White Wine Dry River Craighall Riesling 2016. Dry River winery was founded by Dr Neil McCallum and soil scientist Dr Neil Milne in 1972, both of whom helped to shape Martinborough Terrace into one of the Wairarapa region’s most important areas. Nowadays, the winery is operated by a focused team of six, who put their efforts into creating a limited amount of excellent quality, age-worthy wines. Dry River take a low intervention approach to wine-making, allowing nature to take its course as much as possible. The soils of Martinborough are gravelly, dry and drain freely. Growers stress the vines further by removing leaves, resulting in highly concentrated and flavourful fruits. They are harvested from three parcels of land, Dry River Estate, Lovat, and Craighall, the origin of this Riesling. Lemon and lime intertwine on the nose, accompanied by sweet notes of honey, marmalade and orange zest. Dry River harvest grapes at three different stages of ripeness from the Craighall vineyard. By the final stage, the Riesling fruits are overripe and affected by Botrytis, adding some residual sugar to this off-dry white. It is light-bodied with rich honeysuckle sweetness, elevated by a lively core of citrus fruits. Excellent as an aperitif, with seafood dishes, or served alongside dessert.
2016
White Wine Dry River Craighall Riesling 2016
White Wine Edi Simcic Sauvignon 2016. The Simcic family have been making premium artisanal wines in the village of Vipolže in Slovenia’s Gorizia Hills for decades. Edi Simcic founded his namesake winery in 1990 with just 9 acres of land on the slopes around the village. Over the intervening years he has been joined in the family business by his son, Aleks, and the estate has grown to a total of 30 acres on a variety of soil types and aspects. The duo produce a wide range of wines from both local and international grape varieties, including this complex Sauvignon Blanc which is made in a rich, concentrated style. The young wine is aged in oak for 10 months to add complexity and a rich, creamy texture which will help it to age gracefully over the next few years.
2016
White Wine F.X. Pichler Loibner Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd 2016. The Pichler family have been farming in Austria’s Wachau wine region for five generations, although it was only in 1971 that Franz Xaver built the current family winery. Today it’s his son, Lucas, who’s in charge of making their brilliant, terroir-focused wines using traditional local winemaking methods. Some 70% of their wines are labelled as Smaragd”, a term applied only to the top quality wines of the region. The Loibenberg is actually one of the Wachau’s largest single vineyards and offers exceptional conditions for producing premium Riesling wines like this delicious cuvee. The vines are planted on steep rocky soils with a southerly exposure, helping to produce opulent, ripe grapes balanced by freshness and aromatics thanks to the long growing season. Seductive hints of ripe peach, apricot, and zingy lime immediately burst out of the glass, followed by an intense hit of mouthwatering freshness on the palate. It’s partially fermented in old Austrian oak casks and aged on the lees for 8 months which helps add a richer, smoother texture and hints of fresh pastries and cream on the pure, clean finish. Enjoy as an elegant aperitif or a partner for everything from sushi and fresh seafood to spicy Asian dishes and creamy cheeses.
2016