All wines featured are available at heraldwine.co.nz for a limited time.
2014 Coopers Creek Rosé
From an excellent vintage from grapes grown at Huapai, West Auckland. Malbec (60 per cent) and merlot (40 per cent) provide the perfect combination for a smart summer rose that has plenty of flavour. Masses of creamy strawberry and wild berry flavours with a level of weight and richness not often associated with rosé. This is fresh and full-bodied and would enhance any al fresco occasion. Coopers Creek have been making great wines for over three decades - here's another example of their value for money style.
Price: $15-$18
2014 Graham Norton's own Sauvignon Blanc
Rob Cameron (winemaker) and Tim Lightbourne (entrepreneur) are two of the best marketers in the business. Popular television chat show host Graham Norton had a hand (well, a foot, actually) in producing his own Marlborough sauvignon blanc by Invivo wines. The wine is served to Norton's illustrious guests in the Green Room before, and often during, the show. Some grapes were flown to London for Norton to crush under foot and then the juice flown back for making and bottling. Fabulous, sassy and flying out the door.
Price: $20
2011 Tohu Rewa Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blanc
Rewa means to make liquid, which is appropriate for this vibrant vintage methode traditionelle sparkling wine. Chardonnay grapes from a single vineyard in Marlborough have created a wine that is full-bodied, complex and richly textured, with all the fresh juicy acidity you could wish for and a toasty, pleasant, dry finish. As with a lot of New Zealand-produced sparkling wines, this is versatile enough to either drink on its own or pair with food - shellfish spring instantly to mind.
Price: $34
