Lovely fresh Riesling from the pioneering Seifried family estate, who set up in the super-sunny coastal region of Nelson in 1973 (way before most of Marlborough next door). In the 1970s Hermann Seifried, then a fresh-faced Austrian wine nut seeking adventure, travelled to New Zealand. It was a final stop-off on a world tour, mainly to see where the All Blacks came from. There he fell in love with a local primary school teacher, Agnes, and has never left. In 1973 the couple realised their shared dream – to plant a vineyard – and have since racked up a host of awards. Today their three children, Chris, Heidi and Anna, help run the property in Nelson – a region with over 2,400 hours of sunshine, it's the sunniest in New Zealand.

An absolute standout and not just for its affordability! This riesling features gorgeously punchy, vibrant citrus character and trademark Tasmanian acidity giving it great backbone. Immensely drinkable, with lemons and lime character perfectly complemented by palate weight. A superb cool climate Tasmanian riesling. The untamed east coast of Tasmania is home to Devils Corner and attempting to tame this wild environment is chief winemaker Tom Wallace. Tom previously honed his skills completing vintages in California, Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley. He now does so at the Kayena Winery in the Tamar Valley where he oversees winemaking for Tamar Ridge, Pirie and Devils Corner. Given how well reviewed this riesling was, we can safely say hes doing an excellent job producing absolutely stunning cool climate wines. Fortunately for us and thanks to Toms efforts, you wont have to brave the wild to sample this award winner.

This classic Riesling has crisp and racy finish with a slight touch of sweetness to balance the natural acidity.

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/orchestracms/eosportal/pdf/tasting-notes/jim-barry-spring-farm-block-114-riesling-2013.pdf

Biodynamic. Dry. In Alsace, the term Pinot Blanc is used to describe varietal wines or blends containing any percentage of Auxerrois. Weinbach’s Pinot Blanc is a blend of 70% Auxerrois and 30% Pinot Blanc. For fellow nerds, recent DNA studies indicate Auxerrois is a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir. Weinbach’s blend comes from Clos des Capucins (with 45-year-old vines) and a plot from the limestone/clay soils at the foot of the Altenbourg vineyard. As with the dry Rieslings, the Pinot Blanc was pressed as whole bunches and raised over eight months in large-format wood (previous vintages were raised in tank). It's a far more layered and complex wine than you might expect from these varieties. It’s fleshy and mouth-filling with orchard fruits, white blossom and chamomile flavours and a textural core threaded through with punchy freshness. As with all these 2022s, it’s very hard to drink slowly!

Delicate pale lemon colour with a hint of green and bursts from the glass with intense rose‑petal, lychee and musk‑stick aromas, underscored by subtle cinnamon and green‑melon lift. On the palate it’s crisply dry yet softly textured, combining talc‑like phenolics with rose‑petal florals and a precise, linear mineral‑tinged finish.

A perfect Riesling? Perfection is personal, but this must come close...

“How can you resist this barely off-dry riesling beauty? It’s brimming with peach, nectarine and spring blossoms, plus a hint of fresh baguette yeastiness. Wonderfully juicy, thanks to the cornucopia of fruit, and extremely vibrant, thanks to the racy acidity on the medium-bodied palate. Extremely long finish with a super abundance of peach-skin and wet-stone character. Enormous aging potential.” 98 points, Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com