There’s an old Irish saying “what’s rare is wonderful”, and our judges certainly found that with these white wines to watch.

Diversity is the word du jour out there in wine land right now and here at dish we couldn’t be more chuffed about that. While we’re massive fans of the classic whites — chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and riesling — we can’t deny the tingle in our giblets when a sample bottle of saucy chenin blanc, glorious grüner veltliner or marvelous marsanne arrives in the office. We can’t get enough of those lesser-known but darn lovely white wine styles that deserve way more attention and exposure than they currently get. Autumn is also the perfect season to sip something slightly left of centre as the afternoon shadows grow long on the lawn. So it was with great excitement that our team of judges gathered in the sensory laboratory at EIT in Hawke’s Bay to sip their way through a record 67 examples of emerging white wine varieties, and far out, they did not disappoint!

First appearing on the scene back in 2011 as a single barrel made by Coopers Creek, Spanish and Portuguese signature white grape albariño (al-bah-reen-yo) has well and truly made a happy home here in Aotearoa. Our judges were blown away by the quality of entries from across the motu, and that’s evident by no fewer than five appearing in our top 12. Viognier also showed very strongly, and congratulations to the team at The Wine Portfolio who produced the two that were awarded gold medals. But how great is it that we also found gold medal-winning wunderkinds such as würzer, chenin blanc, petit manseng and even a blend of marsanne and roussanne? Without further ado, read on about these rare and delicious drinks.

TOP OF THE TASTING – Wairau River Marlborough Albariño 2024 ($34.00) – Gold Medal

Absolutely stacked with juicy pear, peach, spring blossom florals and lemony layers on the nose and palate and roaring with rich, zesty textures, this wine delivered an instant “wow” from all our judges. Licked with soft apricot, it’s deliciously structured, beautifully balanced and finishes with lacy minerality. An excellent example. wairauriverwines.com

Misty Cove Landmark Gisborne Albariño 2024 ($25.00) – Gold Medal

Incredibly bright and energetic, every glass of this Gisborne-grown goodness will bring oohs and ahs. Concentrated citrus, fresh florals, layers of lemon pith and lime blossom make this a superstar wine. Youthful, frisky and fanging with flavour, our judges were immediately impressed by its complexity and vibrancy. mistycovewines.com

Mount Fishtail Marlborough Albariño 2024 ($25.00) – Gold Medal

Pale and peach-scented, this gum-tingling example is saturated with floral intensity, lime zest, apricot and crisp citrus. Our judges all noted its seam of salinity and its taut structure and its lusciously long finish. Also made by the Misty Cove kids, it’s a style that just leaps out of the glass like liquid sunshine. mountfishtailwines.co.nz

Forrest Marlborough Albariño 2024 ($28.00) – Gold Medal

A sensationally aromatic albariño here, showing classic green fruits, guava and talc-like characters on the nose. It’s an albariño with its own personality, so don’t expect any same old, same old here! A tweak of passionfruit and tropical intensity add flesh to its lemon lines and accentuate its long finish. forrest.co.nz

Falconhead Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2024 ($17.00) – Gold Medal + Best Buy

Vibrant, energetic viognier is an absolute joy to drink and this one had our judges all silently nodding their approval after every sip. Classically floral, jasmine- stacked, roaring with apricot stone and tropical tautness, it’s a rich, juicy style, accentuated with a teensy 6% splash of gewürztraminer to add lusciousness and freshness. wineportfolio.co.nz

Leveret Estate Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2024 ($22.00) – Gold Medal + Best Buy

“Rich”, “full”, “spicy”, “sexy” were all common descriptors for this wine, a style saturated with sweet orange oil and classic jasmine, with hints of lychee and guava rolling around a core of classic apricot characters. Refreshing and vibrant, it’s a satisfying, saucy thing to sip. wineportfolio.co.nz

Seifried Nelson Würzer 2024 ($26.00) – Gold Medal

Würzer is ultra-rare on our shores, ultra-rare globally in fact. It began life in 1932 in Germany as a cross between gewürztraminer and Müller Thurgau and the Seifried example has spiced green fig, honeysuckle, lychee, musky ginger nuances and fresh, grapey goodness in every sip. Juicy textured and long on flavour. seifried.co.nz

Akitu Central Otago Pinot Noir Blanc 2024 ($42.75) – Gold Medal

Technically this wine shouldn’t have qualified as it was mistakenly entered as a ‘pinot blanc’, which is an ‘emerging’ white grape. However, this wine is actually a white wine crafted from pinot noir — a red grape. This wasn’t discovered until after the tasting and by then our judges were all WAY too excited about it. Hey ho. Nobody died. This wine has baked apple, yellow plum, soft apricot scent, a full-proportioned palate and a lick of salinity to finish. akitu.wine

Beach House La Plage Chenin Blanc 2024 ($36.00) – Gold Medal

Our judges were immediately wowed by how stunningly perfumed this wine was. Racy, crunchy-fresh apple and fruit salad sensations on the nose lead to a bold, juicy, palate redolent of quince, ‘Winter Cole’ pear, honeysuckle and a splash of spice. Very delicious, very youthful and dangerously drinkable. beachhouse.co.nz

Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Marsanne Roussanne 2024 ($40.00) – Gold Medal

It’s incredibly rare to see wine made from marsanne grapes or roussanne grapes, let alone a blend of the two. The team at Trinity Hill have been crafting quality examples of these two Rhone Valley natives for many years and this 2024 blend is ultra-fresh, stacked with green tree-fruits, white pepper, ripe melon and it boasts a rich, creamy finish. Give it a good 45minutes in the fridge before serving. Yum! trinityhill.com

Forrest Marlborough Petit Manseng 2024 ($28.00) – Gold Medal

This was a cheeky entry in that it’s definitely more suited to a dessert wine tasting (despite being served in a 750ml bottle) as it comes with a whopping 75g/l residual sugar. However, petit manseng is a very rare white grape on our shores so we let it slide. Again, nobody died. Layered with mango and lychee, candied lime and rich, tropical fruit, it’s an intensely complex wine (which does also come in dry styles in its home in southwest France). Intriguingly spicy to finish. Drink chilled.forrest.co.nz

*Best Buy status is given to sub-$25 wines achieving Gold Medal awards.

SILVER WINNERS