Top 40 wines under $20

By JOELLE THOMSON for viva

New Zealanders may be getting more adventurous with their wine styles but the biggest drawcard is still price.

And, curiously, we are spending less on average on a bottle of wine today than we were just a couple of years ago, according to supermarket sales figures. Wines costing between $15 and $20, once the fastest growing category, have now lost pace to $ 11-$ 15 bottles, which makes it all the more poignant that the Wine of the Year in the fifth edition of my book, Joelle Thomson's Under $20 Wine Guide, costs just $15.

The other 39 wines here deserve a good tasting, too, as I discovered over the past few months as I was sifting through almost 1000 wines for this year's book.


WINE OF THE YEAR 2001

2001 Carchelo Jumilla $14-16

Spain might once have been the sleeping giant of European wine but its smartest winemakers have woken from their slumber. And drinkers wanting to get value for money would do well to follow suit. This is the third year in a row that the wine of the year in this guide has been Spanish.

This wine is made at Bodegas Agapito Rico, where the grapes are cropped at extremely low yields of 1.5 tonnes to the acre, to make this top quality drop. Since 1998 it has been made in a new Bodega (winery), built purely for Carchelo in the high mountain valley in Murcia, Jumilla, Spain. It is a blend of the monastrell grape, which is also known asmourvedre, and is characteristically soft and slightly chocolatey, like this wine. There is a smattering of the Spanish tempranillo grape and somemerlot.

It is the soft approachability of this wine that makes it an immediate winner but it is backed up by surprising depth of flavour, running the full gamut of sweet rhubarb, tamarillos and spice to a clean earthy taste.

Food: good ham or prosciutto or well-cooked spicy sausages on the barbecue.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact distributors, Eurowine, phone ( 09) 636 4045.


BEST VALUE WINE OF THE YEAR

Fiorile Rosso Sicilia $12-13 (1.5 litres, $18-20)

This Sicilian red is too easy to drink, too easy to afford and the even better news is that its alcohol levels are average rather than high so you can avoid red wine headaches after a glass or two. It is a blend of the savoury-tasting nerello and sangiovese grapes, grown in Sicily. And it ismade with immediate drinkability in mind, hence the overridingly soft smoothness of the wine.

Food: good olives or tapenade and crostini.

Buy: from well-stocked supermarket wine shelves or contact A Touch of Italy, phone ( 09) 273 3701.


SPARKLING WINE OF THE YEAR

Lindauer Special Reserve $15-16

It's a tribute to Montana's Gisborne grape growers that this wine is such consistently good value, because most of the grapes in it were grown in that warm, sunny, undervalued wine region. Ever since its release, Lindauer Special Reserve has been a significant step up from its better known little brother.

This wine has distinctive tastes of pinot noir, with light, sweet cherry flavours to the fore and a dry, refreshing finish. Fantastic value.

Food: toasted almonds or your favourite nuts.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


The rest of the top 40

2001 PROMESSA NEGROAMARO $19-20

Californian winemaker Mark Shannon has contracts with more than 1000 grape growers in Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot, where he makes this sensational red wine. The purpose of his winemaking is to make top quality reds that you want to drink and can afford to drink. This one tastes like a cup of wild berries, with a twist of licorice/aniseed character. It is my favourite red at this price.

Food: slivers of just-cooked eye fillet with this wine, but who cares really? This wine is perfect on its own.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Bennett & Deller, phone (09) 378 9463.


2001 PROMESSA ROSSO SALENTO $19-20

Another luscious red from Mark Shannon, who thinks it is a noble cause to make good wine at a great price. You'll agree, when you taste this, the softer of the two Promessa wines. It is made from negroamaro grapes blended with primitivo grapes and has an earthy flavour interest while being fresh and lightly fruity.

Food: almost anything; it's great with bacon.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Bennett & Deller, phone (09) 378 9463.


BERNADINO SPUMANTE $7-8

So you haven't drunk this for a decade. Why not revisit its lovely light aromatic tastes, which are intensely grapey in a muscat sweet style? This is lightly spicy and great value. Serve it chilled.

Food: fresh fruit that is low in acid, like golden kiwifruit, honeydew melon, sweet white grapes and mango.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


JACOBS CREEK CHARDONNAY PINOT NOIR BRUT CUVEE $11-12

This Australian bubbly is made from the two most widely used grapes for champagne-making: chardonnay and pinot noir. It is light and smooth in flavour, with a zesty lemon finish.

Food: light savoury flavours, such as almonds rubbed with chilli, freshly ground coffee and salt (yes, really, it's a delicious combination).

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2001 TASMAN BAY MARLBOROUGH CHARDONNAY $18-19

This stunningly textural, full-bodied chardonnay is one of the jewels in the crown of the South Island's wine scene. Nelson winemakers Phil Jones and Matthew Rutherford make a consistently good chardonnay under this label every year, which is creamy and rounded without being over-the-top buttery in taste. It is a wine that divides folk, with its upfront textural, almost savoury tastes but there is plenty of fresh apple and lemon flavour mingling in here, too.

Food: good brie.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores.


2002 COLLARDS HAWKES BAY CHENIN BLANC $12-14

In the past decade, chenin blanc has declined in New Zealand vineyards, both in the amount that is planted and in our imaginations as a wine worth consuming. At best, it is a vibrant, fresh and, some would say, bracingly acidic white. At worst, well, let's not go there. It comes originally from France's Loire Valley, where it is made into cool, crisp and appley tasting dry whites and some of the world's best sweet wines. Think fresh Granny Smith apples and a soft finish.

Food: salty snacks, such as seaweed crackers and creamy dip.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide or contact Collards winery, phone (09) 838 8341.


2002 COLLARDS HAWKES BAY GEWURZTRAMINER $15-17

Flavour is no longer the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, now that Kiwi winemakers prize this grape highly. It has grown significantly in our national vineyard, from a tiny 134ha planted in 1994 to more than 200ha today. This wine oozes gorgeous flavours of old-fashioned red roses and lychees.

Food: contrasting salty food, such as fresh pistachio nuts.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2002 CORBANS WHITE LABEL MULLER-THURGAU $8-9

Far be it from me to try to revive the flagging fortunes of muller-thurgau. Once the country's most planted white grape variety, this cross of sylvaner and riesling now occupies a mere corner of our national vineyard, with just 286ha planted. Even that little amount will probably decline in favour of more noble grapes, but in the meantime wines like this light, fresh, floral number are a great intro to the white wine world. It has mere hints of spice wrapped up in tastes of honeysuckle.

Food: light snacks or just serve chilled on its own before a meal.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2001 UMANI RONCHI VILLA BIANCHI VERDICCHIO $15-16

The mere mention of the word verdicchio is enough to send wine drinkers running for something more familiar. At their peril. This central Italian grape variety has a beguiling soft, even creamy feel and tastes that are best described as lemony and almond-like. It's one of my favourite whites under $20 and an absolute must-try for white wine drinkers.

Food: panfried gurnard with a splash of olive oil, garlic and parsley with this savoury-tasting wine.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Vintners New Zealand, phone (09) 979 2900
email enquiries@vintnersnz.co.nz.


2002 BODEGA LURTON PINOT GRIS $17-18

For what seems like an interminably boring number of years now, wine drinkers have been banging on about pinot gris but, be honest, how many have you tried and loved it? If you're still waiting to be wowed, get your lips around a glass of this Argentinian wine made by French winemakers Jacques and Francois Lurton. Its grainy, savoury texture and tastes make this spicy, slightly pear-like wine just far too easy to drink.

Food: good parmesan or fine slices of tasty hard, aged cheddar.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Bennett & Deller, phone (09) 378 9463.


2002 ESK VALLEY HAWKES BAY RIESLING $19-20

Is it the wine or the seal? Every year this Hawkes Bay riesling is among the country's best buys under $20 but for some reason this vintage is an absolute stunner. It tastes intensely fresh, like pineapple and honeydew melon with a flavour of fresh apples and crisp acidity overlaying the wine. Its screwcap seal means you can open, drink and reseal it over a week, enjoying freshness throughout.

Food: stir-fried chicken, fresh vegetables and kaffir lime.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2002 BABICH RIESLING $16-18

If you like this wine now, you will love it after a couple of years because this fresh, clean, lime and jasmine-tasting riesling improves out of sight with age, developing hints of honey and honeysuckle tastes with time in the bottle.

Food: tom yum soup or other lightly spiced, fresh-flavoured foods.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2002 WITHER HILLS MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC $19-20

This is Marlborough sauvignon blanc at its best: lively, fresh, piercingly focused and, at under $20, one of the best value on the market. Winemaker Brent Marris has treated 5 per cent of the wine to barrel fermentation, which adds a layer of texture that pushes up the savoury flavour notes in the wine.

Food: succulent seafood, such as fresh scallops or panfried snapper.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2002 GLENGUIN THE OLD BROKE BLOCK SEMILLON $19-20

Master of Wine Robin Tedder is a hands-on, earthy type who understands the importance of treating the earth right to harness the best flavours from things grown in it. So this wine is made from grapes grown in Australia's relatively wet Hunter Valley. It is not like New Zealand semillon tastes, so don't ignore it. Great with well-cooked fish and chips. You're in for a treat.

Food: seafood.

Buy: from Liquorland, Wine Masters and specialist wine stores or contact Bennett & Deller, phone (09) 378 9463.


2002 KIM CRAWFORD PANSY ROSE $17-18

Ever since this wine's launch last year, its soft, sweet flavours and marketing have ensured it has a strong following. I love its cherry flavours and light fruity style. Food: fresh fruit.

Buy: from Kim Crawford Wines, phone (09) 529 0804.


2002 WOODTHORPE GAMAY NOIR $19-20

A contender for best wine in the book, this is light, elegant and surprisingly beaujolais-like. Which is not to say that down-to-earth Hawkes Bay winemaker Peter Cowley was trying to come over all French or anything in making this wine from the gamay grape. It is so soft and smooth you will be wowed and then back in for another sip of its too-likeable soft berry and gamey tastes.

Food: a gamey-tasting pie with a buttery crust. Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Te Mata Estate Wines, phone (06) 877 4399, email: wine@temata.hb.co.nz.


1999 RICHMOND GROVE COONAWARRA LIMITED RELEASE CABERNET SAUVIGNON $19-20

This Australian cabernet sauvignon stands out from the crowd with full-on blackberry flavours and a staunch backbone of tannins that never overwhelm the fruit tastes. This is great value and will age well, if you have the willpower to keep a few bottles in a cool, dark environment.

Food: good steak, rare-cooked.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Orlando Wyndham, phone (09) 300 6444.


2000 DOMAINE SAINT-PIERRE CORBIERES $15-16

Brilliant value grenache from France's once-highly respected Corbieres region. There is plenty of flesh to this wine, with flavours of black plum, white pepper and aniseed and a hint of earthiness on the finish.

Food: savoury meaty stews and crusty bread.

Buy: from Chateauneuf Wine & Food store, 48 Pollen St, Grey Lynn, Auckland or via mail order, phone (09) 378 7011, email chateauneuf@xtra.co.nz.


1998 GRAMPS GRENACHE $19-20

If the taste of this wine doesn't immediately appeal to you, its 14 per cent alcohol will. This is not just about big alcohol, though, since the wine is packed with flavours such as sweet black cherries and cocoa.

Food: moist chocolate cake.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Orlando Wyndham, phone (09) 300 6444.


2000 MONTES RESERVE MALBEC OAK AGED $19-20

This Chilean red was another contender for wine of the year. One taster says it is a boy's wine because it is so gutsy and big. But girls love it, too. This is an arrestingly full-bodied wine with smoothness to boot; an iron fist in an extremely soft, velvet glove.

Food: steak with avocado and tomato salsa.

Buy: from specialist wine stores.


2001 LA CONSULTA FINCA LA CELIA MALBEC $16-17

Argentina is the source of some of the world's best-value red wines and this wine is at the top of that list. The Finca la Celia winery, in the Uco Valley, southwest Mendoza, was established in 1964 and named after winemaker Eugenio Busto's daughter, Celia. It is purple in colour, gutsy in body with big, sweet, ripe, fleshy flavours. It will last the distance for the next decade in the right cellaring conditions and tastes great now.

Food: great pizza with this wine.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Punchbowl Winebrokers, (0800) 786242.


2001 ETCHART RIO DE PLATA MALBEC $11-12

Ignore the country's politics because this fantastic value Argentinian red is part of a new wave of outstandingly good wines from that country. It is gutsy, soft, sweet, meaty, nicely balanced and its value is hard to beat.

Food: earthy tasting risotto or paella.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Orlando Wyndham, phone (09) 300 6444.


2001 LES SALICES MERLOT VIN DE PAYS DOC $19-20

The rave about the pinot gris earlier also applies to this supposedly basic country red wine from France. I say supposedly because vin de pays means country wine but this is one of the fleshiest, most flavoursome merlots in the book.

Food: rare-cooked lamb, lightly grilled on a bed of fresh rosemary and red onion.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Bennett & Deller for shops near you, phone (09) 378 9463.


2001 SANCTUARY MARLBOROUGH PINOTAGE/PINOT NOIR $14-15

I like this inventive combination of two relatively early-ripening grapes which combine to give a wine oozing fresh, light-cherry flavours. It has medium length and represents great value for money for a summer quaffing-red in a fresh style.

Food: spicy sausages, creamy mash and gravy.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2002 SHINGLE PEAK MARLBOROUGH PINOT NOIR $18-19

Shingle Peak is the South Island label of the huge Matua Valley winery in West Auckland. And this wild-berry-tasting pinot noir, with hints of sweet cocoa and a soft texture, is one of their standout wines. It is surprisingly good value for money, since pinots under $20 worth drinking are hard to come by. This is one of the best in that category.

Food: roast chicken with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar served on top of it just after cooking.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


1999 YALUMBA BAROSSA SHIRAZ $19-20

This red is so impressive that the 1999 and the new vintage, 2000, are selling out fast. If you see it, snap it up, because this is one very concentrated shiraz in a sea of mediocre offerings. It has the sweet, mouthfillingly juicy shiraz tastes and also a hint of black pepper complexity.

Food: your favourite juicy steak.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Negociants New Zealand, phone (09) 366 1140.


2002 SAINTS GISBORNE NOBLE SEMILLON $16-17

Scoop up this delicious dessert wine made by Montana Wines, the largest winery in New Zealand. It is a delicious, honeyed white with an unctuous finish. This tastes like liquid clover honey with orange, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Food: Central Otago dried apricots, hazelnuts and blue cheese.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


1998 GRAMPS BOTRYTIS SEMILLON $19-20

Like Australia's best dry semillons, this dessert wine is deliciously distinctive, with tastes of apricots and honey. It is great value for money and ready to drink now.

Food: sticky toffee pudding.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Orlando Wyndham, phone (09) 300 6444.


PYKES MEDIUM SHERRY $17-18

I know that sherry is not top of the pops and hasn't been for a few decades, but here is one that will show you how good the best are. It has creamy, spicy wood flavours with a refreshing savoury, salty character.

Food: salty foods, such as olives, feta cheese and salami.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


PELLEGRINO DOM DE MARSALA $19-20 (375ml bottle)

It's hard to beat the delicious burnt orange, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg flavours that are held together in this zingy Italian dessert wine.

Food: almond and lemon-flavoured biscotti.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact A Touch of Italy, phone (09) 273 3701
email sales@touchofitaly.co.nz.


PYKES FINE TAWNY $23-24

Sharp, sweet, piquant flavours and sweet, fruity raisin tastes make this a tasty, non-vintage, everyday, entry-level port. It is fantastic value for money, despite the extra $4 it now costs, due to the government's new tax.

Food: dried fruit and aged or tasty cheddar.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2000 MAGLIERI OF McLAREN VALE SHIRAZ $18-20

This is pure shiraz with rich, fleshy, plummy tastes, a medium body and lingering flavours at the finish. It towers over many others under $20, urging shiraz lovers to buy at least a case to see them through winter.

Food: roast chicken wrapped in bacon or a bacony Caesar salad.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores.


2000 PREECE SHIRAZ $14-15

Juicy, vibrant, big. Like the best Australian shiraz, this one has take-me-by-surprise flavours and now it also costs about $3 less than it did a year ago, making it fantastic value for money.

Food: with your favourite pizza.

Buy: from Liquor King and specialist wine stores.


2002 WAIMEA ESTATE CHARDONNAY $19-20

Nelson winemaker Mike Brown turns out one of the best chardonnays under $20, in this wine. It is full of flavours like nectarines and grapefruit and a sheer freshness.

Food: panfried chicken breasts.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide.


2001 TRINITY HILL SHEPHERDS CROFT HAWKES BAY CHARDONNAY $18-19

Two of the Bay's best winemakers, John Hancock and Warren Gibson, make this wine. Hawkes Bay is the home of my favourite New Zealand chardonnays because of their ripeness of flavour and creamy texture. This is fresh, creamy chardonnay with a deliciously grainy texture, hints of spice and a medium body.

Food: creamy pumpkin risotto with fresh parmesan.

Buy: from supermarkets and liquor stores or contact
Trinity Hill winery, phone (06) 879 7778


2001 NORANTE DI MAJO SANGIOVESE $17-18

It has often been said that Italy is the home of some of the world's new wave of top red wines but it is also, increasingly, the place that produces the best mid-tier red wines too. This one is packed with freshness and flavour. It has hints of licorice, black pepper and sweet fruit and is incredibly food-friendly.

Food: anything warm, or mushroom with a good piece of steak.

Buy: from Caro's Wines, Ponsonby Rd, Auckland.


2001 ROCCA DELLE MACIE VERNAIOLO CHIANTI DOCG $17-18

Soft, delicious, savoury, drinkable - this is always one of the best under-$20 reds in New Zealand and is remarkably undervalued by Kiwis. Its flavours span freshness with hints of spice through to savoury, earthy tastes. Fantastic wine.

Food: your favourite salami or prosciutto.

Buy: from specialist wine stores or contact Vintners New Zealand for stockists near you, phone (09) 979 2900
email enquiries@vintnersnz.co.nz.


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