These wines, ranging in price from $13 to $35, are all top buys. Photo / Getty Images
It’s easy to find a wine of good quality – the shelves are overflowing with them. For wine lovers, the biggest challenge – and the greatest satisfaction – lies in identifying labels that offer good to outstanding quality at prices that deliver great value.
Everyone loves a bargain, we
are told. These wines, ranging in price from $13 to $35, are all top buys.
Whites
Askerne Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024
A classic regional style, this fleshy, finely balanced wine was fermented and aged on its yeast lees for 10 months in French oak barrels. It has generous, well-ripened stonefruit flavours gently seasoned with toasty oak, and a very harmonious finish. Weighty, lively and well rounded, it should break into full stride mid-2028+. (14% alc/vol) $30-$35
Askerne Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024. Image / Supplied
Awatere River Marlborough Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★½
This youthful, characterful wine was mostly handled in stainless steel tanks but 10% of the blend was barrel-fermented. Mouthfilling, fresh and lively, it has excellent depth of peachy, citrusy, spicy flavours showing a distinct touch of complexity, balanced acidity and a basically dry finish. (13% alc/vol) $25
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2025
★★★★½
This wine consistently offers greater richness and complexity than most sub-$25 chardonnays. Grown mostly in the lower Tukituki Valley and fermented and lees-aged for eight months in French oak casks (25% new), it is full bodied, with concentrated, ripe stonefruit flavours, strong buttery and toasty notes add good complexity, balanced acidity and a dry, very harmonious finish. (14% alc vol). $20-$24
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★★
Estate grown inland, this Alsace-style wine is full of personality and a top buy. Attractively scented and weighty, it has concentrated peach, pear and spice flavours, a slightly oily texture, a distinct splash of sweetness and balanced acidity. Still unfolding but already delicious, it should be at its best 2028+. (14.5% alc/vol) $20-$23
Clearview Beachhead Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024
★★★★½
This Hawke’s Bay winery has a reputation for powerful chardonnays, and top vintages of this good-value label are no exception. Full bodied, it has generous, ripe, peachy fruit flavours, gentle mealy and biscuity notes adding complexity, a hint of butterscotch, fresh acidity and a finely poised finish. Already very approachable, it’s a vibrantly fruity wine, likely to be at its best mid-2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $25-$29
Delegat Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★½
This is a top buy. A medium-to-full-bodied, zesty wine, it has fresh, pungent, passionfruit-like flavours, hints of green capsicums, and a dry, sustained finish. Intensely varietal, it offers excellent drinking over the next year. (12.5% alc/vol) $19
Delegat Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2025. Photo / Supplied
Forrest Marlborough Chardonnay 2024
★★★★½
Showing surprising complexity and richness for a chardonnay in its price range, this youthful wine was fermented and matured for 10 months in oak barriques. It is weighty and finely textured, with strong, vibrant stonefruit flavours, mealy and biscuity notes adding complexity, and a harmonious finish. Best drinking mid-2027 onwards. (13.5% alc/vol) $28
Fromm Marlborough Pinot Gris 2024
★★★★★
This highly individual wine was estate grown, hand harvested and mostly tank fermented, with some handling in old oak casks. It is full bodied, with rich, peachy, spicy flavours, showing considerable complexity, and a dry, lingering finish. Currently delicious, but full of youthful vigour, it offers excellent drinking now until 2030. (13.5% alc/vol) $29
Holdaway Estate Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★
This vigorous, highly varietal wine was estate grown at Dillons Point in the ower Wairau Valley. Pale lemon/green, it is medium bodied, fresh and lively, with strong, ripe, slightly salty and green-edged flavours, crisp and lingering. (12.5% alc/vol) $18
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2025
★★★★½
Already delicious, this is a great buy. Grown in the Southern Valleys and partly barrel fermented, it is fragrant and weighty, with good intensity of ripe, peachy flavours, hints of toast and butterscotch, considerable complexity and a finely textured, dry, well-rounded finish. A top example of Marlborough chardonnay designed for early enjoyment. (13.5% alc/vol) $22
Main Divide North Canterbury Chardonnay 2025
★★★★
Fermented with indigenous (“native”) yeasts and aged in French oak puncheons, this mouthfilling wine has generous, ripe, peachy flavours. Fresh and lively, it has appetising acidity, savoury notes adding complexity and a slightly creamy texture. Best drinking mid-2027+. From Pegasus Bay. (13.5% alc/vol) $18-$22
Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★
Already very expressive, this easy-drinking wine was tank fermented and aged briefly on its yeast lees. Mouthfilling and smooth, it has plenty of ripe, peachy, slightly spicy and gingery flavour, gentle sweetness and fresh acidity. Showing good varietal character, it’s likely to be at its best 2027+. (12.5% alc/vol) $17
Mount Riley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2026
★★★★
Bargain priced, this multi-site wine was tank fermented. Very fresh and vibrant, it is medium-to-full-bodied, with ripe passionfruit and green capsicum flavours, crisp and punchy. Best drinking mid-2027+. (13% alc/vol) $14-$19
Selaks The Taste Collection Tropical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★
Drinking well now, this is a lively, strongly varietal wine. Mouthfilling, it has fresh, ripe passionfruit and green capsicum flavours, strong, dry and crisp. (13% alc/vol) $18
Seresin Marlborough Pinot Gris 2024
★★★★★
Certified organic and crafted in a dry style, this estate-grown wine was handled in stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Mouthfilling and finely textured, it has strong, vibrant peach, lychee and pear flavours, gentle spicy notes with savoury notes adding complexity, balanced acidity and a dry, lingering finish. Generous and very harmonious, it should be at its best 2028+. (13% alc/vol) $28
Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024
★★★★★
Certified organic, this estate-grown wine was mostly fermented in tanks, but part of the blend was fermented and lees aged in seasoned French oak barriques. Bright, light lemon/green, with a hint of straw, it is mouthfilling, vigorous and savoury, with vibrant, ripe, tropical fruit flavours showing excellent complexity, crisp acidity and a dry, sustained finish. Already delicious, it also has potential for cellaring. (13% alc/vol) $26
Thornbury Waipara Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★
Showing strong varietal character, this fragrant, full-bodied wine was grown in North Canterbury. Vibrantly fruity, it has very good depth of peach, pear, ginger and spice flavours, a sliver of sweetness and loads of drink-young charm. Fine value. (13% alc/vol) $13-$15
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2025
★★★½
Made in an upfront style, this partly barrel-fermented wine is full bodied, with good depth of ripe, peachy, citrusy flavours, buttery and toasty notes, balanced acidity and considerable complexity. Best drinking mid-2027+. (14% alc/vol) $15-$17
Ward Valley Stony Beach Estate Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★½
Estate-grown near Ward in southern Marlborough, this is a very fresh and vigorous wine. It has zingy melon and green capsicum-like flavours showing good intensity. Strongly varietal, it is medium to full bodied with a dry, persistent finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $20
Rosé
Black Cottage Marlborough Rosé 2025
★★★★
This attractive, bright, light pink rosé is a blend of multiple varieties. Already delicious, it has fresh, gentle strawberry, spice and watermelon flavours, lively acidity and a dry, lengthy finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $18
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2025
★★★★
This bright pink, sharply priced wine is drinking well now. Blended from such varieties as merlot and syrah, it has strong, fresh watermelon and spice flavours, a sliver of sweetness, balanced acidity and very good depth and harmony. (13% alc/vol) $15-$19
Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2025
★★★★½
Typically based on merlot, grown at relatively cool, inland sites, this is a bright, light pink wine. Vibrant, it has generous peach, watermelon and spice flavours, a hint of apricot, and a crisp, basically dry, lingering finish. Drink now and over the coming summer. Fine value. (12.5% alc/vol) $15-$18
Forrest Marlborough Rosé 2025
★★★★★
This floral, highly engaging rosé was made from pinot noir and malbec grapes. Bright pink, it has generous, vibrant strawberry and watermelon flavours, finely balanced acidity and a basically dry finish. Delicious drinking now-2027. (13% alc/vol) $25
Mount Brown North Canterbury Rosé 2025
★★★★
Priced very sharply, this is a blend of pinot noir, tempranillo and syrah. Bright pink, it is a floral, medium-bodied rosé, with very good depth of fresh, lively strawberry and spice flavours and an off-dry, finely poised finish. (12% alc/vol) $16
Waimea Nelson Pinot Noir Rosé 2025
★★★★
Ready to roll, this bright pink, medium-bodied wine is fresh and lively. It has very good depth of delicate strawberry, watermelon, peach and spice flavours and is crisp and dryish. (12% alc/vol) $19-$20
Reds
Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★½
This regional blend was harvested by hand and aged in French oak barriques. It has deep ruby colour, still youthful. Fragrant and full bodied, it is sweet fruited and savoury, with strong cherry, plum and spice flavours showing very good complexity, fresh acidity and supple tannins. A very harmonious wine, it’s currently delicious. (13.5% alc/vol) $30-$35
Delegat Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★
This great-value red was grown in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley and matured for nearly a year in French oak barriques. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, generous and supple, with fresh acidity and strong, ripe cherry, plum, berry and spice flavours showing considerable complexity. Still youthful, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $23
Delegat Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2024. Photo / Supplied
Greenhough Stone’s Throw Nelson Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★½
From two sites – including the home vineyard – a “stone’s throw” apart on the Waimea Plains, this deep, bright ruby red was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques and puncheons. Fragrant and mouthfilling, it has strong, generous cherry, plum and spice flavours, vibrant, complex and savoury, and supple tannins. Best drinking 2028 onwards. (13.5% alc/vol) $32
Hunter’s Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★½
Offering top value, this deep ruby red was grown in clay soils in the Southern Valleys, hand picked and aged for a year in French oak barrels. Mouthfilling, sweet fruited, savoury and supple, it has rich cherry, plum and spice flavours showing very good complexity and harmony. Already delicious, it should be at its best mid-2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $29
Hunter’s Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024. Photo / Supplied
Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★
Priced sharply, this ageworthy red is invitingly fragrant. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, generous and supple and has a lengthy finish. It has a good concentration of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, with finely integrated oak adding complexity. Best drinking 2027+. (13% alc/vol) $18-$25
Mount Riley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★
Looking for an excellent, bargain-priced pinot noir? Grown in the Southern Valleys and aged for seven months in French oak barriques, this bright ruby, fragrant wine is mouthfilling, savoury and supple. It has ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, refined tannins and – given its modest price – surprising depth, complexity and harmony. (13.5% alc/vol) $18
Oyster Bay Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2024
★★★★
This bargain-priced wine accounts for a huge slice of our exports of Bordeaux-style reds (merlot and/or cabernet sauvignon). Winemaker Michael Ivicevich aims for a wine with “sweet fruit and silky tannins. The trick is not too much oak”. Full coloured, it is mouthfilling and vibrant, with generous, ripe, plummy spicy flavours, showing some savoury complexity, tannin backbone and a smooth, lengthy finish. A top example of affordable Hawke’s Bay merlot, it should be at its best mid-2027+. (13% alc/vol) $20
Oyster Bay Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2024. Photo / Supplied
Pask Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2024
★★★★
This Hawke’s Bay red is richly coloured, sturdy and supple. Made in a strongly varietal, fruit-driven style, it has vibrant plum and blackcurrant flavours showing excellent ripeness and depth, distinctly spicy notes and lots of youthful energy. Best drinking 2028+. (14.5% alc/vol) $20-$25
Rockburn Crimson Peak Central Otago Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★½
This fresh, bright ruby red was matured for 10 months in one-year-old barrels. Mouthfilling and savoury, it’s ageworthy and well structured, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours revealing good complexity and harmony. Still youthful, it should be at its best 2028+. (13% alc/vol) $27-$30
Villa Maria Private Bin Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2024
★★★½
Bargain priced, this merlot-based blend is matured in tanks and oak barrels. An easy-drinking style, it is full coloured, mouthfilling, vibrantly fruity and supple. Its red berry, blackcurrant, spice and herb flavours show very good ripeness and depth. (13.5% alc/vol) $13-$15
Ward Valley Estate Series Mt Victoria Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2023
★★★★
Grown near the township of Ward in Southern Marlborough, this mouthfilling, subtle red has moderately youthful ruby colour. It has vibrant, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, nutty and savoury characters adding good complexity and a finely balanced, smooth, lengthy finish. Drink now or cellar. (13% alc/vol) $25
SaveShare this article
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
Copy LinkEmailFacebookTwitter/XLinkedInReddit
Dining and Cooking