Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico DOCG The vineyards of Volpaia, located between 300 and 500 metres of elevation, are the highest in the Chianti region. This is one of the reasons why our Chianti Classico is renown for its elegance and freshness with a rich bouquet of red fruits and spices. The grapes are harvested by hand and collected in boxes holding less than 20Kgs of fruit. In the winery, they are destemmed and lightly pressed before fermentation commences use their own yeasts for two weeks. After this, the wines macerate for a further ten days on their own skins to give structure, complexity and colour to the wines prior to malolactic fermentation to knock the edges off. Ageing takes place in oak barrels for 14 months.

Church Road is one of the oldest wineries in New Zealand. Led by legendary winemaker Tom McDonald, they were one of the first to craft exceptional Bordeaux-style red wine in Hawkes Bay. Today, they still maintain Toms vision of quality and craft in all the wines they make. Church Roads commitment to centuries-old winemaking techniques using French oak wine vats and French oak barriques remains undiminished. The winery is celebrating Tom McDonalds vision and legacy with the Church Road McDonald Series, complex, textural wines that are a fitting tribute to a legend whose influence is still felt today. This is a serious, multidimensional Merlot. The heart of this wine is its dense, brooding plum and dark berry fruit. This is complimented by lifted aromas reminiscent of roses, cedar, sandalwood and warm spice, while the oak delivers underlying dark chocolate and savoury notes. The palate is rich, weighty and long driven by a firm yet fine-grained tannin structure.

We have to talk about the Elephant in the Room Merlot. An aromatic scent of ripe, red berries balanced by spice and earthiness is continued into the palate with a well-contained flavour explosion. The delightful finish makes this the perfect wine to enjoy with friends.

Audrey Wilkinsons Merlot is a mellow, easy approaching style that is packed with ripe plum aromas and subtle oak. It is matured in French and American oak for 18 months, giving the wine soft tannins and a flavoursome finish.

When it comes to Australian Merlot, Katnook is among the very best. Lovely plum dark berry and cedary cigar box characters slip seamlessly into a finish that seems everlasting. Aged for 22 months in French oak, the swathes of blackcurrant are a delight to the senses.

This wine is rich and juicy, brimming with damson plum and cherry flavours. Medium bodied in style with fine tannins and nicely integrated French oak providing excellent length and structure to the palate.

The youthful exuberance of Wee Angus is expressed through the gentle plummy characters of Merlot. A subtle touch of vanillin oak and a generous finish combine to create the perfect accompaniment to your next barbeque. Ready to be enjoyed in its youth and will also continue to improve over the next 2-4 years.

McGuigan produce another fantastically smooth and rich Merlot from their Black Label range. It is a soft and flavoursome wine with ripe fruit flavours of raspberry, cherry and plums integrated with subtle oak.

Devils Creek Merlot by Michelini has sweet aromas of ripe plum and berries lead to a soft rounded palate chock full of juicy red fruit and gentle tannin with just a touch of sweetness. Soft easy drinking at a very attractive price!