Review by
Michael Cooper
Wine writer·New Zealand Listener·
5 Feb, 2026 05:02 PM3 mins to read
Michael Cooper has 45 wine books and several literary awards to his credit. In the 2004 New Year Honours, Michael was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
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Sub-$20 wines offer good-to-excellent quality plus great value. Photo / Getty Images
These sub-$20 wines offer good-to-excellent quality plus great value. They are mostly brands owned by sizeable producers with economy-of-scale price advantages.
Black Cottage Marlborough Pinot Gris 2025
★★★½
An ideal all-purpose easy-drinking wine. Bright, light lemon/green, it is medium-bodied with fresh, lively, peachy, slightly spicy flavours that show good
depth, appetising acidity and an off-dry, smooth finish. (12.5% alc/vol) $18
Holdaway Estate Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★
Vigorous and highly varietal, this single-vineyard wine was grown in the lower Wairau Valley. Pale lemon/green, it is medium-bodied, fresh and lively with strong ripe, slightly salty and green-edged flavours that are crisp and lingering. (12.5% alc/vol) $18
Left Field Gisborne Albariño 2024
★★★
From a fashionable Spanish and Portuguese variety made in New Zealand since 2011, this pale gold wine offers easy no-fuss drinking. Fresh and lively, it is medium-bodied with crisp, ripe, peachy, spicy flavours and a dryish finish. A good bargain-priced quaffer, it’s ready to roll. (12.5% alc/vol) $13-$15
Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★
This youthful pale lemon/green wine was mostly estate-grown in the upper Awatere Valley. Mouthfilling, vibrant and ripely herbaceous, it has good intensity of passionfruit and green capsicum flavours and is dry and crisp. (13% alc/vol) $19
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024
★★★½
Fermented and lees-aged in tanks and oak barrels, this bright, light yellow/green wine has a slightly creamy bouquet. It is full-bodied with very good depth of fresh, ripe, peachy flavours, considerable complexity, a well-rounded finish and lots of drink-young appeal. (13.5% alc/vol) $17
Left Field Marlborough Wholeberry Pinot Noir 2024
★★★
The “wholeberry” method of including uncrushed grapes in the fermentation has produced this bargain-priced red. Bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and lively with plenty of flavour and firm tannins. A youthful, characterful red best served with food, it should be at its best mid-2026+. (13% alc/vol) $15
Mount Vernon Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★½
Estate-grown in the Wairau Valley, this red is mouthfilling and smooth. Bright ruby, ripe cherry, plum and spice fruit flavours are to the fore, with savoury notes adding a touch of complexity, and supple tannins. A drink-young charmer. (13.5% alc/vol) $18
Wine of the week
Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★
This pale lemon/green wine is mouthfilling, fleshy and vibrant with depth of pear, lychee and spice flavours. With excellent varietal character and fresh, balanced acidity, it should be at its best 2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $19
![Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2025. Photo / Supplied]()
Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2025. Photo / SuppliedSaveShare this article
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