Pinot gris is diversifying from the sweet, fruity high alcohol wines of recent years. Now more savoury, textural versions are appearing as winemakers age the wine on lees or even do some barrel fermentation.
BEST VALUE
$20
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
A bright, zesty wine with hints of mandarin and stonefruit, suggestions of creamy nuts and a stylish structure, well integrated and balanced with a dry finish.
$18
Three and a half stars
Good value
Perfumed with ripe pear and peach, this is an attractive, off-dry fruity wine, mouth-filling with a nicely balanced, crisp finish.
$21
Three and a half stars
Average value
A mouth-filling wine with attractive fruit - mandarin stonefruit and pears, a hint of nuttiness and a bright, fresh finish.
$22
Four stars
Good value
Attractive sweet fruit is nicely integrated with a nuttiness from lees stirring and a small portion of barrel fermentation that brings texture and harmony to this well balanced wine.
aronuiwines.co.nz
$23
Three stars
Below average value
With suggestions of stone fruit, pears and spice, this has an oily texture with hints of nuts and a warm, off-dry finish.
mudhousewines.co.nz
$25
Three and a half stars
Average value
A hint of creamy nuttiness with suggestions of tropical fruit, this is a ripe, oily-textured wine, fresh, intense and mouth-filling.
mudhousewines.co.nz
ANOTHER GLASS
Palliser Martinborough Pinot Gris 2012
$28.50
Three and a half stars
Below average value
Fruit weight with creamy nuttiness and texture, and a crisp bright finish.www.palliser.co.nz
Jacobs Creek Australia Your White Blend
$13.30
Two and a half stars
Average value
A pop-up bar in Auckland over summer allowed customers to blend their own wine and have it bottled on the spot. According to a colleague who went, it was an educational experience talking to wine people who helped customers with the blending. As a result Jacobs Creek have produced a limited release blend they say encapsulates the taste of New Zealanders - an innocuous, light to medium-bodied, slightly herbal, lightly fresh, non vintage blend of Australian pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and moscato.
