Wine: Grape power

Are your taste buds becoming a tad complacent? They need a good kick — and these are the wines for the job …

Carpene Malvolti Extra-Dry Prosecco NV $29.95

Prosecco? Sweet? Not here, at least. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a drier, chalker, zestier example this side of the dark-skinned stump. A stump that happens to be near the historic areas of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, where the vineyards grow 100 per cent glera grapes fermented to a positively demure 11 per cent alcohol, to create this light, spritzy-dry, Italian sip. Picture yourself pouring a chilled glass to accompany a platter of grilled skate-wings dusted with pepper and chilli ...ooooh.

Petane Station Gewurztraminer Rosé 2016 $30

Prepare for things to get cro-zay with this rosé. A collaboration between Petane Station and natural wine zealots Dirtoir, - this wacky wine is a gewurztraminer that's had extra skin contact in the ferment and a splash of syrah to inject some perfectly pink colour. Aromas of pink peppercorn, fennel, musky raspberry notes and classic smokers sweets (you can still buy them at the dairy). It's magically murky (words I never thought I'd ever say in a wine review).

Diemersdal Durbanville Pinotage 2015 $25

Just because it has pinot noir as its dad, don't be lulled into thinking pinotage is going to be safe as a cardigan and slippers, oh no. Its mum is crazy old cinsault, and she injects some meaty tannins, deep plum, concentrated berry and chocolate flavours, making this an utterly unputdownable (technical term there) red wine.

Sip with: slow-cooked mandarin and ginger beef cheeks.

50 Shades of Fizz

Fancy a bit of bondage in your bubbles?

Just in time for Christmas, the good folk at Champagne Bertrand Senecourt have unleashed three wines, packaged in 100 per cent second-generation copper-scrap suits of armour- or corsetry, if you will. The copper cladding, while having a sexy edge, also serves to keep the wine inside cooler for longer. The Beau Joie Brut Rosé NV is $129, while the Brut NV and sweet-styled Sugar King Demi Sec NV are $114 each.

Yvonne Lorkin is co-founder and chief tasting officer of winefriend.co.nz and a Wine Writers of NZ member.