Sparkling sauvignon blanc has burst on to the market for summer drinking - fresh, crisp, lively and enhanced by the addition of bubbles.
For those after more serious bubbles there are some fine, traditionally made sparkling wines that deserve to be savoured and lingered over.
For more wines from this tasting check out the wine reviews on www.odt.co.nzAlthough wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective.
These are personal recommendations.
$19.99.
Fragrant, fresh and crisp with hints of passionfruit and herbs enlivened by a light frizzante.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$29.
Lovely hints of nuts, honey and freshly baked bread with a suggestion of toast, this is a stylish bubbly, rich and mouthfilling with a creamy dry finish.
It's 76% pinot noir and 24% chardonnay.
4 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$19
Fragrant with sweet melon and tropical fruit with a hint of mineral, enlivened by a mouthfilling mousse and a crisp finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$24
Brancott (formerly Montana) is celebrating its rebranding with a couple of new bubblies. This sauvignon is fresh with a lively hint of passionfruit and sweetish, mouthfilling bubbles.
3 stars (out of 5)
Below average value
$40
A New Zealand classic, made from chardonnay this is a wine of great finesse, with hints of citrus, a silky mousse, firmly structured, with a crisp, dry, long finish.
5 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$39
Made from 97% chardonnay, this has lovely hints of honey, nuts and freshly baked bread, a tingly mousse that dances in the mouth and a crisp, dry, lemony finish.
5 stars (out of 5)
Good value
ANOTHER GLASS
Patricial Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Brut 2005
$40
This stylish Australian sparkling is broad and mouthfilling with hints of honey, hazelnuts and marmite, and a very long, dry finish.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Te Hana Sparkling Reserve Cuvee
$18
Smartly packaged, fresh, off-dry with a hint of apple and a crisp finish, this new brand of sparkling wine is aimed at young female drinkers.
2 stars (out of 5)
Below average value
Mount Riley Savée Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2009
$21
While most other sparkling sauvignon blancs are carbonated to keep the freshness, this is made traditionally with the second fermentation in the bottle which brings hints of toast, butterscotch and golden syrup to the underlying asparagus and tinned pea sauvignon character.
Unusual and more complex than many sparkling sauvignons
3 stars (out of 5)
Below average value
Brancott Estate Reserve Sparkling Pinot Noir nv
$24
A surprise to find a sparkling red pinot noir (usually it's made as a white when sparkling) this hints of simple red fruits, a light sweetness, mouthfilling mousse and firm finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Below average value
