New Zealand Wines - North of $20 but Worth It

We have had a number of Kiwi wines over the years and they have always been great.  The trouble is they are usually between $20 and $30 so they don't get consumed all that often.  Whether it is Spinyback, Opawa, Kim Crawford or Villa Maria or one of the many other great producers the wine is always great and usually quite memorable.

New Zealand is known for Sheep, Rugby, Extreme Sports, and Wine with the latter being such a great export.  The big grapes in NZ are Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc (though they grow a number of varietals).  The Pinots are typically light in colour and usually quite grassy and green with notes of plum and strawberry.  The Sauv Blancs are normally crisp and fruity with strong tropical notes of pineapple and starfruit.

So back to the original question, is the additional overall cost worth it?  We would love to see the overall price point be $5 - 7 lower but at the current prices we really do feel that wines from NZ deserve to be experienced, though it is understandable if it is only a Saturday night wine.

Some of our recommendations for selection:

Villa Maria Cab/Merlot
Spinyback Cabernet Franc/Shiraz
Kim Crawford Point Noir
Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Opawa Pinot Noir

Spend some time in the NZ section, we think you will be quite plesantly surprised, but we totally understand if it takes you a while to get through them all.

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon