On the Vines – Mangawhai Village Wines

Our next tasting evening is Thursday, 22 June at 7pm in store. Steve Bennett MW (owner of one of our suppliers – Mucho Gusto) will lead us in tasting Spanish and Italian Red Wines.

This event is sold out and there is a waiting list.

NEXT YEAR (which means from July onwards) we will be holding more events than this year – featuring winery presentations, as well as generic wine evenings e.g. chardonnays, French whites etc. and spirits evenings too.

CORPORATE FUNCTIONS – it has been put to me that we should hold corporate tasting evenings. Should any business be interested in participating in such an event, please contact me at the shop, either in person or by email (mark@mvwines.co.nz) or by phone 020 4117 5566.

Any rosé goes well with a good lunch in the summer.

Rosé will compliment smoked salmon, pâté, ham, prosciutto with a lovely fresh salad and vine ripened tomatoes. YUM!

Been out fishing and have caught a snapper? Complement it with a nice dry Riesling – the perfect answer. You could also try a Viognier or an Albariño

Barbecued meat? – try a Pinot Noir, a Côtes du Rhône or a good Cab Merlot blend.

We have a range of all the wines above for any type of pocket. Come in and see for yourself.

Our opening hours for the holiday season are as follows:

Monday-Thursday & Sunday – 11am – 6pm

Friday – 11am – 7pm

Saturday – 10am – 7pm

CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY

Jan 1st – 12pm – 6pm

We look forward to welcoming you in store.

The staff at MV Wines (Mark, Maureen and Chris) would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the compliments of the season – whether it is Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays we hope that the December-January period is one of happiness, togetherness and good health for you all.

I read a recent article in the NZ Herald, reproduced from The Listener, and written by Michael Cooper.  It was the Weekend Wine Guide: Best reds, whites and rosés for under $30.

In the article there were some wines that we stock, which are worth noting:

Mills Reef Estate Hawke’s Bay Merlot/ Cabernet 2020 (4 stars): Instantly likeable, this 2:1 blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon was grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle and French oak-aged for a year. Deeply coloured, it is very fresh, fruity and smooth, with ripe berry, plum and spice flavours showing good richness. Our price $24

Stonecroft Gimbletts Gravels Serine Syrah 2020 (5 stars): This delicious red was hand-picked and French oak-aged for over 18 months. Deeply coloured, it has strong, youthful plum, spice and black pepper flavours, seasoned with finely integrated, nutty oak. Best drinking 2024+. NB Ours is the 2019. Our price $31

We are proud to be one of the first North Island sales points for Mt Fyffe Distillery gins.

There are two gins available – Shearwater and Woolshed. The owner and distiller, Justine, sources all the botanicals locally.

Shearwater is a contemporary style oceanic gin and is inspired by the unique Hutton Shearwater birds who breed in the high Kaikoura ranges before moving to the sea. Among botanicals used are rosehip, blue borage and native seaweed (Karengu). The gin is oceanic fresh and fruity, light and crisp whilst retaining a depth to it. It is best served with either an organic tonic or grapefruit soda. Garnish with orange peel and a sweet basil leaf.

Woolshed is a London dry style gin. Among botanicals used are kanuka, mint, elderflowers, as well as juniper, coriander and angelica root, all of which are carefully balanced. The result is a gin with a bold smooth flavour. It is indeed “a botanical party in the mouth’. Serve with an organic tonic or Fever Tree Elderflower tonic. Add a slice of cucumber and sweet basil leaf.

(Source: distillery information sheet)

Some of the botanicals used in the gins

In recent competitions these gins have won the following:

Shearwater: Bronze – NZ Spirits Awards 2022; New Zealand Emerging Product Award – NZ Spirits Awards 2022

Woolshed: Silver – Australian Gin Awards 2021, London Spirits Competition 2022 and NZ Spirits Awards 2022; New Zealand Emerging Product Award – NZ Spirits Awards 2022

Both gins are now available in store, along with the tonics. The gins are priced at $95

We have had a few new products come into the shop of late, which may interest some of you.

First up is something from the Campari producers. They have created their own RTE (Ready To Enjoy) ready made Campari Negroni. This retails at $59 and is in a 500 ml bottle.

Secondly, we have a lovely French Petit Chablis to replace our popular Denis Race Chablis (which is currently not available in NZ). This Petit Chablis is grown at higher altitudes. The hills around Chablis are fairly steep – precipitous even.

The key difference between Chablis and Petit Chablis is the soil type. PC tends to be younger and fresher.

A wonderful analogy is this: “Petit Chablis is for drinking with strangers, Chablis you open when friends come round, Premier Cru is for when you have family and Grand Cru is for you to share with just your partner… or when they have gone to bed.”

Ours is from the popular Domaine Séguinot winery and sells for $35.

Thirdly, we have a new Austrian Zweigelt, a red wine. It is a grape that is grown here, but not much. In Austria it is very popular and there are some superb examples to be had.

Zweigelt combines an intense berry fruitiness with an appealing acidic tartness that makes for a bracing and refreshing wine. Zweigelt wines are light bodied, contain very few tannins, and have a fairly high acidity. It is a really good wine to drink and we have been lucky enough to get some of Austrian origin, as well as some from Seifried (originally an Austrian family) winery in Nelson.

The Steininger Zweigelt is selling at $43 a bottle.

I am pleased to say that we are almost fully sold out. If you would like to go on the waiting list, please contact Mark on the shop phone 020 4117 5566 – or leave a text message.