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Recommended Wines >
Best Wines under $50
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Te Whau Vinery, Auckland, New Zealand
One of the best Bordeaux styled reds we have tried from N.Z. ( It comes in a beautiful wooden six pack if you want 6 btls ) "Tony Forsyth is a wine enthusiasts wine enthusiast. Hes also what a plain-speaking north-country friend of mine would call ya competitive buggery. After running one of the countrys top management consultancy firms Tony decided to chuck it in and start his own winery. I got the impression that he wasnt so much chucking it in as moving up a notch. All part of Tonys 20-year plan Iym sure.Tony doesnt do things by halves. He chose the sort of vineyard site that your average winemaker would describe as exciting but uneconomic. It faces due north and is so steep I get vertigo just looking at photographs of it. Tony planted the vines close together and bought a skinny tracked vehicle to do the hard yards. I forgot to mention that the vineyardys got views to die for. A circular winery, restaurant sits above the vineyard. It would make an ideal site for heavy artillery in case Russian battleships ever invade Auckland. The restaurants such a huge success that it seems to soak up most of Te Whauys production. Thats a pity because Tonyys dense, elegant Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon "The Point" and his full-flavoured Chardonnay remain a moderately well kept secret. If you visit the island, get The Point." Bob Campbell
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Southern France - Other, Southern France, France
75% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache, 5% Cinsault, 10% Carignan. Unfined, unfiltered and oak aged for 18 months this wine will age beautifully especially with a high component of Mourvdre in it and grown in a harsh unforgiving Southern French climate with limestone soils. The wine is bottled by gravity which shows the care and attention to detail that this winery goes through. Very good value for the quality this delivers.
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Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy
The Manetti family were terracotta producers for over three centuries and on turning to wine in 1968, Giovanni Manetti went for ultimate quality. "One of Tuscanys finest producers, Fontodi is a name readers can rely on for high quality wines." Parker
"Bright red. Vibrant raspberry and candied cherry aromas are strongly underscored by violet and vanilla. Juicy and dense on entry, then soft and creamy in the middle, with sweet flavors of red cherry, redcurrant, licorice and minerals. This wonderfully balanced wine finishes long and smooth, with enough ripe acidity to maintain its shape, and lingering mineral and peppery nuances. Beautiful wine."92/100 Tanzer
"Blackberry and dark plum aromas follow through to a full body, with silky tannins and a bright, fruity finish. There's a nice combination of bright fruit and clean acidity. 91/100 Wine Spectator
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Pieropan, North Central Italy, Italy
Pieropan's single vineyard soave. This is the pinnacle of soave drinking. Simply stunning.This must be one of the toughest marketing jobs. Trying to convince consumers that soave can be a great white wine when the market is drowning in insipid, substandard soave. Pieropan has been at the forefront of this region for a long time now. His soaves are stunning and they go so well with our seafood and chicken meals. Dry, fine, delicate and textural- this is a class white wine with no oak influence.
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Fritz Haag, Mosel, Germany
One of the best producers in Germany. "Owner-winemaker Wilhelm Haag, long a leader in Mosel quality and wine politics, owns some of the choicest parcels in the great wall of slate known as the Brauneberg, and makes the most of it with many different bottlings, the best of which are auctioned, frequently setting price records." S.Tanzer
The newly combined Kabinett (from both the Juffer and the Juffer-Sonnenuhr vineyards) is a lovely, classic Kabinett in 2008. The bouquet offers up a nicely reserved melange of lime, green apple, herbal tones, petrol, slate and a touch of grapefruit zest. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, complex and filigreed, with bright acids, lovely shape and depth and nice bounce on the balanced and focused finish. Classy juice. 2012- 2025+. 89+/100."View from the Cellar
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Felsina, Tuscany, Italy
Due end of August. Book now. "The 2007 Chianti Classico is a sweet, super-ripe wine with an enticing core of fruit. The heat of the vintage has filled out the wine nicely. Although the acidity is still relatively high, this doesn't look to be an especially long-lived wine. That should hardly matter, though, as readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this gem. In 2007 the Chianti Classico is a selection of fruit from eleven different vineyards harvested between the end of September and early October. The wine was mostly aged in cask, with about 10% seeing smaller neutral French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2015" R.Parker
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Kalleske, The Barrosa, Australia
A young turk, Troy Kalleske, seems to be obsessed with making a great name for his familys Barossa Valley wines. The Kalleske family owns a whopping 400 acres in Barossa's tenderloin section, the highly renowned Greenock region. This is a certified organic wine from low yielding old gnarled vines. The 2003 scored a 96-100/100 from Parker, the 04 scored a 94/100 and the 2005 scored a 93/100. No reviews yet on the 07 but heres Parkers 05 review ( he hasnt reviewed the 06 yet either ) "Even more impressive the 05 shiraz exhibits greater intensity,and additional roasted meat and gamey characteristics interwoven with pepper, creme de cassis and blackberry liqueur. The 2005 should evolve and drink well for 10-15 years.." Parker
Full on serious Barossa Shiraz that will age magnificently.
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Gisborne & Hawkes Bay - Other, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Having steered his family company to one of New Zealand's successful producers, Nick Nobilo could have enjoyed a peaceful retirement after the company was sold to BRL Hardy. But instead he has dedicated his life to producing New Zealand's finest Gewurztraminer from his 9.7-hectare estate in Gisborne, split into two blocks, the first planted in 2000 and the second in 2007 using budwood that Nick had been propagating for over 25 years. The winery is so clean you could eat your breakfast off it, the 1,200L oak German oval foudres playing a key role in extracting the best out of this aromatic grape. The good news is that Nick is well on his way to achieving his dream because this was a stunning expression of Gewurztraminer, the wine adopting an Alsatian style rather than anything from the New World.
"The wonderful 2004 Gewurztraminer Reserve coming in with 14.0% alcohol and 20 grams per liter residual sugar. A stunning nose of honey, melted butter and lemongrass, the palate suddenly shows an upsurge in concentration with brilliant harmony and focus. It remains taut and imbued with nervosite: a great skill in such a flamboyant aromatic." 94/100 Robert Parker Wine Advocate
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Glaetzer Wines, The Barrosa, Australia
Although the backbone of this full bodied, elegant wine is the exceptional fruit from dry grown vines of Ebenezer vineyards in the northern Barossa Valley- the same shiraz fruit used for Amon Ra and Anaperenna- the Bishop has tended to be overshadowed by its more famous sister wines. They have now changed the label to more aptly reflect the commitment to the Bishop and its a superb drop.
"The 2006 Bishop was sourced from 60-year-old vines and aged for 14 months in used French and American oak. Purple/black in color, it has an expressive nose of cedar, smoke, game, bacon, and blueberry. On the palate this medium to full-bodied wine is tightly wound but has all the right stuff. There are tons of ripe fruit and silky tannin, excellent balance and a long finish, but the wine will need 8-10 years to fully display its personality. It will easily last through 2036. Hats off to Ben Glaetzer for producing an extraordinary portfolio!"92-94 Parker
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L''Hortus, Southern France, France
"The red l'Hortus 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup Grande Cuvee showcases Orliac's beloved Mourvedre grape (with 40% Syrah and 10% Grenache in support). Tasting the assembled wine from an assortment of barrels, black cherry, violets, iris and fennel typically and alluringly fill the nose, then re-emerge on a creamy palate, with richly ripe fruit flavors possessed of admirable purity, considerable refreshment, and an absence of any superficial sweetness. A faintly resinous woodiness hovered over the lots drawn from new barrels, but the overall effect here is deeply rich and sumptuously polished, with marrow-like savory meatiness, a wine of refined structure and no doubt capable of at least 6-8 years of positive bottle evolution." 92-93+/100 Parker
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