Our judges lips were well and truly stunned by the smorgasbord of left-field reds that are pushing our palate envelopes...

When it comes to red wines, here at dish, we adore the classics. We crave great cabernet sauvignon, magical merlot, seductive syrah and spice-saturated pinot noir — we love them to bits. But sometimes our taste buds tingle for something a tad more exotic, some stylish spaggle from far-off climes if you will.

Happily, wines that walk on the wild side are becoming much easier to experience and we felt it was high time to unleash as many of them as possible onto the professional palates of our judging team. We wanted to see what was out there all the way from aglianico to zweigelt, with hopefully hefty splashes of barbera, cabernet franc, carménère, chambourcin, dolcetto, freisa, gamay noir, grenache, lagrein, malbec, marzemino, montepulciano, nebbiolo, petit verdot, pinotage, st laurent, sangiovese, tannat, tempranillo, touriga nacional and zinfandel in between.

And we were not disappointed. 55 entries were received and with 92 percent of them earning medals, our judges were seriously impressed with the quality. Not only is New Zealand’s wine landscape growing up and getting genuinely adventurous, but our importers are also taking inspired risks and retailers are backing their curiosity. And it’s brilliant that consumers are increasingly reaching past the usual suspects and discovering that the tastiest bottle on the shelf just might be made from grapes they’ve never heard of. Consider this your permission slip to go exploring!

Tasting Panel Judges
Yvonne Lorkin — dish drinks editor
Gordon Russell — Winemaker
Amy Hopkinson-Styles — Owner/winemaker Halcyon Days
Kel Dixon — Winemaker Shed 530

1 FIRST EQUAL: Fazzoleto Barbera Passito 2021 $31.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Immediately wow-inducing, this Piemonte-grown wine is inky-dark and glossy, with a dense, intensely mouth-filling texture that feels warm, plush and generously proportioned. Showing excellent depth and freshness, here’s a barbero-boosting juicy complexity, supple textures, smoky oak notes and a long, concentrated finish bursting with dark blackberry, plum, espresso, chocolate, exotic spices and a deliciously chewy yet velvety finish. Fun fact: The name and red neckerchief on the bottle represent the fazzoletto rosso worn by Italian resistance fighters during WWII. finewine.co.nz

1 FIRST EQUAL: Mont-Redon Côtes Du Rhône Reserve 2023 $23.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Aaah-inducing aromas of roasted strawberries, dark flowers, baking spice and maraschino cherry roar from this youthful Rhône grenache-syrah blend. Sarsaparilla, smoky berries and a flicker of stemmy complexity surge through a mid-palate stitched together by bright acidity. The texture is soft yet structured, with every-fine, slightly chalky tannins. A dry, spicy, berry-soaked finish and gloriously deep colour make this a seriously generous, seriously sexy style. glengarrywines.co.nz

3 Smith & Sheth CRU Heretaunga Cabernet Franc 2024 $40.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Get set for a flavour-fest of cherry and dark berry confection, damson plum and tomato leaf from this classy cabernet franc. A splash of cabernet sauvignon laces it with dark florals and adds complexity to its core of bramble, red fruits, graphite, iron and it delivers a whisper of soy and black olive cruise through the mid-palate. Dangerously easy to drink, the textures are supple yet firm, with iron-lift-in-velvet-glove tannins and bright acidity bringing charm and prettiness to the finish. smithandsheth.com

4 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Gran Selezione Chianti Classico DOCG 2021 $42.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Dense crimson with a gentle fade at the rim, dark berry, bitumen and dark floral aromas lead this Tuscan-born blend of sangiovese and merlot, delivering a smoky lift on the nose. Juicy plum, sour cherry and savoury spice surge through a palate possessed with a subtle hint of tar. With generous mid-palate weight, fresh acidity and confidently extracted, chewy tannins that are still integrating, it’s built for hearty meaty meals and the biggest, most swillable glass you’ve got. cbfinewine.co.nz

5 Poderi Crisci Waiheke Island Montepulciano 2021 $60.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Yum! Intensely aromatic with dark fruit, cocoa and a lift of spice, this deeply coloured, wickedly inky red from Waiheke made a massive impression. Bold flavours of blackberry, plum and high-toned sweetness unfurl alongside woody warmth and a hint of volatility that actually brightens the perfume. Rich and vibrant through the mid-palate, it carries grainy-yet-ripe tannins and wow-inducing weight. The finish is medicinal, drying and powerful, meaning there’s a lot going on, and a little more time in the cellar will only improve it. podericrisci.co.nz

6 Postage Stamp Waiheke Island Camino Tempranillo 2022 $64.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Inky and brooding, this bruising, berry-driven style leads with tar, dark bramble and cigar-box swagger. Cocoa, earth and whisper of vanilla laced American oak rumble beneath, while grippy, concentrated tannins clamp down with authority. The acid cuts through with impressive persistence, and that deep, smothering, chewy finish lingers long after the glass is empty. Unapologetically bold and saucy to sip, it’s a stunner. postagestampwines.co.nz

7 Pask Small Batch Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2021 $50.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Gloriously dense and youthful, this vibrant malbec bursts with ripe blueberry, dark plum and a gorgeously violet flourish. Charred oak and dried herbs add elegant complexity, while the palate is rich, mouthfilling and supremely confident. Supple yet structured tannins cradle a juicy, concentrated core, and the acid drive keeps everything lively through to a long, chewy, deeply satisfying finish. pask.co.nz

8 Mission Estate Hawke’s Bay Reserve Malbec 2020 $25.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Impenetrably deep and unapologetically bold, this old-school beauty opens with a fleeting whisper of reduction before revealing glorious layers of blackberry, cocoa and tar. The palate is serious, meaty mouthful, rich and fruit-forward, with sinewy, chunky tannins that slowly soften into velvety texture. Oyster shell minerality and exceptional length seal the deal. Malbec at its most magnificently full-blooded best. missionestate.co.nz

9 Saldo Zinfandel 2023 $50.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Scented with dusty blackberry bushes growing beside sun-baked gravel roads, that’s the opening act of this gloriously chaotic, crazy-good blend of zinfandel, petite sirah, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. Rhubarb, spiced plum, tobacco and sweet vanilla caramel lie in wait on the palate delivering rich, slippery, generously fruited depth. Big chewy tannins gradually soften into a lengthy finish. cbfinewine.co.nz

10 La Bacca Terre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese 2023 $21.00
★★★★☆ Silver Medal

Plump and fruity, this nerello mascalese from Sicily opens with lifted aromas of cherry, fruitcake spices, warm earth and an intriguing medicinal whisper. Juicy red fruit bounces across the palate with elegance and soft, easy generosity, while gentle chewy tannins and bright, zippy acid carry everything gracefully through to a dry, herb-tinged finish. More please! finewine.co.nz

11 Mr Riggs Montepulciano d’Adelaide 2023 $23.00
★★★★☆ Silver Medal

Glossy and inky-black, this is a crowd-pleaser that leaps from the glass with smoked rose petal, potpourri and a mint-kissed rush of blackberry and liquorice. Full and weighty, its sweet, lush fruit floods the palate with dangerously drinkable charm, while soft tannins and a sweet-sour tension merges with a complex, herbal, spice-saturated finish. winecentral.co.nz

Special Mention

Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Touriga Nacional 2021 $90.00
★★★★★ Gold Medal

Glossy and gorgeous, this seductive, exotically spiced fortified wine is pretty much unputdownable. Why? Because Christmas cake spices, black cherry jam, iodine, chocolate and coffee collide in crazy-good fashion, while the palate is lush, sweet and supple with finely tuned tannins. New Zealand’s finest fortified? Quite possibly. Sip slowly, savour deeply, and remind yourself why these wines deserve a magnificent comeback. trinityhill.com (while we didn’t specifically call for entries of fortified wines, this one arrived and we couldn’t help but love it!)

An enormous thank you to the team at the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction for the use of their glassware, to Maxine Cavey for her stewarding prowess, and to the good folk at the Eastern Institute of Technology Viticulture and Wine Science Department for the use of their sensory laboratory.

BEST BUY status is given to sub-$25.00 wines achieving Gold Medal awards. All prices in NZ$