For many, new year comes with resolutions. We are now far enough out from New Year for almost as many to have tossed these along with the Christmas wrapping paper, as often, they just prove too hard Here’s a suggestion for an easy wine lover’s resolution. Promise yourself that occasionally you will try something new. Walk past your usual and explore. This selection — including a fascinating quartet from the Dicey brothers in Central — won’t always be easy to find, but the thrill lies in the quest and the sense of discovery. 2025 Jules Taylor Marlborough Gruner Veltliner Price RRP $25 Rating Very Good to Excellent Engaging nose leads with a raft of sea shell/ salinity, wisps of cracked pepper, peach skin and growing, beguiling fragrance. Cool in the mouth, juicy summer fruits, peach, just ripe apricot, a fresh, tangy counterpoint. Rather moreish, leaves you keen for another glass. That saline quality now on the palate, a touch of lime cordial too running to a cool, crisp, tangy close www.julestaylor.com 2024 Hawkshead Central Otago Pinot Blanc Price RRP $36 Rating Excellent A nutty backdrop (cashew and brazil perhaps), nectarine, hints of smoke/pencil lead, perfume evolving. The palate is all vibrancy and liveliness, fruit sherbet, apple, nectarine, spice notes, really hitting the refreshment factor. Great length, the flavours hang in the mouth. Quiet underlying power, just a pleasure to drink, continues along that fine, juicy path as it opens up. www.hawksheadwine.com 2025 Pegasus Bay North Canterbury Gewurztraminer Price RRP $30 Rating Excellent The nose leaps out of the glass, rose petal, musk, lychee, stony minerality, yet not just about sweet fragrance, there’s a deeper register too. The palate continues the journey, structure here rather than blowsiness, freshness too, closing with an apricot kernel/ almond bittersweet quality that lends this a drier feel. The nose tightens slightly, teasing rather than effusive, the palate lovely. www.pegasusbay.com 2024 Ruru Central Otago Gewurztraminer Price RRP $24 Rating Very Good to Excellent There’s an attractive subtlety to this, musk and rose petal notes leading the way. Those characters also evident on the palate, spices, there’s a lovely silkiness to the texture. Does a great job in showcasing both the aromatic and textural qualities of the grape variety. Quite simply, very drinkable, the nose swelling as it opens up, a great intro to this variety. www.ruruwines.co.nz 2024 Dicey Brothers Muscat #6 Price RRP $32 Rating Excellent The nose bounds out of the glass, really fragrant and aromatic, rose petal florals, lychee, fresh grapes, spices, yet it gives the impression of being drier. There’s textural richness here, ripe fruit yet dry, an almost almond bittersweet aspect a contrast to the fragrant ripe fruit. A fascinating and rare (in New Zealand) example of this aromatic white grape. www.dicey.nz 2024 Dicey Central Otago Chenin Blanc Price RRP $40 Rating Excellent to Outstanding A little wildness, initially flint, struck match and earthy nuances, parting as apple and quince blossom, now straw and wisps of light honeycomb/beeswax. Fat and rich in the mouth, in the off-dry spectrum, flitting between apple, honey and pineapple, perhaps pears too, crisp acidity and a touch of chewy phenolics lending a drier close. A raft of flavours to get your teeth into, delicious. www.dicey.nz 2024 Dicey Brothers Central Otago Gewurztraminer #5 Price RRP $40 Rating Very Good to Excellent A welcoming note of Turkish delight, white flowers and bush honey. The palate amps up the honeyed notes, stem ginger, spice, and a stony mineral aspect with the oily richness typical of the variety, a fleeting bittersweet note on the finish. The mid- palate shows some sweetness, yet the close tends more to the off-dry. www.dicey.nz 2023 Dicey Brothers Infusion Pinot Gris No #4 Price RRP $32 Rating Excellent Fascinating wine, coppery orange colour alluding to its skin contact. Riverstones, fresh baked bread, orange zest, peach, hitting different buttons, nuttiness later. Lightly honeyed palate, grilled nuts, orange, apricot, quiet grip to this with a bittersweet quality, the flavours hang in the mouth. A wine to contemplate for the complexity, and gastronomic as well. So interesting. www.dicey.nz
