or Malay dishes. Just the very slightest hint of off-dry - 8.3g/l residual sugar. It doesn't taste sweet - the sugar shows itself as an enhancement to the depth of flavour. Ideally a food wine; could at a pinch be drunk on is own. Chill slightly, but not too much. Half an hour in the fridge door should do it. This is possibly the best NZ wine I've found to date. Will keep to 2010-11 if cellared correctly. (It wouldn't keep that long in my house!)
Available now.
Price:
£13.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Amor-Bendall Mixed Case
Ref: ABMIX1
A 12-bottle case of premium wines from Amor-Bendall in Gisborne. Click on MORE to see case composition.
Available now.
Price:
£159.40
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Cottier Estate, Wairarapa
Our supplier for wines from the Wairarapa area is the Cottier Estate, situated in Dakins Road at the centre of the prestigious Gladstone wine growing area. This producer is superbly endowed with all the great characteristics that combine to produce premium wines: soils consisting of light alluvial river deposits, underlaid by a shingly river gravel substrate, which provides a beneficial free-draining environment for the vines; gentle rolling land down to river plains, allowing easy access to the vines for vineyard machinery and human workers alike; finally, Cottier is situated at latitude 41 south, offering an ideal microclimate with rainfall of 800 mls/year, warm summer days with cool nights and long gentle autumns allowing the grapes to mature to perfect ripeness. The Cottier family originate from France, and in 1858 a Cottier ancestor, Francois, set sail from Plouerjec, France, to Lyttelton, New Zealand, where he laboured as a whaler off the shores of the South Island. Determined to be a success in his chosen land, Francois became Francis and fervently saved his pennies. Tired of the brutality of whaling, he bought land in Canterbury. Francis wrote to his siblings and ailing mother in France about his adventures, telling them he wished to replicate some of his homeland by planting a small vineyard. He urged his brother Pierre to leave France, to join him in New Zealand and to bring cuttings from French vines. The phylloxera outbreak in Europe meant that this wasn't possible, and Francois' dream could not be realised. Three generations later however, Francois’ great grandson, Peter Francis Cottier, his wife Yvonne, daughter Katherine and sons Sam, Luke, Joe and Nick, have adopted the hardy seaman’s dream in establishing the Cottier vineyards in the early years of the 21st century. Three nineteenth century whaling harpoons represented on the Cottier label are a nod to Francois and his adventurous spirit. They are also a reminder that times change – the slaughter of whales 150 years ago lured many young men to New Zealand’s shores. Now, the beauty, gentleness and magnificence of those same species attract the awe and wonder of travellers, adventurers and tourists alike.
Cottier Estate Chardonnay 2006
Ref: 640000
This is not a typical new world Chardonnay at all - a wine which is big and serious yet remains refined. A very pale yellow, with a nose of citrus, lychee, and a hint of tropical fruit; on the palate there's just the slightest hint of oak - this in no way dominates the wine - good body, and lots of ripe fruit - lychee again, figs, and cream. Good length, with those lychees on the finish. A lovely, lovely wine to be enjoyed chilled with seafood of all sorts and white meats - or just on its own. A real find from this tiny boutique estate.
Available early September 2007
Price:
£10.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Cottier Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Ref: 640001
This is a cracking good Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc which offers great value for money. A very pale golden green, with a nose of gooseberries and newly mown grass, reflected on the palate along with flavours of lychees and a hint of tropical citrus - passion fruit and limes. It's got a fesh zestiness and there is good acidity. There is good length, with a little mineral sweetness emerging on the finish. All ijn all a great wine for summer or indeed anytime - I found it excellent with grilled seabass, but this would also work very well with all kinds of shellfish and other seafood. Chill to 11-12 deg C. Keeps 2-3 years.
Available now.
Price:
£9.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Cottier Estate Pinot Noir 2005
Ref: 640002
A great value Pinot Noir from a single vineyard. The 2005 vintage had excellent seasonal growing conditions which augured well for ripe and well-balanced fruit. However, unseasonal cool, damp conditions in December resulted in an exceptionally light crop. The good news is that the small quantities of fruit developed an intensity and complexity of extraordinary depth.
Cottier Pinot Noir 2005 is a deliciously dark crimson colour, exuding notes of black cherries and plums. Complexity is added with subtle overtones of savoury oak the result of maturation for 12 months in an ensemble of the finest French barriques. Excellent for drinking now, but will improve with age. Expect it to develop to its full potential over the next couple of years. Works extremely well with a wide range of dishes - pizza/pasta through to steaks and more flavoursome meat dishes such as duck, venison, and other game.
Available now.
Price:
£11.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Cottier Estate Mixed Case
Ref: COTMIX1
A 12-bottle case of premium wines from the Cottier Estate in Wairarapa. Click on MORE to see case composition.
Available now.
Price:
£131.40
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Mystery Creek Wines, Waikato
Mystery Creek wines is a progressive, niche producer based in Waikato on the North Island. It was established in 1999 by Garry Major and has 4 hectares of it's own vines along the shores of the Waikato River, and additionally sources fruit from other high-quality producers, some in other regions. Soil types in Waikato are Horotiu sandyloam over free draining river shingle, planted on a gentle north facing slope. Wines are produced from varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Merlot, Pinot Gris, and Syrah.
Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2006
Mystery Creek Wines
Waikato
Ref: 640008
This wine comes from grapes grown predominantly in the Awatere Valley. It's a pale yellow with a lively nose of spice and vibrant sharp green fruit & vegetable aromas - not unlike a good Austrian Gruner Veltliner - with hints of grassiness & gooseberry. On the palate it's lively and complex, with masses of fresh fruit and a lively acidity. Good length, dry and with a lick of spice on the finish. Stunning with seafood - drink chilled to around 12-13 degrees C.
Available early September 2007.
Price:
£10.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Chardonnay 2005
Waikato/Gisborne Blend, Barrel Fermented
Mystery Creek Wines
Waikatu
Ref: 640014
A blend of Waikato and Gisborne fruit, this wine was barrel fermented for 10 months in aged barrels to retain the lovely tropical fruit flavour with out to much oak influence. Another award winner this is a lovely mouth filling Chardonnay.
Price:
£10.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Waikato Block 3 Pinot Noir 2005
Mystery Creek Wines
Waikatu
Ref: 640015
Matured and fermented in French and American oak, this Pinot exhibits a strong savoury and spicy nose with an elegant front palate and strong Syrah like depth. Ripe cherries and raspberries with an underlying savouryness and well integrated tannins balance this wine out. A wonderful food wine, especially with game, tomato based pizza and a rich full beef fillet.
Price:
£12.95
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Mystery Creek Wines Mixed Case
Ref: MYSMIX1
A 12-bottle case of premium wines from Mystery Creek Wines in Waikato. Click on MORE to see case composition.
Available now.
Price:
£139.40
Including VAT at 17.5%
Quantity:
Online Catalogue
>
New Zealand
There is NO
Minimum Order quantity - but buying a whole case is more economical in terms of carriage charges.
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