KEY POINTS:
If Christmas has left the coffers empty but the barbecue is still full, here are some robust reds from further afield. They're great with grilled meats but won't burn a hole in your pocket.
La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux,
France 2005 13.5 per cent $19.95
Made by the Perrin family behind the legendary Chateauneuf du Papes of Chateau de Beaucastel, this feisty but fresh grenache and syrah-dominant blend delivers a mouth-watering package of spicy black cherry and bramble fruit underpinned by soft tannins.
From Fine Wine Delivery Company, Point Wines, Caro's, Wine Vault
Bodegas Agapito Rico Carchelo,
Spain 2006 $17
A modern fruit-driven red bursting with bright ripe boysenberry fruit and notes of new leather. It's silky textured and surprisingly rich for a wine of this price.
From Caro's, West Harbour Wines and Spirits, Liquor King Ponsonby
Pasqua Lapaccio Primitivo, Salento ,
Italy 2005 $17.90
The name of the grape variety, primitivo suggests some of the dark rustic charm to be found in this southern Italian red. It has a meaty, charry character reminiscent of the barbecue, with rich dark fruit and notes of tobacco and licorice.
From Glengarry and selected wine stores
Cheers! Here's to a vintage year
It will be a big year for the New Zealand wine industry - rapidly expanding vineyards make the 2008 harvest likely to be its largest yet. So I'm heading straight for the future with a wish list of things I'd love to see happen in 2008, and a few things I'd rather not see again.
Wish number one is that the wine industry doesn't kill the goose that laid the golden egg through shortsighted opportunists turning these extra grapes into plonk rather than the premium wines on which the local industry has built its success.
Our growing conditions mean cheap is definitely not cheerful for New Zealand, and if that goose starts to look a bit seedy and our wines no longer excite international palates, many other countries are waiting to take our place.
Following on from this wish is a desire to see more flagship sauvignon blancs from our wineries this year. It seems incredible that although this variety is so important to us, comparatively few wineries are making great examples.
Something else that appears on my wish list every year is the arrival of that long-heralded riesling renaissance that never gets here. One of the most refined and versatile varieties in the world which is suited to an array of tastes and dishes, riesling has not caught on here. Once again I predict this desire will remain unrequited despite the efforts of wine journos worldwide to convert the masses.
I'll also raise a glass to our specialist wine merchants and wish them a fruitful year. At a time when the convenience of bagging your booze at the supermarket is squeezing the little guys, they're still doing a great job in listing exciting and individual wines, using their knowledge to ensure their customers leave with the right bottle.
These stores are also a powerful weapon against cellar palate, which is what happens when you drink wine from only one region. Your palate is dulled and you are unable to appreciate styles beyond this repertoire, something I'd like to see less of in the future.
Another thing I'd like to see expunged is poor labelling. I'd be happy for a full list of ingredients, enabling drinkers to make informed choices, and more relevant information from the winery on style. Rather than lengthy winery biogs, I'd like to see important stuff such as levels of sweetness flagged up on the likes of pinot gris and riesling.
Finally, it would be great to see more organic wines being made. There's been a groundswell of interest of late, albeit from a tiny base, and some of the most exciting producers are now eschewing chemicals. I hope many more follow suit.
