Warming Cellar Picks For Chilly Evenings

Good reds are the perfect accompaniment to winter meals.

As the days grow colder and the nights longer, our tastes turn to wines reminiscent of a warm hug, and richer savoury styles that pair with the hearty dishes of the season.

This is a time that’s ripe for bold reds from warmer climes. Hot summers allow grapes to achieve maximum ripeness in warm regions of Australia, such as the Barossa Valley, and in the Mediterranean climates of Spain and southern France and Italy.

Certain grapes are best suited to making fuller reds and more robust whites. Cabernet Sauvignon is a particularly full bodied and structured variety, with a power to pair with red meats and bold flavours such as garlic. Syrah too – known as Shiraz in Australia – has the weight and spice to match grilled cuts and smoky stews.

Here in New Zealand, where Pinot Noir is our most popular red, the cooler months call for more concentrated styles. No region excels in these more than Central Otago, with its deep and dark fruited expressions. Pinot noir is sensational with savoury flavours such as mushrooms and is the pick of our bunch during duck season!

Warming winter wines

Here is a delicious selection of winter reds from Grant Burge, St Hallet, Mud House, Rua, Rockburn, Trinity Hill, Pasqua and Arrogant Frog for fireside savouring and winter dining.

Grant Burge Ink Shiraz

A super-rich Shiraz from Grant Burge Wines, located in the heart of the Barossa. Its bouquet is rich with red and blackberry coulis, liqueur cherry, liquorice, and vanilla aromas. A full-bodied wine, its sensual palate offers cherry and dark chocolate flavours and plenty of texture with its fine velvety tannins. Grant Burge Wines crafts wines from vineyards planted throughout the Barossa, each featuring individual microclimates and characters that are matched to individual grape varieties. Through minimal intervention winemaking practices and careful vineyard management, it allows the Barossa Valley terroir to speak for itself. RRP $24.99

St Hallet Faith Shiraz

Rich and generous, the St Hallet Faith Shiraz starts with aromas of bright cherry fruit, a hint of chocolate and enticing notes of spice. Then on its lively palate, dark berry fruits entwine with pepper spices and chocolate tones, leading to a long savoury finish coated in soft tannins. Over its 80 years in business, St Hallet has built up a deep understanding of the rich tapestry of vineyard sites and climates in the Barossa, and sources the highest-quality parcels of fruit. By tailoring fermentation and maturation to each parcel, the St Hallett winemaking team are able to reveal the rich textures, depth, and diversity of Barossa wine. RRP $24.99

Mud House South Australian Cabernet Sauvignon

South Australia has many climates suited to making ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, such as this beautifully structured expression from Mud House. Ripe aromas of black currant, mulberry and vanilla bean are complemented by a hint of sweet spice. A medium to full bodied wine, it has rich and ripe cassis and spicy plum flavours supported by fine tannins, and a lovely, long finish. The Mud House story started in New Zealand when a couple of adventurers on a sailing trip fell in love with Marlborough, built their home from the local earth and never left. However, Mud House is now exploring Australia to expand the spectrum of styles it can produce. RRP $19.99

Rua Central Otago Pinot Noir

This great value Central Otago Pinot Noir is lavishly layered with sweet, ripe, red berries, underpinned with savoury characters and a touch of spice. Supple tannins flow across its palate, balanced by a fresh acidity, leading to a long fruit driven finish. Named after the first two varieties planted on its original Central Otago vineyard (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), the Rua Pinot Noir has been the recipient of numerous trophies over the years. An approachable aperitif style, it is also well matched with creamy cheeses, lightly spiced Asian dishes, lamb, game meat dishes, and, of course, duck. RRP $31.99

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir

In 2022, the vintage delivered beautiful fruit for Rockburn’s flagship Pinot Noir, which it simply guided gently through to the bottle with minimal handling. An expressive nose of plum, black cherry and toasty oak, leads into a deeply fruited and rich mocha palate that’s supple and silky with a long finish. Crafted by winemaker, Malcom Rees-Francis, who’s been at the helm of Rockburn for two decades, the 100 per cent vegan-friendly wine shows classic Rockburn elegance, integrity, and balance. Wines like this have led to Rockburn’s reputation for the high quality of its wines and regular international critical acclaim. RRP $54

Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah

A superb value Hawkes Bay Syrah that’s gained outstanding accolades for the 2021 vintage, including three Trophies, and a Double Gold Medal at the NZ International Wine Show. It’s easy to see why, as its intense blackberry, wild raspberry, red liquorice, and hints of savoury spice unfurl in this fruit forward and complex wine with its subtle touch of oak spice on the finish. Made by the iconic Trinity Hill winery that’s celebrating over 25 years of world-class winemaking in the famed Gimblett Gravels area of Hawkes Bay, this Syrah is deliberately released young to emphasise its beautiful perfume and fruit freshness. RRP $26.99

Pasqua Desire, Lush & Zin Primitivo

From the hot heel of Italy’s south comes this prime Puglian expression of the inherently opulent variety, Primitivo. Ruby, rich with amber hues, this example of the grape also known as Zinfandel, is soft and velvety, with rich, concentrated flavours of red berries, plums, vanilla and spice, hints of coffee and cinnamon. It’s made by Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine, a historic family-owned company with almost a century behind it making great quality Italian wines that are enjoyed around the world. Desire, Lush & Zin is perfect with pizza and rich Italian cuisine. RRP $26.99

Arrogant Frog Ribet Red Cabernet Merlot

Another ripe Mediterranean wine, this blend of 55 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 45 per cent Merlot hails from the Languedoc in the south of France. It’s an elegant and complex example made by Jean-Claude Mas, who combines French tradition with a new-world approach to innovation and winemaking. Aromas of ripe black fruits and blackcurrant leaf combine with spicy notes of liquorice and vanilla on the nose. On the palate it’s well-balanced, with smooth tannins and a long finish. As with all Jean-Claude Mas’ wines, this vegan-friendly blend is full of rich fruit and flavour, without being sweet. Enjoy with red meat and cheeses. RRP $21.99

Look out for these wines at your local fine-wine retailer.