Stockist/Retailer: N.D. John

(2025) From and estate in Piedmont that farms some of the region's steepest vineyards, this is 100% lMoscato in a half bottle size. Harvested around one month later than normal, and with a portion of grapes dried on rush mats where they lose 40% of fruit weight through evaporation, it is luscious and combines barley sugar and orange aromas, with Moscato's distinct floral element. 12 months ageing in small oak barrels has rounded out the creaminess on the palate, where this sweet wine retains enough bright acidity to balance nicely. There aren't many sub-£10 wines around made with this complexity of process.

(2025) This is an early review for this wine, written in November 2025, so expect it to become much more widely available over ensuing months. With fruit mainly from the Wairau Valley, 1.8% of the blend was fermented in large-format oak vats and a portion using wild yeast. Aromatically there is definitely a touch of the passion fruit and elderflower, but this vintage seems to be more about a direct citrus freshness in a wine of very pale colour. In the mouth it is bracing stuff, less flamboyant than some vintages, and again a cool citrus and lightly herbal character rather than anything overtly tropical. It has texture, and glimpses of a juicier nectarine weight in a a well-tempered rendition of this classic Marlborough SB in 2025.

(2025) Around 15% of the grapes are left to dry for 3-4 weeks until they have lost 10-15% of their weight. After separate vinification the Appassimento and other portions are blended and rest on fine lees for about 3-4 months. Deeper in colour with a yellow/gold hue, the nutty character here is much more pronounced than the straight Grillo. Weightier and more slippery on the palate, the citrus is still there as well as the bitter almond, almost quinine character, and 7.5g/l of sugar adding a little weight. It is still dry, a different feel altogether, and arguably more complex.

(2025) The first Riesling vineyard was planted in Eden Valley more than 175 years ago, and this wine from Pewsey Vale has been a favourite of mine for many years. Part fermented with wild yeast and weighing in with just 11.5% alcohol, it is pale and colour and abundantly fresh and limey on the nose. A gentle beeswax note is typical. Featherweight yet with a rippling texture on the palate, more lime, green leafy herbs and stone fruits merge into a gentle acid finish. There is not the strident acidity of some from Clare and Eden, but a much gentler profile.

(2024) Michel Chapoutier is one of the superstar names of the Rhône Valley, but his acquisitive company now has wine brands from Australia to Champagne. This Languedoc wine comes from vineyards owned by the Chapoutier family planted on clay and limestone soils. It is made without added sulphur, and part of its easy-going charm may come from the fact that a little unfermented grape juice is in the blend giving natural sweetness. It is buoyant and has an elegant floral and cherry lift to the aroma, then the palate is plush and supple, lots of fruit concentration and sweetness on the mid-palate, before ripe and creamy tannins and pert acidity balance. Wild boar or hare ragu would be fabulous with this. Watch the video for more information.

(2024) d'Arenberg is one of the iconic names of Australian wine and has been a constant presence on UK wine shelves for decades. This is 100% biodynamic Grenache, foot trodden two-thirds of the way through ferment and pressed in a basket press as is d'Arenberg's way. It was matured in French oak for nine months. It has a terrific nose, straddling a buoyant, crushed red berry fruit with masses of fresh-cracked black pepper and a certain meatiness. In the mouth it has substantial tannins and fine acid core, but the weight of fruit is equal to that all the way, giving this lots of drinkability as well as a bit of serious gastronomic usefulness. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.

(2023) A single vineyard wine from a vineyard that, prior to the 1931 Napier earthquake, was a tidal estuary. Now drained, seashell deposits remain interspersed through maritime clay. Planted in 1998, the vineyard is dry farmed. After fermentation with indigenous yeasts and partial malolactic fermentation, it saw extended ageing in French oak barriques, 35% new. Pale straw/lemon, the nose has flint and iodine aromatics, a Brazil nut, buttery character beneath. In the mouth it is bracing and salt-licked, the fruit lemony and fresh, but there is creaminess to the texture and the plushness of the background oak lends fine support as does crisp, tangy and lightly pithy acidity. Powerful stuff, intense and long.

(2023) Six grapes in the blend here led by Touriga Nacional, in a wine from the single quinta of Vargellas. It has 99% of residual sugar. Pouring a dramatically dark and opaque crimson-black, the nose is delightful, delicate floral and raspberry nuances around a core of darker, plum and liquorice. So deliciously sweet and full on the palate, the tannins and the spices are there giving a dry background character, but the elegant and sweet fruit moving into chocolate makes this a joy to drink now, or to cellar for a decade or more. Decant off sediment. Use the wine-searcher link to shop around as prices for this wine vary quite markedly. The quoted stockist is the cheapest we could find at time of review.

(2023) As always, A2 is that bit more approachable in its youth, and indeed this is 100% approachable - and delicious. The melange of cherry, spicy tobacco and undertow of game and truffle is inviting. The palate opens with sweet, juicy fruit, but that hint of olive and briar sappiness adds an edge of clarity. The tannins and acids combine effortlessly for a supple, crisp finish.

(2022) A new vintage of Cloudy Bay's iconic Sauvignon Blanc is always eagerly awaited, and luckily for fans, this 2002 nicely reflects the quality of the vintage. The nose opens with a surge of exotic fruit: mango, guava and lychee, fused with elderflower and a little herbaceous green bean, but all integrated and harmonious. The palate has a full texture and plenty of weighty fruit concentration, a mouth-watering pink grapefruit core of keen acidity balancing nicely. You cannot deny the quality here.