Looking for organic wine? About 11% of our 700-plus wine producers are certified organic for at least part of their output. Chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are all banned, although small amounts of sulphur dioxide can be added as a preservative, to protect the wines’ flavour and freshness.
Do organic wines taste better? The jury is out. A 2016 US study, based on 74,148 reviews of California wines in three top publications, found “agreement among experts that ecocertified wines are of better quality”. But a 2022 analysis of 304 reviews in an influential Spanish wine guide found “expert tasters rate non-organic wines higher”. I’ll keep you posted.
Red
Astrolabe Wrekin Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
★★★★★
A classy red that was hand-harvested in the southern valleys and matured in French oak casks (33% new). Deeply coloured, it is powerful, highly concentrated and finely structured, with dense cherry, plum and spice flavours. It is complex, savoury, vigorous and still extremely youthful. Best drinking 2025+. (14% alc/vol) $65
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
Hand-harvested in the Damsteep Vineyard, planted in 1999 “at the top of the Waipara Valley”, this is a full-coloured, estate-grown red. Matured in seasoned French oak puncheons and barriques, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Fragrant and characterful, it has rich, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and very savoury, with gentle acidity and a well-structured finish. Full of youthful vigour, it’s well worth cellaring. (13.5% alc/vol) $55
Carrick Organic Bannockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
A regional classic. This classy, vigorous wine was hand-harvested from estate-grown, mature vines (then 27 years old) and matured for nine months in French oak casks. Already delicious but well worth cellaring, it is ruby hued, with mouthfilling body. Refined and youthful, it is very savoury, with deep, ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing excellent complexity, fresh acidity, finely balanced tannins and a long, harmonious finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $51
Clos Henri Waimaunga Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020
★★★★★
This distinctive red was grown in clay soils, hand-harvested, then matured for a year in French oak casks. Deep, bright ruby, it is a fleshy, mouthfilling, sweet-fruited red, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours. Earthy, savoury notes add impressive complexity. It has refined tannins and a long finish. A classy young wine, it’s well worth cellaring to 2026+. (14.5% alc/vol) $50
Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
This is one of the best vintages yet of this classic Marlborough red. Hand-picked and aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, it is deep ruby, with a highly fragrant, inviting bouquet. Mouthfilling, savoury and supple, it has rich, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, refined tannins, and lovely depth and harmony. Already delicious, it’s a drink-now or cellaring proposition. (13.5% alc/vol) $55
Domaine-Thomson Surveyor Thomson Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
★★★★★
This outstanding red was estate-grown at Lowburn. Bright ruby, it is a mouthfilling, very rich wine, with deep, beautifully ripe, savoury and harmonious flavours. Full of youthful vigour, it’s a benchmark wine, likely to be at its best from 2025 onwards. (13% alc/vol) $55
Felton Road Bannockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★★
The Bannockburn winery’s “standard” pinot noir is a distinguished wine, blended from its four sites in the district. Barrel-aged for more than a year, it is deeply coloured, full-bodied and rich, with ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, finely integrated oak, and a savoury, very harmonious, lengthy finish. (14% alc/vol) $70
Felton Road Bannockburn Block 5 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
This is winemaker Blair Walter’s favourite Felton Road red. Grown in a “special” block of The Elms Vineyard, it was matured for 16 months in barrels (30% new) and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Powerful, deeply coloured and weighty, it has lovely depth of ripe-fruit flavours, impressive complexity, supple tannins and a very long, smooth-flowing finish. (14% alc/vol) $130
Hans Herzog Marlborough Blaufränkisch 2019
★★★★★
From Austria’s star red-wine variety, this is New Zealand’s first blaufrankisch. Matured for 18 months in French oak barriques, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep and youthful in colour, it is almost exuberantly fruity, with highly concentrated fruit flavours, gently seasoned with oak. It has vibrant acidity and supple tannins. (13.5% alc/vol) $86
Nanny Goat Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★½
Deep ruby, this is a fragrant, generous red, with obvious cellaring potential. Vibrantly fruity, it has strong cherry, plum and spice flavours, enriched with nutty oak, and ripe, supple tannins. Savoury notes add good complexity. Best drinking 2025+. (14% alc/vol) $42
Palliser Estate Hua Nui Martinborough Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★★
This distinguished red was grown in Palliser Estate’s “premium pinot noir vineyard”, which was planted in 1998. Hand-picked and matured in French oak barrels (one-third new), it is a very elegant, richly varietal wine, mouthfilling and supple, with slightly earthy, complex flavours, finely textured and very savoury. Best drinking 2025+. (13.5% alc/vol) $115
Rock Ferry Trig Hill Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★★
This highly refined red was estate-grown at Bendigo, hand-picked, aged for a year in French oak barriques and puncheons, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Mouthfilling, it has deep, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours that are vibrant, savoury and seamless. Youthful, vigorous and supple, it shows obvious potential; best drinking 2026+. (13.5% alc/vol) $45
Seresin Leah Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★½
This good-value red was estate-grown in the Omaka Valley, hand-harvested and matured in French oak barriques. Ruby hued, it is a savoury, full-bodied red, with strong, youthful cherry, plum and spice flavours, nutty oak adding complexity. It has good tannin backbone and obvious cellaring potential. (13% alc/vol) $33
Two Paddocks Au Naturel Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★★
This delicious, dark, purple-flushed red was originally going to be called Lazy, because it was made “by doing as little as possible”. Estate-grown at Bannockburn, it was handled with “no added preservatives”. Mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with a strong surge of vibrant plum and cherry flavours, it has gentle spicy notes, supple tannins and a very silky texture. (13% alc/vol) $55
Urlar Gladstone Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
Grown in northern Wairarapa, this is an impressive, youthful, savoury red. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant, mouthfilling and supple, with concentrated, ripe plum, cherry and spice flavours, finely integrated oak, gentle acidity and a smooth, velvety finish. (13.8% alc/vol) $45
White
Babich Family Estates Single Vineyard Marlborough Albarino 2023
★★★★½
This delicious example of the fashionable Spanish white-wine grape was estate-grown in the Headwaters Vineyard, near Renwick, in Wairau Valley, tank-fermented and matured on its yeast lees for four months. Crafted in a dry style, it is mouthfilling, with generous, peachy, slightly spicy flavours that are fresh, crisp, vigorous and lingering. $25
Clos Henri Otira Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
★★★★★
Grown in stony soils near Renwick in Wairau Valley, this classy wine was mostly handled in tanks; 15% of the blend was barrel-fermented. Bright, light lemon/green, it is a highly distinctive, mouthfilling wine, with rich tropical-fruit flavours that are vigorous and complex, and has a resounding finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $36
Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
★★★★★
A classy wine that was estate-grown and hand-harvested on the south side of Wairau Valley, then fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques. Still unfolding, it is full-bodied, savoury and complex, with strong, vibrant, peachy, slightly biscuity flavours, balanced acidity, and a dry, lingering finish. (14% alc/vol) $45
Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
★★★★
This fresh, lively wine was estate-grown in Awatere Valley and mostly handled in stainless-steel tanks; a third of the blend was fermented in a mix of clay amphorae, concrete eggs and old oak barrels. Bright, light lemon/green, it has good intensity of tropical fruit and herbaceous flavours showing a distinct touch of complexity, racy acidity and an off-dry finish. (13% alc/vol) $22
Loveblock Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022
★★★★½
This fragrant, characterful, easy-drinking wine was estate-grown in Awatere Valley and handled with some use of oak casks and egg-shaped concrete tanks. Mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, it has strong, vibrant peach, pear and spice flavours. It shows very good complexity, has a vague hint of sweetness, and plenty of personality. (13% alc/vol) $23
Nanny Goat Vineyard Single Vineyard Queensberry Chardonnay 2021
★★★★★
This is a top example of Central Otago chardonnay, hand-picked and fermented and matured in French oak puncheons. Fragrant and full-bodied, it has concentrated, ripe, peachy, slightly citrusy flavours, gently seasoned with oak. Mealy and buttery notes add complexity. It has lively acidity and excellent vigour and harmony. (14% alc/vol) $57
Paritua Stone Paddock Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
★★★★
Already drinking well, this generous, lively wine was partly barrel-fermented. Full-bodied, it has ripe, peachy, citrusy fruit flavours to the fore, a touch of complexity, fresh acidity and a dry finish. (13% alc/vol) $23
Rock Ferry 3rd Rock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023
★★★★½
A youthful, vibrant wine that was grown at sites in the Omaka and Wairau valleys, tank-fermented and matured on its yeast lees. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited and has a crisp, fully dry finish. Tropical-fruit flavours show excellent vigour and depth. Best drinking mid-2024+. (13% alc/vol) $25
Greenhough Hope Vineyard Nelson Chardonnay 2019
★★★★★
This consistently impressive wine is estate-grown, hand-picked, and fermented and lees-aged in French oak barriques. Bright, light yellow/green, it is full-bodied, with deep, vigorous, stonefruit flavours. It is very complex and savoury, has fresh acidity and a tightly structured, dry, lingering finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $36
Greystone Organic Waipara Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2022
★★★★★
Full of personality, this light-gold wine was hand-harvested, then fermented and matured in French oak barriques. Fragrant and weighty, it has rich, ripe stonefruit flavours, gently seasoned with oak, lively acidity, and excellent depth, harmony and length. Savoury, vigorous and finely structured, it’s already enjoyable, but it’s likely to be at its best 2025+. (13.5% alc/vol) $50
Seresin Marlborough Chardonnay Reserve 2022
★★★★★
Finesse is the keynote quality here. Estate-grown in the Omaka Valley, it was hand-harvested, and fermented and matured on its yeast lees for more than a year in French oak barrels. Bright, light yellow/green, it is fragrant and mouthfilling, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, finely integrated oak, fresh acidity, and impressive vigour, intensity and complexity. (13% alc/vol) $55
Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2023
★★★★½
This rare, characterful wine was estate-grown, hand-picked, and fermented and matured in a single, seasoned French oak barrel. Pale gold, it is mouthfilling, with rich, peachy flavours, hints of apricots, spices and honey, and good complexity. A “forward” vintage, it’s already very open and expressive. (12.5% alc/vol) $29
Te Kano Central Otago Blanc de Noir 2023
★★★★
Fresh and lively, this youthful white wine was made from pinot noir grapes, handled with minimal contact with their skins. Hand-harvested and tank-fermented, it is mouthfilling and dry, with peachy, gently spicy flavours, a hint of pear, and very good vibrancy and depth. Drink now or cellar. (13% alc/vol) $27-$33
Terrace Edge Classic Waipara Riesling 2021
★★★★½
From a district renowned for riesling, this hand-picked wine is well worth cellaring. Crafted in a medium-dry style, it is very vibrant and vigorous, has appetising acidity and good intensity of citrusy, slightly spicy flavours. (12.5% alc/vol) $24
Villa Maria Earth Garden Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023
★★★★
Fresh, full-bodied and flavour-packed, this wine has generous, ripe, tropical-fruit characters to the fore, crisp, dry and punchy. (13% alc/vol) $20
Villa Maria Earth Garden Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
★★★★
Enjoyable young, this bright, light lemon/green wine is mouthfilling and fleshy. Fresh, ripe, peachy fruit flavours hold centre stage, with savoury notes adding complexity. It has a hint of butterscotch, finely balanced acidity and a dry, harmonious finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $25
Walnut Block Nutcracker Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
★★★★½
Hand-picked in Wairau Valley, this medium- to full-bodied wine has strong, fresh flavours of passionfruit and lime, with savoury notes adding a touch of complexity. It has crisp acidity and a dry, finely poised finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $25
Zephyr Organic Marlborough Riesling 2023
★★★★
Still very youthful, this single-vineyard wine was hand-harvested at Dillons Point, in the lower Wairau Valley. Medium-bodied, it has strong, peachy, citrusy, appley flavours, a gentle splash of sweetness and fresh, mouth-watering acidity. Well worth cellaring. (11% alc/vol) $28 l
