Full bodied with trademark rose petal and lychee flavours joined by spices and marmalade complete with long finish.

Rapaura Springs have turned plenty of heads with their current releases - the Reserve Pinot Noir is little short of jaw dropping. Drinking beautifully now expect a nose that's ripe, plush and jammed full of seductive fruit and spice smells, while textbook silky mouth-feel leads to a long fine finish. Drink it with five spice duck and rice.

"Faintly pinkish hue, as expected given some skin contact winemaking with this variety, as appears to be the case here. True to type aromas of brown-skinned pear and red-skinned apple with a savoury element providing some complexity. Clean and crisp on the palate, the sweetish fruit is well balanced by the acidity and a textural astringency which sits comfortably." 92 points, James Halliday Wine Companion, August 2017.

Central Otago Pinot's are generally more user-friendly than Burgundy; Rabbit Ranch is very soft fruit-forward style with soft tannins; best enjoyed young.

Isabel Estate Chardonnay exudes bright, ripe fruit such as grapefruit and lemon with upfront acidity. Complex aromas of sweet nuttiness, ripe figs and a touch of melon follow closely by with delicious nougat and caramel. Finish is creamy and lingering. Not one to miss.

Scorpo produces another excellent example of Pinot Gris from the Mornington Peninsula. Lifted aromas of pear apricot and green apple lead into a palate rich and silky in texture, the flavours showing depth and complexity, the acidity in perfect balance.

Two vineyards were established in the Bendigo sub-region: The Prophets Rock Home Vineyard and, subsequently, the Rocky Point. Both are steep and elevated, and each is distinctive The Home Vineyard with its rare mix of soils, including schist,clay and chalk, and Rocky Point with its stony ground and almost treacherous slopes.A wide spectrum of aromatics from pear and white peach, citrus, quince and spice notes with an underlying minerality. These aromas are echoed on the palate, highlighted by crisp acidity and a long finish. The texture, freshness and concentrated aromatics mean that this wine will harmonise will with a wide range of dishes. Consider white meats, seafood and fish, the wine will also work well with mildly spiced dishes.This wine will reward careful cellaring over the next 6 10+ years from vintage

Mt Difficulty is one of Central Otago's oldest and most prestigious vineyards. Having tamed the rugged region since 1992, Mt Difficulty produce wines of utmost character and charm. Their Roaring Meg Pinot Noir shows lovely perfumed blackberry and dark cherry fruits along with a hint of spice. On the palate the wine has a sweet berry character along with balanced, ripe textural tannins that rise gracefully out of the mid-palate to finish the wine.

Mud House have asserted a reputation for Pinot Noir in a crowded New Zealand marketplace by proving excellent varietal and terroir driven examples like this Golden Terraces Vineyard Pinot Noir from Central Otago at some great prices. With lifted aromas of dark cherry and berry fruit with underlying notes of mocha and cinnamon giving way to a sumptuous palate of bramble and spice characters with considerable length.