2009 Riverby Estate Noble Riesling. Riverby Estate sent us some wines to try which we will write up very soon. However this was the standout wine among them for us. It is exciting "wow" wine completely! It is well priced at $25 and is of exquisite quality. Fans of dessert style wines should tuck a few of these away to impress at a dinner party, though i doubt one bottle is excess for two people! This is the most exciting new find for us in the sweet wine category for a long time. Click Here for our review

Other Recent No Brainer Wine Buys

2008 Fromm La Strada Spatlese Riesling follows in the tradition of its stunning predecessors in offering benchmark New Zealand Spatlese styled riesling. It is mouth watering and ravishingly beautiful wine, perfect for summer fare and good for the head and liver at only 7% alc. Oh and another hint, a full bottle of this nicely chilled does not survive being dropped on a tiled floor. Don't make the same mistake! Click Here for our tasting note taken from a second bottle

Well I have to say the Air NZ wine show seems to have done an excellent job this year. Their top gong 2008 Julicher Pinot Noir is absolutely stunning and once more the price is amazing considering the outstanding quality. It will be a highly sort after wine. You didn't hear it here first but go buy some anyway. Click Here for our review

I see our last "No Brainer Wine Buy"; 2009 The Doctors Riesling just picked up a trophy at the Air NZ awards. Good to see those show judges up to the job, but you heard it here first remember. Now, its been amazing to see some really good wine dipping under the $10 mark lately. Sign of the times. Keep a look out for 2009 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc. Its very tidy, detailed and focused with good ripeness and approachability without losing the zing and zany marlborough feel. Great summer lunch fare chilled down for drinking with antipasto and fresh frsnch stick. Yum

Ok here is something a bit different. Introducing our "No Brainer" Wine Shop Visit. My first tip is a shop I rate as the best I have ever been to. Click Here to find out more

It is clear that John Forrest is one of the most gifted makers of Riesling in NZ. He has a array of labels from dry through to dessert weight wines. This Spatlese styled wine is crammed full of lively flavours, balance and charm. Once more, I have seen it advertised for under $18. 2009 The Doctors Riesling must buy as the warmer months approach. This is perfect lunchtime low alchohol wine. We tried this at Wine NZ, and now the 2009 has been released (2008 pictured), I can slap it up as a No Brainer Wine Buy. If you want to read our review you will find it Here among our Wine NZ reviews.

2007 Hawkes Bay continues to impress. Here is another $15 wine to really impress. Again at $15 on special, you just can't lose. A very plush and warm wine with a deceptive elegance 2007 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon really hits the spot and delivers a lot of characters usually only found in more expensive wine. Click Here for our review.

2007 Hawkes Bay continues to impress. Sean pulled one of these out of the hat last night. At $15 on special, you just can't lose. Plenty of class, ripeness and Hawkes Bay character is evident. Surely a smarter buy than yet another South Australian Shiraz, especially if you are looking for a bit of class. 2007 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec is possibly the best vintage produced under this label. Easy to find and a sharp price. Click Here for our review.

Hawkes Bay this year was a treat. My impression from the small subset of wine we tasted is that 2007 has the potential to be the best red wine vintage in the Hawkes Bay to date this decade. 2007 Unison Syrah is a perfect case in point. It is clearly the most gorgeous vintage ever made under this loved label. It has just been released and will doubtless receive many accolades over the coming months. Jump in quick and snaffle some up!! Click Here for our considered review

Sometimes I can go weeks without tasting anything to really push as a must have wine. At the moment all of a sudden a huge backlog has appeared. However at $35 the 2007 Church Road Reserve Syrah is a must buy and first on the list. Hurry though if you want any, it is sold out at the winery but still available in small quantities from some fine wine stores. Click Here for our review

We love Off Dry Riesling and we always rate tasty examples highly. This example from Black Estate seems just a tad drier than many we have tried lately but still with some sweetness and is full of some super zany flavours of the type we have come to love. Check out our note here for the 2008 Black Estate Riesling, which retails at a reasonable $22

Top Sauvignon Blanc seems a bit thin on the ground at the moment but here is one that has improved since release (when it was already excellent). The 2008 Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc gives up fantastic level of ripeness, freshness and mouthfeel leading this wine to the top of the tree. The bottling blends fruit from the Awatere Valley and Wairau Valley's and seems now to be working a treat with a weighty and vibrant wine resulting. It also demonstrates excellent balance and some restraint. You can pick this up for about $20 to drink this summer. Try at lunchtime with picnic fare or seafood.

At our recent experience at the Villa Maria trade tasting, it was confirmed to us that their Reserve Rieslings are some of the most under rated wines in the country. The 2008 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Fletcher Vineyard Riesling is one to really keep an eye out for. Sublime off Dry Riesling with the zany Tangelo flavours you get in really special NZ Riesling. Click Here for our notes

Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps most attractive at this time of year as summer starts to advance. The answer to the question "Which is best this year" is always difficult to answer as the wines change so quickly in the bottle. However the leading candidate for me is 2008 Astrolabe "Awatere" Sauvignon Blanc which captures summer in a glass. It is clean, precise and pure. It is racy without being aggressive and costs approx $25. Click Here for our review

I suppose after tasting 50+ Pinot Noir yesterday that I should come out and advise which of them I think is the best buy. 2007 Felton Road Cornish Point Pinot Noir is a wine of deft poise, subtle class and stunning balance. It isnt flashy or voluptuous but it is still fantastically seductive. It is a real Pinot Noir drinkers wine. Click here for our review

This wine is rare, but it is available from the winery but for how long? At 130 cases it is sure to be quickly snapped up by riesling freaks. 2007 Gibbston Valley Expressionist Series Le Fou Riesling is simply a masterpiece of a wine and must rate as the most compelling riesling experience I have had in a long long time. Click Here for our review then order some.

It isn’t state of the art opinion to float the notion that Craggy Range Gimblet Gravels Merlot is a benchmark mid priced NZ Bordeaux styled red. At $26 it certainly delivers sophistication, layering and class which sadly abandons most wines at this price level. It is certainly smart enough to grace and round out any special occasion dinner without putting a huge whole in the wallet. I am searching my head for a NZ red at this pricepoint that can compete but I’m coming up blank. Click Here for our review on the 2006 Craggy Range Gimblet Road Merlot

2005 Church Road Reserve Cabernet Merlot Finally the winter months brings a star buy of the red variety. Church Road Reserve wines definitely make it to our "Cool Wall". They are "in" this year. The Chardonnay is yummy, the Syrah is hot according to every accolade that passes by and the reasonably hard to find 2005 vintage Cabernet Merlot is a screamer. At just over $30 a bottle they are top value for money in the world of insane prices. Click here for our review of this wine which we recently drank at a weekend away with Dave at his family beach house. This is meat and veg staple NZ cellar material. KWFC Cellar Pick

2007 Peregrine Charcoal Creek Riesling. I am perfectly aware that this "No Brainer Wine Buy" is the third Riesling we have featured in a row. But lets face it Riesling holds almost the last pockets of bargain drinking the mature wine drinker can access. This wine is just a sensation, rippling with class. It is well off dry in style, understated yet brimming with exciting, vital flavours. It is balanced, textured and fresh. Compelling, gentle, delicate, classy and likeable. It will set you back about $35 which is getting up there but this wine is all class. Click Here for our review

2007 Pegasus Bay Riesling. A new release from Waipara's premier winery. How long have we been waiting for this baby? It seems a long time between drinks thanks to a large 2006 vintage obviously affording the winery time to hang on to this vintage. The result is a wine that is stylistically slightly different but one that should still please the palates of those that love the zany exotic flavours that this label usually offers. Click here for our tasting note.

2007 Felton Road Riesling was the star buy of our Central Otago trip. At $26 from the cellar door, this wine offers class, focus and compelling flavours which just ripple through the palate. Who said Pinot Noir was the star of Otago? I am inclined to believe that in fact it is Off Dry styled rielsing that is the true star of this young wine region. Click here for our tasting notes

2007 Shingle Peak Sauvignon Blanc is a wine you will not have any trouble finding. It is as common as Coca Cola. Once more it is often on special at supermarkets for under $10, so it will not leave you defaulting mortgage payments. Add to this the fact that it really expresses its region and grape variety to perfection, with plenty of character, and you have a wine that is really a bit of a no brainer wine buy! It is easy to find, cheap and good. Grab some over the coming weeks, its still in great shape and they will no doubt be looking to clear at discount for the new vintage. Click here for our tasting notes

Villa Maria Reserve Riesling is almost a forgotten wine. I would be easily led to believe that Villa struggle to distribute this wine as it isnt the trendiest style of wine among mainstream drinkers and I seldom see it in retail. It must however be one of the most sophisticated Marlborough rieslings on the market. At $24 it also represents its price point extremely well. It may be difficult to find outside the cellar door, but it is definitely worth the search. Click here for our tasting note for the 2007 Villa Maria Reserve Riesling

When we think kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, it is hard not to think Marlborough with magic producers such as St Clair and others carving up medals like its going out of fashion. It is clear though that other regions have the ability to excel. Think of the 2007 Amisfield from Otago for a wine with texture and class, or the 2007 Palliser from Martinborough for one with exhuberant power and flavour. But could it just be that the most sophisticated example of Sauvignon Blanc in the country comes from Hawkes Bay?? Click here for notes on a wine that sets a new benchmark. This could well be in the top handful of Sauvgnon Blancs ever produced in New Zealand. Click here for our notes on the 2007 Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc

Kumeu River has just delivered the goods from 2006 in amazing fashion. You would have read my release notes a few of months ago, which was the start of many revisits to this fantastic wine, much in part to their handy 375mls bottles which are perfect for a mid week two person splash with a nice cut of fish. The Coddington vineyard wine is probably the most forward of all of the releases which makes it very attractive now. It is $43 a bottle so not cheap but it illustrates the estates style as unique within the context of NZ. Click here for impressions on a wine that is very hard to resist!

Church Road isnt what you would call wine snob fare. It is common, commercial and just not cool. Add to that that Merlot and Cabernet just are not in vogue and you would have to wonder why a wine geek website not influenced by a corporate would recommend it! This however is stunning value for money especially if you can bag it for under $15 on special. 2005 is turning out as a great red vintage for Church Road a brand under New Zealand's largest wine company (The reserve edition is also extremely impressive). Click here for our review on our "no brainer wine buy" 2005 Church Road Merlot Cabernet

Pegasus Bay has in the past wowed us with their Rieslings and to a slightly lesser extent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Their other offerings are also extremely tidy, making them one of the very front rank New Zealand producers. The Pinot Noir in the past has been very "New World", very black, rich, voluptuous and cuddly. This is a style that hasnt really overly impressed many hard core Pinot Noir drinking enthusiasts. The 2006 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir is a shift more toward middle ground. It is more refined, finely boned and elegant showing great varietal definition. It still keeps a little of the Pegasus Bay style with a definite plushness to the palate and a core of dark rich fruit. It is hard to resist and will be a crowd pleaser of a wine, perfect for the Christmas table with festive fare. Click Here for our tasting notes.

St Clair from Marlborough has for a while been a super star of Sauvignon Blanc. In fact it is pretty obvious they are the best producer of this variety in New Zealand all things considered. It appears though that they have ambitions for more than that. Pinot Gris is a variety that has gained plenty of popularist appeal over the last five years. 2007 is perhaps the vintage where the actual quality of the wine catches up with the hype. The 2007 St Clair Pioneer Block 5 "Bull Block" Pinot Gris isn't the type of name you would want to have to write on the top of every page in an exam. However, if you are just drinking the stuff it is certainly a treat. Click Here for our review on our first ever "Go Buy Notice" Pinot Gris recommendation.

Hunters is one of Marlborough's oldest wineries. The Sauvignon Blanc seems to be an almost forgotten classic. Over lunch with a feed of mussels we rediscovered this classy wine from the latest vintage. Click here to read up on the sophisticated 2007 Hunters Sauvignon Blanc. At $13 on special this delivers masses of class for your buck. Perfect for the busy entertaining season. So get out and buy some and impress everyone at a sane price.

2005 John Forrest Collection Noble Riesling. I thought long and hard about recommending this wine, not because of its spellbinding quality, but because of its price. Next to a Pegasus Bay Aria Riesling it isnt exactly saintly at $45-50 for a half bottle. However when push comes to shove it is the best sweet wine I have tried this year, and for fans of Sauternes this NZ wine exhibits the very rare quality of displaying the seductive, silky but restrained texture of a top rank french Sauternes. I also really think it is of that quality. If you are a sweet wine freak tracking down this scarce wine is worth the effort. Click here for our review

2005 Foxes Island Marlborough Chardonnay. This stunning chardonnay really stopped the train at WineNZ, and to consider it is available off the foxes island website www.foxes-island.co.nz for $25 a bottle is just nuts for a wine of this class. Crammed full of flavour, and packed with concentrated fruit but with complexity and interest. Click Here to read our review. Chardonnay lovers dont miss this under the radar wine.

2006 Johanneshof Marlborough Gewurztraminer is perhaps one of the hardest wine names to spell correctly, especially for the challenged writers of this website! However the quality and sheer opulence of this wine is a great contrast to the interlectual style of last weeks wine. We picked this as one of our 2006 Wines of the Year, but this wine has only continued to improve in the bottle. Good value for money, rampantly perfumed nose and equisite flavours and texture all combine to make this a compelling experience. Best matched with an empty glass and that is all! Click here for our latest review

2006 Kumeu River Mates Vineyard Chardonnay is world class, and it is right at our doorstep. Experience the class, the sophistication, the aura of perfection that this wine exhibits in spades. It is just now being released onto the market at about $45. Click here to read our review

You will have to be quick with this weeks recommendation if you havent already secured a couple. 2006 Craggy Range Glasnevin Gravels Riesling was one of the highlights of our March Hawkes Bay trip. Trying it again in the weekend without knowing what the wine was certainly confirmed to me that it is a gorgeous refined wine, in a medium dry style <> spatlese. Specialist wine retailers may have a couple of bottles kicking around if you search it out. Click here to read the review from our Hawkes Bay trip

This weeks big recommendation goes to the 2005 Carrick Pinot Noir from Central Otago. Last week I nearly put this wine up as a "No Brainer Wine Buy". After its performance in our Mid Winter Red tasting, I decided it definitely needs to be strongly recommended for any fan of real top class NZ Pinot at a reasonable price. The price has risen this vintage to $45, but in the context of its quality, it is still an awesome buy. Click here to read our review

A trip to the new Villa Maria Cellar Door near Auckland Airport was the perfect opportunity to relax and try a handful of wines with a platter of food. The star wine was light years ahead of the rest. As a result we have to issue one of our famous "Go Buy Notices" for the 2005 Villa Maria Reserve Noble Riesling. Many people have something against 'sweet wines'. Those people im sure deeply scared by some of the nightmare wines dished up in New Zealand in times past. This wine is the cure for anyone that isnt in love with great sweet wines. Pair this with a mild, creamy blue cheese and angels will sing. A sensational vintage for this classic wine. Click here to read our gushing review

Kiwi Wine Fan Club has issued a "Go Buy Notice" for 2006 St Clair Pioneer Block 3 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This is a truely classical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. A Trophy standard wine of the highest quality, displaying all that is good about the style. Before summer fades and red wine becomes more attractive, get out and polish of a bottle of this wine. Priced in the lows $20's, its worth that coin. Super wine. Click here to read our gushing review. We have also recently tasted the entry level 2006 St Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and the flagship 2006 St Clair Reserve Wairau Sauvignon Blanc. Check them out!

Kiwi Wine Fan Club has issued a "Go Buy Notice" for Clevedon's 2005 Puriri Hills Reserve Merlot Cabernet Franc We have been informed that it is scheduled to be released at the cellar door on March 10th. This is one of the greatest NZ bordeaux reds I have ever tried - perhaps even the greatest. Divert a little (or a lot) of your wine spending in this direction very quickly, and you will forever thank us. Otherwise you could always skip this wine, making the biggest mistake since Dick Rowe refused to sign 'The Beatles' for Decca Records in 1962. Click here for our review

Kiwi Wine Fan Club a while ago issued a "go buy notice" for 2006 Pegasus Bay Rielsing. It was a shade over $20, and only those with rocks in their head would not have loved this wine! Supply is now dwindling as people do buy this by the case! Click here for our review. Now, just released by Pegasus Bay, is the legendary 2006 Pegasus Bay Aria Riesling. Both Mel and Dave tried this at WineNZ, and all reports indicate it is sensational juice. $35 for a 750ml bottle is also outstanding buying for a wine of this type and quality. Go get some!!