The greater Marlborough region has two distinct mesoclimes which grow unique styles of Pinot Gris. Vines planted to good sites in Awatere Valley are stimulated by low rainfall and strong coastal winds, intense sunshine yet cool nights. Wairau Valley offers an abundance of sunshine, long autumns and crisp cool winters. Both yield harvests of world class white wine grapes. Drift take their pick of each, to create a wine with wonderful roundness of palate, a vibrant yet elegant expression of Marlborough, replete with the essential elements of Wairau and Awatere Pinot Gris.

Pinot Gris remains an inspiration to the most accomplished winemakers, its myriad of interpretations and stylistic variations can make this engaging varietal a rewarding experience for the dedicated artisan. Domaine Chandon capture the pristine cool climate character of Pinot Gris in a wine of balance and sophistication. Grapes are sourced from the Whitlands Plateau vineyard at 800 metres above sea level. The altitude and continental climes deliver a harvest of intensely flavoured fruit, endowed with a judicious measure of bright natural acidity.

Gewurtztraminer was one of Delatite's first plantings, it has continued to deliver the most memorable, award winning vintages. Deadman's Hill is widely regarded as the benchmark in Australia, the first Traminer ever to be selected for Qantas International First Class. Deadman's Hill is a hundred metres higher than the other vineyards at Delatite and has been dry grown for most of it's life. It was the first part of the vineyard to be converted to Bio Dynamics and like all other blocks at Delatite, it is completely pruned and picked by hand.

Like its Rhone Valley siblings, Adelaide Hills Viognier is a wine that drinks well on release, evolving as it grows in complexity. Named after a site which lies at the bottom of a gully in McLaren Vale, the Last Ditch was originally planted to a small block of Doradillo vines during the 19th century. In 1995 the site became repopulated by Viognier. Last Ditch is a highly auspicious wine which receives the very best barrels of d'Arenberg Viognier, it simply blossoms on the palate and continues to linger.

The hallmark of this wine, is that it's a great value drink, anywhere and at anytime with most anyone. Every Stump Jump takes the drinker on a journey of engaging varietal fruit experiences. The dimension of flavour and textural richness brought about by a complex cépage of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne and Rousanne, are heightened by a level of dryness and splendid integration. The palate is very fresh and tight, restrained fruit intensity and ripeness balanced with lovely crunchy acidity keeps the finish in check.

The close proximity of d'Arenberg's vineyards to Gulf St. Vincent means the grapes can be stimulated by gently cooling maritime breezes. Much of McLaren Vale is planted to free draining soils underlaid by limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of local marine fauna. One such creature was the Hermit Crab, a reclusive little crustacean that to this day inhabits the cast off shells of others. McLaren Vale's first ever Marsanne Viognier is named Hermit as a reference to the region in France where the Marsanne grape dominates white wines.

Fashioned from harvests of Viognier grown to the cooler, slower ripening Forest Hut property at Moonambel. The climes are three to four degrees cooler than the Dalwhinnie estate vineyard all year round, so vintage arrives some three weeks later. Vines make the most of the extra time on offer, to ripen grapes fully and develop vibrant fruit characters, translating into a solid Viognier wine with stunning grilled nut perfumes and juicy apple orchard complexity.

To make the best Pinot Gris possible, one needs to control every step of the winemaking. Crowded House source grapes from their very own estate vineyard in Marlborough. The unique profiles of the Pinot Gris from this single wonderful site, imparts a combination of delicate and exotic fruit characters. At the winery, the team simply allow the vineyard and grapes to express themselves with as little intervention as possible, permitting all the wonder and charm of Marlborough Pinot Gris to shine through.

A leading figure in the Australian wine industry for decades, Garry Crittenden was founder and chief winemaker of the renowned Dromana Estate, now a publicly listed company. Today he turns his efforts to hand crafting small amounts of the finest, stylized wines. One of Crittenden's pre-occupations is with the abstruse varietals. He has developed a flair for engineering the Pinot Gris grape into both the Italianate and Franco genres. Geppetto presents Pinot Gris under an Alsation light, with rich aromas and a complex, fruit filled palate.

Australian Test Cricketer Tony Rocket Mann planted Chenin Blanc vines along with his son in the 1990s. Persevering with the Mann family tradition of articulate and sensational wines meant adhering to the strictest principles of organic farming. The propitious Chenin Blanc grapes are wholly hand picked off Rocket's vineyar, whole bunch pressed and treated to a measure seasoned French oak barriques for several months before asssemblage. A beautiful expression of Chenin Blanc with a sense of place, lemon pith, blackcurrant leaf and fresh crunchy pear before a textural, vibrant saline finish.

Scotchmans Hill reserve the pick of their parcels for Cornelius, a flagship range representing the most elite blocks within the expansive catalog of estate vineyards. There's a single site of Pinot Gris that outperforms with each vintage. Picked off rows of closely husbanded vines, artisanally handled throughout the vinification, barrel fermented and treated to battonage on sedimentery lees for opulence. Bursting with nutty creamyness, bakers spice, applejack and the opulence of timely oak, a mouthfilling style of Pinot Gris, worthy of the finest gourmandise.

Chenin Blanc has been Coriole's flagship white since 1982, a pure varietal wine that couldn't be any fresher. Beautifully aromatic, it has great fruit concentration and shows an outstanding ability to age, highly suited to the moderately warmer climes of Coriole's vineyard at McLaren Vale. Lively, spirited tropical fruit characters are jumping out of the bottle, so get those flatheads frying, forget the serious analysis and just enjoy a crisp, clean bottle of fun.

The vineyards of Rutherglen are planted to soils that are underlayed by veins of quartz, which enhance the warm continental climes, trapping the sun's heat during the day and releasing it over the cooler nights to encourage development of natural sugars and rich flavours in the fruit. Cofield have been growing grapes in Rutherglen for generations. They know the land best and retain the finest low yielding vines. Fruit is picked throughout the chill of early morning to capture the piquant aromaticness and varietal complexity which lends Chenin Blanc such charm.

Cloudy Bay's Pinot Gris began life as a handful of vine plantings sourced from a French nursery in the mid 1990s. The cuttings were painstakingly propagated by the Cloudy Bay nursery crew and gradually planted out over three years at the estate's Mustang Vineyard. The impatient winemakers stood by, eagerly awaiting their first crop, harvested in 2004, it yielded a single barrel of wine. The style today is a profound expression of Pinot Gris, effusive with aromas of mandarin and pear, abundant flavour, fine texture and a gentle touch of residual sweetness.

It has been a remarkable journey for Clonakilla. When John Kirk first planted vines in 1971 he had no idea that his vineyard would be celebrated as one of the finest in Australia. Along the way there have been trials and tribulations as well as moments of unprecendented success. Over time it has become clear that a combination of the temperate Murrumbateman region and the sultry Viognier are one of those rare synergies which produce extraordinary wines.

Bedecked with gold medals, significant trophies and countless five star commendations. Clonakilla is a wine that's ultimately determined in the vineyard, where hard work is required to open up the vine leaf canopies, limiting yields and encouraging vines to make grapes with riper flavour profiles. The vinification process embraces old world techiques such as the inclusion of whole bunches in the ferments, macerations and extravagant French oak barrel maturation.

The precious vines at Clifford Bay are nurtured throughout the growing season by an experienced, motivated and highly talented team. One of their most charming achievements is the subtle elegance of Pinot Gris grown to the low yielding site. The wine exudes aromas of pear, apples and spice followed by a well rounded palate with concentration of flavour. A lively finish exhibits the distinctive minerality which is so distinctive of Clifford Bay's rich and generous wines.

The topical Alsation cépage of Riesling with Traminer, Chalk Hill Blue is a consistent performer around the national wine show circuit, for its ebullient, spiced floral fruit characters and seamless complexity. Established 1886 with a view to crafting medicinal elixirs for the well being of body and soul, Angove now host some of the most splendid vineyards across South Australia. The quality of Angove's fruit lies at the core of this exquisite accord of varietal grapes, the essence and redolence of Alsace, in a cleanly perfumed Aussie styling.

A seamless single vineyard co ferment of three wonderously perfumed whites, a third each of Riesling, Traminer and the abstruse Kerner Weißer Herold, a bespoke Riesling Trollinger hybrid. There are few places with the exceptional excellence of terroir to sire such a graceful bouquet of aromatic varietals. The eminent Fechner brothers block at Moculta is fortuitously mineral rich, gently strewn with marble and chalk shards for the infusement of grapes with lively lychee and fragrant florals. Its marvelously poised and elegant structure, lustrous with minerality and lingering with honeysuckle hazel delights.

Pinot Gris is sourced from Ants Nest Vineyard, high up on a ridge overlooking Marlborough's Waihopai Valley, where Catalina Sounds have taken a very hands on role to husbanding vines. The team are devoted to fashioning highly expressive wines that stand the test of being fully approachable when young, whilst carrying the palate weight and quality of fruit to mate with fine faire and develop in the short term. Catalina Sounds exudes bright varietal characters of peaches and nut with the distinctive luscious lychee expression of Marlborough.

The Castelli brothers lead double lives, a curious dichotomy of international jet setting engineers and artisanal winemakers. They can afford to drink the world's finest growths but choose to get themselves dirty amongst the vines. Castelli Bros have spared no expense in adding the most auspicious West Australian vineyards to their inventory of splendid sites. Pinot Gris is a varietal that the Great Southern region grows particularly well, the pick of harvest is treated to an adroit vinification, aimed at preserving the mouthfilling complexity and captivating textural richness.

Brown Brothers are the most eminent custodian of Crouchen in Australia. Their viticultural team have established vineyards in the Mallee, which are highly specialised to yield the best fruit. Bringing Crouchen and Sauvignon Blanc together in a bright and juicy, refreshingly fruit driven wine, achieves the consumate accompaniement to today's contemporary styles of cuisine. An exciting new twist on two long time favourites which are marvelously suited to each other. Plainly wonderful alongside Asian chilli recipes, chicken caesar or cheese rocquet pizzette.

Mouthfilling flavours and the natural sweetness of ripe grapes, luscious aromas of pear, pineapple and melon, lively and clean. An irresistible wine of measured sweetness balanced by crispness and refreshing acidity. Crouchen hails from the French Pyrenees where it's no longer grown in any quantity. Brown Brothers are one of the few remaining custodians and have designed some of Australia's favourite wines out of the variety. Perfect at anytime, the ideal accompaniement to seafood or pasta, desserts and cakes or tasty cheese.

The historic goldfields at Beechworth are now delivering a different type of gold, in the form of suave white wines with panache and style. Pinot Gris has taken well to the cooler climes and mineral rich soils atop the steeply sloped aspects. The Indigo property is the most prominent vineyard in the area, trained for decades by local growers to yield vintages of the finest fruit. Brokenwood have taken the pick of crop, fashioned into the essential accompaniement for all fresh and evocative fare, white meat recipes, tapas and terrines.

Margaret River conjures up images of windswept capes and maritime life, the Fremantle doctor and balmy nights around a good bottle of chilled Pinot Gris. Breathing Space are all about the fun and funk of the sun and surf, an exciting range of contemporarily styled wines which are designed to escape the chaos of the big city and bring the drinker to a place that's relaxed and perpetually sunny. A fresh and crisp wine, minimally handled, permitting the Margaret River fruit to speak, framed by a judicious influence of leesyness and oak.

The focus at Bream Creek is on painstakingly managing vines by hand to yield small quantities of pristine fruit for the vinification of classic cool climate Tasmanian wines. Gewürtztraminer loves the cold. Slow ripening gives berries time to develop stimulating flavours and spicey fruit characters.

This elegantly aromatic expression of New Zealand Pinot Gris is sourced from cool ripening vineyards. A diverse range of soils and grape characteristics enable the winemakers to negotiate and construct an animated style of wine. Free draining stones over silt produce tighter, more highly structured wines. Richer soils with increased clay content yield fuller wines with varietal intensity. Gentle pressing and cool fermentation have preserved delicate spice notes, complemented by lush pear and light pineapple characters.