New Zealand chardonnay is generally crisp and lively, compared with many Australian versions which often verge on the soft and flabby.
This bright acidity comes from our cool, crisp climate and tends to be more marked the further south you go.
Crisp wines tend to go well with food.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
Spinyback Nelson Chardonnay 2007 (about $15). This wine from Waimea, in Nelson, punches well above its price. It is full of zesty fruit with a hint of toasted nuts, a silky texture and long, crisp aftertaste.
Match with roast chicken or soft cheese.
3 stars (out of 5)
Good value
Allan Scott Marlborough Chardonnay 2007 a(bout $21). Fragrant with crisp, pure fruit hinting of ripe apples and honey with a lingering nutty aftertaste and steely intensity on the finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007 (about $25) A lively wine with attractive suggestions of stone fruit and hints of nuts on the aftertaste.
3 stars (out of 5)
Poor value
Aurum 45th Parallel Vineyard Central Otago Chardonnay 2007 (about $23) The purity of fruit characteristic of many Central Otago wines shines through in this with suggestions of citrus and stone fruit, backed by hints of mineral, nuts and an underlying texture. Very crisp finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Poor value
Cable Bay Waiheke Island Chardonnay 2006 (about $34). An extra year's bottle age gives this wine a mellowness, although the fruit is still bright. It is complex, textural, intense and stylish with a crisp finish.
4 stars (out of 5)
Poor value
Seresin Reserve Marlborough Chardonnay 2006 (about $39) Zesty with hints of smoky oak, lovely ripe fruit and layers of complexity, this is the wine I kept coming back to. It's stylish, textural and harmonious, with layers of flavour and a deliciously satisfying, lingering aftertaste.
A wine to savour.
5 stars (out of 5)
Average value
