A kiwi Christmas means sunshine, barbeques, pavlova, and a bottle or two of fancy fizz. It’s a time of celebration, and this year we deserve a bottle of something extra lovely to say Cheers, Salute, Chin Chin, or Salud to the end of 2020 and hello to 2021.
Quartz Reef Vintage 2015 Blanc de Blancs Central Otago RRP $79.00
Certified Organic and Biodynamic sparkling wine from the Bendigo subregion of Central Otago. Made from 100% Chardonnay and the beautiful packaging is environmentally friendly.
Delicious aromas of stone fruit, apple, and freshly baked brioche are carried to the surface by fine, delicate bubbles. A beautifully dry, crisp sparkling wine with flavours of citrus, white peach, and short pastry with a long, lingering mineral finish. Perfect as an aperitif with freshly shucked oysters or with summer seafood dishes.
Huia Brut Rosé 2017 Marlborough RRP $54.00
I’m obsessed with the Kate Sylvester designed label and packaging! Made from hand harvested Certified Organic Pinot Noir grapes with minimal skin contact to extract the perfect colour and flavour profile. Vegan friendly.
The prettiest blush pink colour you ever did see. Gorgeous, complex aromas of red apple, strawberry, and raspberry, with floral notes and touches of lightly toasted bread. The palate is filled with summer berries, raspberry, cherry, and cranberry with a creamy texture and persistent, lively bubbles.
Champagne Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Tours-sur-Marne NV RRP $89.99
Chardonnay dominant, with Pinot Noir and Meunier rounding out the rest of blend. The La Cuvée is aged for four years before secondary fermentation takes place to ensure a balanced finished wine.
A pale gold colour with stunning aromas of baked apple, mandarin, and grapefruit with baked bread and honeysuckle. The palate is round and soft with white stone fruit, apple and brioche flavours balanced with high acidity and petite, but unrelenting bubbles. This wine can take you through the whole meal, perfect with antipasti, grilled fish, or chicken dishes.
Champagne Bollinger Rosé NV Ay RRP $130.00
Pinot Noir dominant with 62% of the blend, with Chardonnay and Meunier and 5% red wine added to produce a rosé wine. Cellared for more than twice the legal requirement of the appellation.
Rose gold in colour with bold and powerful aromas of sweet spices, toasted bread, red berries, and ripe red apple. This is a big, heavy style of rosé champagne, on the rounded palate you find roasted peach, black cherry, raspberry, and heavy autolytic characters which are closely followed by cleansing acidity and a long weighty finish.
by Angie Atkinson DipWSET
