An assemblage of elite parcels from Gisborne's most prestigious vineyards. Katoa and McDiarmid Hill are western edged sites on gently north facing hillside slopes. Blessed with auspicious aspects and ample sunshine, drying breezes and cooler temperatures. A choice harvest from the propitious Ledger Block in the middle of Patutahi, contributes the richness of fully ripened fruit. The luxury of oak barrel ferments infuses opulent smokey, grilled nut characters, creamyness and serious palate weight, an extended finish of exquisite French cake house complexities.

From fruit grown to closely husbanded vines on the Villa Maria estate property, at the outskirts of the eminent Gimblett Gravels precinct in Hawkes Bay. The vineyard has been managed to holistic principles of viticulture for many years, the quality of wine speaks for itself. Rather than relying on herbicides or pesticides, the focus is on enhancing soil health and yielding harvests of clean, natural grapes. Yields are kept limited to realize a quality of fruit that's concentrated and bursting with ripe natural sugars.

A collation of harvests from splendid vineyards in Te Ika-a-M�ui, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne provide the backbone of fruit. Waipara and Marlborough contribute components at the fruitier end of varietal spectrum. Fashioned to a medium bodied style that's delicately aromatic, soft on the palate and appealingly dry, ideally enjoyed alongside crisp skinned chicken or sticky pork ribs.

Te Mata are New Zealand's oldest winery, family owned and operated, they produce world class efforts, from fruit exclusively grown to estate vineyards in the Ngatarawa Triangle of Hawkes Bay. Originally planted in 1990, the Bullnose Vineyard's old red iron soils are Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand accredited, they yield precious harvests of Te Mata's finest Syrah.

You can't get more New Zealand than the Te Kairanga vineyards, nestled at the bottom of North Island, within one of the nation's most exclusive winegrowing precincts, very near the artist's quarter of Martinborough. Each parcel of Sauvignon Blanc is set within it's own mini microclime. The Te Kairanga vines yield richly proportioned white grapes with distinct fruit characters, selectively picked to be woven into an intensely flavoured, full bodied Sauvignon Blanc that's perfect with or without food, very ready for enjoyment any time of day.

Welcome to Te Kairanga, where the soils are rich and endowed with goodness, to yield harvests of the finest fruit. It is here that Pinot Noir has found the perfect home, under the cool maritime climes at the very top of New Zealand's southern isle. Martinborough yields much of New Zealand's most elegantly engaging Pinot Noir, intense lighter bodied wines with graceful cherry palates and winsome floral bouquets. Te Kairanga applies old world pastoral vinification techniques to the pick of Martinborough's fruit, achieving a Pinot Noir of great refinement and exquisite charm.

This compelling construct of North Island Cabernet is sourced from the boutique Woodlands Vineyard, situated within the exclusive Gimblett Gravels appellation of Hawkes Bay. A wine of elegance and concentration not often encountered in New Zealand Cabernet. Squawking Magpie gathers fruit from it's most precious site, the very best grapes of each vintage are sorted for inclusion. Due to the limited yields of the site from which it hails, very little of this wine is ever made. It is remarkably drinkable at it's youth and develops gracefully.

The enthusiastic maritime climes of Martinborough are heaven sent for a style and quality of Sauvignon Blanc to rival the world's finest. Mother nature sets the stage, but ultimately it is the thoughtful viticultural practices of the Palliser Estate team, which ensures a harvest of ripe and intensely flavoured Sauvignon Blanc at every vintage. Appealing and approachable, packed with delicious flavours, previous vintages have claimed Gold Medals Air New Zealand Wine Awards & Liquorland Top 1OO.

Palliser Estate make some of the finest and most consistent New Zealand Pinot Noir, a perennial winner and always a favourite, representing peerless quality every year. The label depicts a conspicuous lighthouse at Pencarrow Heads, situated to the east of Palliser Bay at the entrance to Wellington harbour. Martinborough is well known for making the New Zealand's most elegant and compelling Pinot wines, Palliser's fruit is acknowledged by many of her local peers to be Martinborough's finest.

This wholly seductive wine is one of the best received Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, with a distinguished history of amassing the nation's most coveted winemaking awards to prove it. Palliser has been named NZ Trade & Enterprise's New Zealand Food & Beverage Exporter of the Year, for displaying leadership in developing systems which identify environmental impacts. Year in and year out, Palliser is counted on to deliver an immaculately classy and clean, stylish Sauvignon Blanc, fresh and lively, simply overflowing with flavour.

Palliser Estate's vineyards were first planted in 1984 and the wines now produced are starting to show characters from these older vines. Riesling planted over a relatively small area, gains complexity from differences in slight variations of soil types and microclimates. Palliser have consistently outgunned rivals in all but the most uncooperative vintages, producing a North Island Riesling like a Riquewehr, but more generous and refined. Fermented cool to retain varietal bouquets and rested on sediments for palate texture, it's sensationally rich with balanced acidity and just a little residual sugar.

A sold backbone of Wharekauhau vineyard clones 115, 667, 777 and Abel, assembled with choice parcels East Base and Clouston vineyard clones 667, 777 and Abel. Fourteen months in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques, a portion of whole bunches are included in the ferments for complexity. Elegant and refined, its ethereal dark berry fruits, fragrant herbaceousness and bright red florals, yield to a magnificent palate of opaque strawberry complexities, country compote, stalkyness and cherry ripe, winegum and lip pursing frais de bois.

Enjoying a temperate maritime climate, Oyster Bay's Hawkes Bay vines are warmed by strong clear sunlight during the day and cooled at night by the sea breezes of the Pacific Ocean. This is the idyllic environment for Merlot to grow it's vibrant, fully ripened varietal flavours. Oyster Bay is about elegance and intensity of fruit, a Pinot Noir of freshness, sweet spice and soft tannins. The glorious fruit ripeness provides a burst of rich juicy black plum flavours, whilst a touch of subtle oak contributes complexity, softness and warmth.

Captain Cook's first step ashore anywhere in New Zealand was at Poverty Bay. Today it is the site of the world's easternmost vineyard, the first vines to see the sun each day. It remains a highly specialised white wine growing region and the Chardonnay capital of New Zealand. In the warmer and more humid climes of the North Island's east coast, the vines sprout plump berries of outstanding quality Chardonnay, encouraged by the drying breezes in a way that translates into the most vigorous, fruit driven Chardonnay wines.

Icon is the culmination of years of research into specific viticultural techniques, with particular attention to vineyard sites and a winemaking strategy focused on fruit structure with balance. A Chardonnay of excellent weight and length, the natural fruit flavours fuse with the complexities of toasted bread, vanillin and warm, soft malo. Aged on full fermentation yeast lees and treated to a regular battonage. The choice accompaniment to the finest cuisine, serve close to room temperature to fully appreciate the complexity of the wine.

The vineyards of Te Ika a Maui yield a quality of Merlot that's world class. Nobilo take the pick of crop from the finest sites in Hawkes Bay, to create a wine that's endowed with generosity of fruit, velvet textural flavours and the most hospitable tannins. The team at Nobilo have put so much effort into formulating the country's finest Merlot, that they have set aside half the company's resources at the state of the art Corner 50 development for the advancement of Merlot as a pure varietal wine.

Steeped in national history for their significant contribution to viticulture, Nobilo are one of New Zealand's most distinguished winemaking estates. Their vineyard team have taken an initiative to develop the most suitable terrains and to retain the most expressive parcels of fruit. The first choice in Pinot Gris, from harvests grown to splendid sites within the salubrious growing climes of Hawkes Bay, grapes with the brightest flavours and most vibrant aromas have been fashioned into a deliciously fruit driven, complex, off dry style.

Ever since establishment in 1851, it has been central to Mission Estate's philosophy, that managing vineyards to holistic old world practices affords the greatest opportunity to yield truly splendid Rhône Valley styled Syrah. A great vineyard remains essential but the health of soil and sanctity of local fauna are integral to harvests of the most exquisite fruit. A beautifully redolent Syrah, perfumed of blackberry, violets and dark plum, tastefully framed by creamy wafers of toasted nutty oak, delicately seasoned by a twist of piquant white pepper and savoury sasafras curl.

From fruit picked off the middle and upper terraces of Marlborough's Blind River vineyard, the higher the blocks, the deeper the slope, as poorer soils toward the summit yield thinner crops for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc of amazing minerality. The flavours are consequently very intense, a revitalizing nose of grapefruits and herb, florals and passionfruit aromas. A palate of exceptional weight and wonderful textures before a long, lingering finish of mouthwatering juicy fruit and suave savouryness, all supported by refined mineral acidity.

Mission Estate's Greenmeadows was planted to vine in 1910, there's relatively little difference between day and night temperatures, perfect conditions for ripening an elite parcel of Hawke's Bay's most exceptional Chardonnay. Hand picked bunches off a single block of Mendoza and Clone 15, are lightly pressed and barrel fermented in a selection of new and seasoned French oak, followed by ten months of age on sedimentery yeast lees. A fully engaging style of intense stonefruit richness, marzipan and toastyness, the essence of boulangerie and struck flint.

Real new world Syrah, crafted to the old world style of French Trapis pioneers who founded Mission Estate in 1851. Fruit is sourced from the Bridge Pa triangle and warm inland sites, fortuitously sheltered from the prevailing sea breezes, perfect for the Syrah to ripen superbly, infusing fine aromatics and building ripe, supple tannins. A soft, fruit driven palate of superb persistence, fashioned to a medium bodied style of freshness and seamlessness, expressing fully the magnificence of Hawkes Bay Syrah, a profound depth of flavour and generous length.

A plump Merlot with plummy fruit, delicately wooded, and amicably food oriented, the grapes for this wine are sourced from around the premiere Hawkes Bay region, so well recognised for the production of satisfying reds due to the favourably warm and dry climate. Vines here yield crops of the best Merlot due in part to the conditions during flowering and fruit set. Smooth drinking, softly tannined, fruit driven and approachable, Matua Merlot is very pleasant in it's youth, develops exquisite harmonies with ageing, and is excellent with all good faire.

Grown in New Zealand's North Island region of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand's warmest grape growing region. The 2003 vintage was a small harvest of very mature and ripe fruit that exhibited good varietal flavours. The vines had extensive leaf removal in the fruit zone to expose the grapes to sunlight, assisting in developing colour and flavour. A well balanced finish with firm and chewy weight and a medium tannin finish, completes this fine accord of noble red wine grapes.

An exciting innovation in a Methode traditionnelle, enriched by strawberry. A component of Pinot Noir is treated to extended time on skins for perfect uptake of charming rose colour, to be blended back with Chardonnay after primary ferments. The Cuvee stays on lees an average of fifteen months, sediments are removed and the natural strawberry richness is infused. Gold pink salmon hues, her subtle strawberry bouquet is complexed by underlying yeasty toast notes, a decadent palate of moreish red fruits, elegance, stylishness and finesse.

A prominent NZ dry style sparkling wine which can be served as aperitif or alongside cuisine, Lindauer is not completely dry, but close enough to be refreshing. It offers aromas of hot baked brioche and light fresh fruit to lay aside its brightly foaming texture. Full on the palate with a pleasant, steady mousse and elegant aroma, yeasty and toasty from prolonged bottle maturation on lees, crisp, complex and well balanced, with a full flavour and lasting finish, cool and delicious, this is the epitome of celebratory wine.

Internationally lauded and perennially feted as one of North Island's leading marques, the inception of Kumeu River was at the very genesis of New Zealand's fledgling wine industry. Kumeu River are one of the North Island's most artisanal, premiere winemaking estates, with a reputation for the finest Chardonnay. Village offers real purity and finesse, supple, refreshing and beautifully concentrated. Vinified purely from the free run juices of the first press, achieving a particularly supple wine with very fine textures, simply delicious to drink.

Kumeu River winery was established during the war years by European migrants and has developed a repute for producing delicious wines in Burgundian styling. Winemaker Michael Brajkovich Master of Wine, is most famous for his internationally renowned Chardys, he has endeavoured to produce a distinct and refined Sauvignon Blanc that also displays stylistic charm. The resulting wine is just that. The aroma is a pungent and zingy expression of fruit, with a palate of concentrated flavours, a rich texture and balanced acidity.

Kumeu River was a pioneer of the New Zealand winemaking industry, established in 1944 when the Brajkovich family settled at Kumeu just outside of Auckland. The estate makes some of New Zealand's finest Chardonnay and is equally adept at some of the more esoteric varietals. All their offerings have shown well at competitions and they excel at Pinot Gris. The estate's Auckland vineyards enjoy beautiful ripening conditions, encouraging the fruit to achieve a level of rich concentration and luscious textures, a very layered and complex Pinot Gris wine.

Gunn Estate are world class, having claimed top trophy at the International Chardonnay France, 5 Winestate Stars, Gold ANZ and Blue-Gold at the Sydney International, all for varietal whites.

An invigoratingly pure varietal white by top winemaking marksman Denis Gunn, expressing the qualities of Hawkes Bay terroir, focusing on the strengths of the Gunn vineyard. Completely satisfying, redolent with zing galore and the big fruit driven character of the district, made in an uncomplicated early drinking style. A sensational, well balanced and fully integrated Sauvignon Blanc upon release, you'll enjoy Gunn Estate just on it's own, or as a smart accompaniement to fresh grilled fishes and crispy skin chicken.