If you’re still wondering how on Earth to squeeze in a trip to your nearest and dearest top wine store, pre-Xmas, how about taking a peak at our list of top drops for the big festive day.
This bunch of beauties spans a wide range of taste buds and personal preferences and we hope you not only enjoy the wines but love the day itself, wherever you spend it this year.
Star wine of the week - 2018 Black Hole Single Vineyard Waipara Chardonnay
17/20, 4 stars
Incredibly tasty Chardonnay from Waipara Valley in the heart of the arid North Canterbury landscape. This Chardonnay is rich and creamy with fresh citrusy flavours of lemon and tangy grape fruit. It’s full bodied, smooth and dry. A tasty little number from one of this country’s most under rated, over performing wine regions. View here.
2017 Matahiwi Estate Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay
16/20, 3 stars
Matahiwi Estate is situated in one of the country’s smallest wine regions, the Wairarapa, but its winemakers produce this dry, fresh, medium bodied Chardonnay from grapes grown just up the road, in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s second biggest wine region. It’s ready to drink now with smooth soft, approachable flavours and an appealing price tag too. View here.
2013 Lincourt Steel Chardonnay
16.5/20, 3.5 stars
A big, buttery, crowd pleaser of a Chardonnay made with grapes from Santa Rita in California. This wine is six years old now and has aged and evolved into smooth, creamy wine which is ready to drink now or soon. Enjoy. View here.
2017 Marcel Martin Chardonnay Vin de France
15.5/20, 3 stars
This cheeky little French white is made from the world’s most popular white grape, Chardonnay. It’s an affordable little everyday wine with a medium body, dry flavours and a light citrusy aroma. It’s good quality Chardonnay, fresh and clean. A great match with roast chicken, so ideal for Xmas Day.
2018 Tout nu Tout Rosé Cap d’Agde
16.5/20, 3.5 stars
A pinkie with personality from and a modest alcohol content of 12%, which gives it great appeal for day time drinking in the warm summer months over the festive season. It’s also got looks to die for with its tall, slender, clear glass bottle, Vinolok glass seal and pale pink colour. View here.
2017 Spinning Top Serendipity Pinot Gris
16.5/20, 3.5 stars
This Marlborough Pinot Gris has pronounced fruity aromas and a medium dry palate with pear juice flavours and a spicy note on the finish. It’s good value with spicy and ripe fruity flavours. View here.
Joelle Thomson is a wine writer, journalist and author. She’s an avid lover of wine and currently writes for Capital magazine, Good magazine, NZ Winegrower, Drinksbiz, and her own site, www.joellethomson.com.
She also teaches, works in radio, and more, so we've enlisted her help to sniff out our amazing value wines!
