Best Wines under $15

2007 Maven Marlborough Chardonnay

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

A new enterprise with some realistic pricing. Hard to find better value than this superb one. Winemaker, Mike Just ( ex Lawsons Dry Hills ) has combined with the Craven Vineyard to produce these beautifully marketed wines. Maven Marlborough Chardonnay This is a Chardonnay in the classic Marlborough style: fresh and fruity with lovely peach and nectarine aromas and hints of rock melon and orange blossom. Its soft, creamy texture is balanced with fresh citrus notes, and a long finish.

2007 Fox Creek Shadows Run Shiraz/ Cabernet

Fox Creek Wines, McLaren Vale, Australia

Named after the vineyards faithful dog this is a shiraz/ cabernet blend made by the highly successful Fox Creek Winery. ( Last years vintage was voted Best Buy by Bob Campbell. ) "The entry is rich and spicy with ripe raspberry and dark chocolate flavours on the smooth mid palate, leading to a soft luscious finish of good length. Full, rich ripe and spicy from a great vintage. This full bodied red comes with a big alcoholic kick.

2007 Henrys Drive Pillar Box Shiraz, Cabernet & Merlot

Henrys Drive, Coonawarra & Padthaway, Australia

Rated 90/100 from Parker and is made by the famous Winemaker Chris Ringland from Padthaway fruit. Parker writes- "The 2007 Pillar Box Red, a blend of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. Purple-colored, it exhibits an expressive nose of spice box, earth notes, blueberry, and black currant. Ripe, sweet, and layered, this nicely rendered red has exceptional balance and length for its humble price. James Halliday says of Padthaway, “It is on the way to nowhere. If you can pass through Coonawarra without noticing very much, you can pass through Padthaway without noticing anything at all.” Be that as it may, this is where the Longbottoms added grape growing to their other farming interests and began Henry’s Drive Vignerons. It quickly became clear that high quality grapes could be grown in Padthaway (they became the foundation of the Marquis-Philips line) and, subsequently, The Henry’s Drive, Parson’s Flat, and Pillar Box labels have gained significant traction in the USA market over the last ten years thanks to their superb price to quality ratio." 90/100 R.Parker. Serious red at not seroius money.

2008 Millton Riverpoint Chardonnay

Milton Vineyard, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Organically grown and hand picked

2008 Durvillea Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

A gem uncovered- made by Simon Waghorn of Astrolabe fame. Gold at the Sydney Top 100 and 91/100 from Wine Orbit Magazine, this is a steal for top flight sauvignon. "It's beautifully intense on the nose displaying passionfruit, lime zest and currant characters. The palate is full of juicy fruit characters with mouth-watering acidity and a deliciously lingering finish. The wine is immensely appealing with nicely flowing palate. At its best: now to 2011." 4.5 Stars and 91/100 Wine Orbit

2008 Coopers Creek Gisborne Unoaked Chardonnay

Coopers Creek, Auckland, New Zealand

Elsewhere $19. Elite Gold Medal at the Air NZ Wine Awards. "Coopers Creek no longer matures its popular, moderately priced Gisborne wine in wood, but the recipe still includes maturation on its yeast lees." M.Cooper . The nose is typical of Gisborne Chardonnay in a ripe year. It has stonefruit and melon overtones backed by a subtle creaminess that is derived from lees stirring. The palate is full of fresh fruit character, yet also has richness, weight and length." Great buying for a Gold Medal Chardonnay

2009 River Farm Godfrey Rd Marlborough Pinot Gris

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

4 1/2 Stars in the Cuisine Pinot Gris tasting ( 104 gris's tasted and only five scored 4 1/2 stars or above ) Normally $20 this is a lovely, dry pinot gris made by the hugely rated Brian Bignell ( ex Seresin winemaker and owner of Mahi Wines ). The grapes for this wine come from their Godfrey Road vineyard. The stony, alluvial soils of this vineyard are ideal for producing low-yielding, full flavoured grapes. 'Its a brunette- a lot of the other pinot gris are a bit blonde," said Anna Flowerday ( judge ). Made by the experienced Brian Bicknell, this is a singular- even controversial- drop. Its ffuit is wrapped in fascinating, funky, herbal minerality and the texture is beautifully wrought. The perfect match for Thai prawns with chilli and coriander." A steal. Cuisine

2006 Bouldevines The Grid Marlborough Riesling

This use to sell at $20. The Bouldervines 2009 riesling was the top riesling in the latest Cuisine- these guys know how to make riesling and when we were offered the last of this aged wine at ridiculous money we couldnt resist. This is the best riesling deal we have had this year. At the dryer end of the Riesling spectrum this is just starting to show some of those wonderful bottle aged characters with lime marmalade, honey and a touch of toast showing through the classic Riesling citrus fruits. The richness on the palate defies the super low price. Stock up today!- and it will still last a few years yet.

2007 Pencarrow Martinborough Chardonnay

Palliser Estate, Wairarapa/Wellington, New Zealand

Great buying for the second label of Palliser and has to be one of the best value to quality chardonnays on the market. It often provides better show results than its 'twice the price' big brother (and certainly sells out a lot quicker). The wine was fermented in a mixture of American and French oak barrels with American oak contributing the majority of the oak flavour which supports the chardonnay fruit. It remained on lees in cask for seven months with 10% of the wine spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts. "Very attractive nose of ripe stone fruits and floral characters with a hint of sweet oak and creamy notes. The palate shows delicious mouth feel, full of ripe fruits, and is beautifully textured and smooth right to the finish. Harmonious and balanced already for a young wine showing much potential. Another reliable and delicious wine under this label giving much pleasure and versatility." Good honest chardonnay buying.

2009 Durvillea Marlborough Pinot Grigio ( Pinot Gris )

Astrolabe, Marlborough, New Zealand

Double Gold Medal at the Sydney Top 100. This is Astrolabe's baby sister and is an absolute steal for the quality.( Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for what we call Pinot Gris ) The bouquet is of poached pear and nougat, with a whiff of brown spice. The palate is medium-bodied with pear and peach flavours, minerally texture and long finish. This won a blue gold at Sydney which is a medal for match matching and Astrolabe used the suggested foods of pasta and poultry dishes, smoked salmon and salads.