A recent Hen’s night was a great opportunity to taste a range of different sparkling wines at the lower end of the price spectrum. This is not meant to make my friends sound cheap, but it’s a reality when you know everyone’s going to be sharing and there’s only just time to make a quick stop at the supermarket on the way. Mostly these wines have a bit of sweetness to them to make them approachable, and an example of this was the Lindauer Summer, a sparkling Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris is not commonly used in sparkling wines. There might be one other produced here but I’d not actually tried any. It was a curious wee drop. Quite fat and broad on the palate, with lots of stonefruit flavours. This is pretty easy drinking, but not as refreshing as a lean, linear sparkling wine. It’s not really my cup of tea but I’d actually really like to try using it in a fruity cocktail.
An a totally different end of the spectrum, at a recent tasting I tried some other Pinot Gris from a handful of producers. Pinot Gris can present in a range of styles and they made for interesting comparison. The Margrain Pinot Gris 2009 from Martinborough was made in a bone dry style, showing some nutty notes along with spice and a clean minerality. A great one to try if you tend to think of Pinot Gris as a sweeter wine. It also has potential to develop in the cellar, but it’s drinking nicely now. $39.00
From Te Whare Ra in Marlborough, a producer obsessed with white aromatics, is a more fruit focussed offering, but still refreshingly drying. This Pinot Gris from the 2010 vintage shows the producer’s trademark delicacy, with stonefruit and apple characters $35.00
Back to Martinborough, the Burnt Spur Pinot Gris was a bit more fruity again, showing lots of natural pear, ginger spice and florals. A little bit of residual sugar helps to make it feel a bit broader in the mouth. Reasonably priced at $29.00.
Martinborough Vineyard Manu Riesling won gold at the Air New Zealand Wine awards. I’ll say it again - delicious wine that will reward patient cellaring!