Wine: Italian fashion

Nelson winemaker Tim Finn once described wine as the new rock 'n' roll because it was the second career choice of what seemed like half of this country's over 50s.

Track down any former doctor, dentist or lawyer, suggested Finn, and you would discover that he or she had turned to winemaking in a remote rural location.

Now it seems that every second person under 40 who has tired of their chosen profession has decided to import wine.

I have just bought a house from one of the most recent additions to New Zealand wine importers.

New Zealand-born Matt Iles is in business with Austrian-born Michael Farag, who holidays every year in Italy, and they have a business importing Italian streetwear.

After Farag's latest holiday in Italy last year, he persuaded Iles to try prosecco from the Mionetto winery.

They both initially discovered the wines online and, after trying them in Italy, Farag was determined to introduce the wines to New Zealanders.

The prosecco was an instant hit with them, their partners and their friends and the pair began importing it and other wines from Mionetto.

The fit is perfect for the same reason that the hoodies and streetwear that Iles and Farag bring in work well in this country - they are tailored to informal, outdoor living.

For a start, the packaging is beguiling but not in a way that says fine wine; buy me to impress at a posh dinner party. Instead, these wines are packaged in a way that says, party on down.

There are three tiers of quality in the range.

Some bottles are sealed with crown seals, which is the same as a bottle of beer so you can expect to find the wine in good shape rather than worrying about possible cork taint.

Fizz is just as prone to cork taint as still wine.

Many of the labels on the Mionetto wines are printed in ink directly on to the bottle so they are trying to be environmentally friendly.

Trust the Italians to come up with some of the best ever packaging I have ever seen on wine.

Mionetto's il range, which includes a moscato, rose, prosecco and rosso, all come in both 375ml and 750ml sizes.

Several are also low in alcohol content too, hovering well under 10 per cent.

The only problem is that they taste so refreshing and easy to drink that it is frighteningly easy to drink a 750ml bottle and suddenly realise that you have consumed today's wine quota all to yourself in just half an hour.

Find out more about Mionetto winery online at the link below.