The Vintner's Drop in the old post office in Kurow, established by Jim Jerram of Ostler Wines a year ago, displays and sells wines from most of the Waitaki Valley, and even some from Waimate.
I was surprised by the number of different labels for sale.
Some are from local small producers, others from wineries based elsewhere but with vineyards in the region, such as Craggy Range of Hawke's Bay, Forrest of Marlborough and Valli of Central Otago.
There are the rare Waitaki Braids wines, from Stephen Cozens, wine-maker Michelle Richardson, chef Peter Gordon, and Michael McGrath.
It's only available from Gordon's restaurants (Dine in Auckland, The Providores in London, Public in New York), the website - and Vintner's Drop.
Waitaki Braids wines are beautifully balanced and textural; the 2009 pinot noir ($55) is a silky, savoury wine, full of charm, and the 2009 pinot gris ($33.50) is fragrant, lively and spicy.
Bobbing Creek Pinot Noir 2009 ($47) is from a vineyard overlooking Lake Waitaki.
Its dark, spicy concentration and mineral undertones were different from wines grown further down the valley where most of the vineyards are.
I look forward to seeing if the distinctive character is found in wines from other vineyards being established in this little area.
One of the most interesting wines I tasted from the limestone soils of the Waitaki was John Forrest Collection Chardonnay 2008 ($50), an understated, nicely integrated wine, crisp and minerally with hints of stone fruit supported by subtle oak.
Ostler wines are grown near Duntroon, further down the valley than the main Grants Rd area at Otiake.
Its 2009 pinot noir ($53) is bright and textural with hints of red fruits and underlying depths of flavour.
Audrey's pinot gris 2009 ($35) is a big wine, textural, off-dry with a crisp finish, and its Blue House riesling 2009 ($28) is steely tight, and limey.
It will be interesting to see how it develops in a few years.
A few kilometres down the road is Kurow winery, the only processing plant in the region, and the only vineyard restaurant.
Diana Turner, cellar door manager, has a large range of wines to taste - and a delicious lemoncello ($49) - an intensely lemony liqueur made from Italian owner Antonio Pasquale's grandmother's recipe.
Penny Gold 2010 ($24) is an attractive, medium-sweet pinot gris, and Kurow Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 ($39) concentrated and silky.
Pasquale, the top range of wine, includes a delicious 2010 gewurztraminer ($30), a rich, minerally 2010 pinot gris ($27), and a drier, floral 2010 pinot grigio ($30).
Pasquale Waitaki Pinot Noir 2009 ($49) is spicy, textural, rich but still youthful.
In contrast is the Pasquale Hakataramea Pinot Noir 2010 ($49) - dark, rich and velvety with an intriguing slightly bitter finish that I expect will go well with food.
As yet Pasquale's is the only vineyard in the Hakataramea Valley, off the Waitaki in South Canterbury.
A fascinating wine, probably one of the first in New Zealand, is the Pasquale Passito 2010 ($39 half bottle).
This is a style (also known as a straw wine) made in Northern Italy (whence Pasquale hails) and the Rhone Valley in France, and is characterised by drying grapes for a few months (on straw racks) before making the wine.
This is made from riesling and is intense, silky and mouthfilling, off-dry rather than sweet as you might expect.
