When I think of breathtaking landscapes, one of the very first places that comes to my mind is the beautiful country of New Zealand. This country is definitely on my bucket list of places to visit. New Zealand is made up of two islands, the North Island and the South Island. It’s approximately a thousand miles southeast of Australia and holds around half the population of New York City. Its cool climate and mountain ranges make it a fabulous place to grow grapes. I love the style of the Chardonnays from the warmer North Island. They tend to have delicious tropical fruit notes of pineapple and stone fruit.

As we travel down over to the South Island, we have the famous wine region of Marlborough. Here at Nino’s, we have a large variety of wines from this particular region, including the famous Sauvignon Blanc. My guests here at Nino’s love the fresh taste of the Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. They tend to have a citrus taste with passion fruit and kiwi flavors. Sometimes they even have a mild sweetness. The Pinot Noirs from this region are very mild with crisp acidity and strawberry and cherry flavors. Here are a couple of New Zealand wines we carry here at Nino’s.

Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir 2012- North Canterbury, New Zealand

Aroma: Black cherries and violets

Palate: Bramble fruit and subtle tannins. It’s the perfect match with crispy duck and Asian dishes.

Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc 2012- North Canterbury, New Zealand

Aroma: Kiwi and passion fruit

Palate: Creamy with bright minerality

It’s the perfect match for shellfish and seafood dishes.

Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay 2012- East Coast, New Zealand

From the east coast of New Zealand, from the Marlborough and Hawkes Bay region

Aroma: Pineapple, melon and hints of butterscotch

Palate: Crisp and fresh

I hope you found this helpful.

Until next time!

Cheers,

Simone