Wine: Relax with a glass

Do the Real Housewives of Auckland make you want to perform seppuku on yourself? Don’t fret, just sip and forget…

Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $33
Also available at bitewine.co.nz

If there's one thing Jules Taylor knows how to do (other than be Superwoman) it's how to craft a solid, character-packed pinot noir. Here's a highly refined, savoury-edged example, with a core of cherry and black doris plum, vanilla and baking spices. Slippery, succulent and with a soft, smoky finish. Sexy.

Sip with: lamb tagine.

Heartland Directors' Cut Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2013 $45

With surnames like Tillbrook, Collett and Glaetzer behind this wine, you know it's been made by talented wee things. Slick and glossy in the glass and unveiling wafts of tobacco, pepper, dark berries and that smell of ancient Drizabone coats hanging in the woodshed - it's completely unputdownable (that's a technical term). Fresh spices merge with a chocolate biscuit texture and a warm, dusty finish.

Sip with: lamb kofta kebabs.

Vidal Legacy Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 $65
Also available at bitewine.co.nz

I was well and truly wowed from the first sip. Just 12 barrels were made of this berry and spice-soaked cabernet crafted by Hugh Crichton and his team. Stitched together with smoke, caramelised oak and dried thyme, this drop also washes the palate with juicy, plush and supremely elegant layers of flavour.

A beautifully structured wine.

Sip with: old-fashioned roast beef.

Yvonne Lorkin is a wine retailer, wine writer and member of the Wine Writers of NZ.