The 2023 Everyday Wine Gift Guide is here!

by Auckland Store

Christmas is nearly upon us, and let's be honest, buying gifts is hard work!


So here we are trying to make things easy with our 2023 Gift Guide

Below you'll find a list of our sure bets - wines that are guaranteed to delight and impress. All hits, no misses. More inclusive, less divisive. You get the drift. 

Magnum Time

2020 Terroir Project Pinot Noir 1.5L Magnum w/ Gifting Label
What says "thank you" better than a magnum of wine? This limited-release Pinot Noir from Terroir Project includes a chic and convenient to/from label on the back of the bottle. Inside the bottle - a delicious, serious, complex, layered Pinot Noir from Marlborough's famous The Wrekin Vineyard. Bursting with juicy red fruit, underpinned with subtle spice notes and earthy forest floor notes on the nose. An excellent gift for any wine lover. 


Special Sparkling

2021 Eric Bordelet Poiré Granit
Surprise your guests with Eric Bordelet's masterful "Cuvée Gastronomique" Pear Cider, made solely from 300 year old trees grown on granite soils. Off-dry, incredibly balanced, very delicious.

2020 Clos Henri 'Solange' Blanc de Noirs
Clos Henri's fantastic méthode traditionnelle. Blanc de Noirs, meaning a white wine but made from 100% Pinot Noir in tis case. Crisp, dry,  stonefruit and brioche, subtle red fruit characters. Enjoy on Christmas morning with whitebait, scallops or oysters.

2023 15 Minute Bottles 'Verbena' Riesling Pet Nat
A seriously good, serious pet nat from 15 Minute Bottles - this time from Riesling. Pét Nat should be the go-to for any natural wine lover on Christmas morning. Here's a good one. 

2016 Hans Herzog 'Cuvée Thérèse' Sparkling Rosé
Opulent and richly fruited, this is a pretty unique take on a méthode rosé. Darker, more serious and brooding than most sparkling rosés. One to savour. 

Paradise Prosecco - 6 Pack
Our best-selling wine is also sold as a 6 pack, bringing the cost right down to just under $17 a bottle. Proudly grown by third generation King Valley grapegrowers the PIzzini family, Paradise Prosecco is dry, citrus-y and actually delivers. This is a wine you can be generous with but will happily drink yourself! 

 

Fun Whites
 
2022 Das Juice White
Crisp, juicy and tropical. White multi-varietal blend. Summer smasher.

2021 BK Carbonic Chardonnay
Citrus bomb! Light and fresh with a funky backbone.

2022 Jumping Juice Chenin Blanc
Margaret River Chenin Blanc made in Jumping Juice's trademark smashable style.

2023 Patrick Sullivan Chardonnay
Incredibly drinkable, crowd-pleasing Chardonnay. Energetic in style, this is all stonefruit and lemon curd with a long, mineral finish. Crazy good value (see Patrick's single vineyard Bull Swamp Chardonnay if you're looking to splash out!)
 


Serious Whites
 

2020 Vino di Anna 'Bianco G' Etna Bianco
Phenomenal Grecanico from Mt Etna. A very special wine from one of the region's best producers. Concentrated and mineral, bursting with fresh, fleshy peach and a long, textural finish. 

2020 Calrossie Vineyard Chardonnay
Rich, concentrated and supremely satisfying. There's plenty to love here, from the vivid, electric lime and grapefruit on the palate, to the long, toasty finish. Chardonnay par excellence.

2022 Patrick Sullivan 'Bull Swamp' Chardonnay
Arguably Patrick's best (and biggest!) single vineyard Chardonnay, with generous fruit weight and lots of spicy, briochey complexity.

2021 Clemens Busch 'Vom Roten Schiefer' Riesling
Dry Mosel Riesling from cult organic producer Clemens Busch. Incredible finesse, pure fresh lemonade on the palate, long and nuanced, slatey minerality on the finish. We also have his single vineyard 'Reserve' wine in stock (only 4 bottles!). 

 

Next Level Orange
 
2023 Patrick Sullivan 'Haggis' Orange Blend
Fans of Patrick's previous 'Breakfast Wine': look no further! Another alchemic blend that is as smashable as it is well-made.

2022 Sato 'L'Atypique' Orange Riesling
We'd argue this is one of the best orange wines in New Zealand! Complex and textured, yet fresh and expressive, without sacrificing any drinkability.

2023 Kenzie 'Beautiful Strangers' Orange Blend
Just a great all-around crowd pleaser. Dry, juicy, a touch of citrus and stonefruit, with undertones of gingery spice. Pairs with just about anything too.
 


Electric Chilled Reds
 
2023 Atipico 'Under the Plum Tree' Chilled Red Field Blend
Without doubt one of the most-loved chilled reds in our collection. Fruity, mouth-filling, textural; an absolute pleasure to drink. Jordan Hogg has released nothing but great wine since day one. Don't miss this one!

2023 Halite Wines Light Dry Red
This is what we want in a chilled red! Bursting with cherry and raspberry, and textural, peppery spice on the finish. 

2022 Nicosia Terre dei Miti Frappato
Another Sicilian banger. There's plenty of fresh and sour cherry and macerated strawberry, hints of violet and spice, leather and woody herbs, and distinctive volcanic minerality on the finish. Excellent value. 

 

Serious Pinot
 
2015 Calrossie Vineyard Grand Reserve Pinot Noir
This one has made quite a splash since its release earlier in the year! A fantastic Pinot Noir with serious winemaking heritage and decent age under its belt. There's plenty to love straight out of the bottle, with fresh and bright fruit filling the palate, before giving way to tertiary notes of forest floor, game and tobacco on a long finish. 

2020 La Ferme de Sato 'Sur Les Nuages' Pinot Noir
Despite  having just been proclaimed the second best wine in New Zealand by US wine writer James Suckling, Sato's newest vintage of their estate-grown Pinot Noir more than lives up to the hype. A wine of incredible clarity - this is dense and ripe, complex and beguiling, but always with Sato's signature restraint. 

2021 Gentle Folk Little Creek Pinot Noir
A unique Adelaide hills expression. Ethereal, perfumed, earthy. 

2021 William Downie Camp Hill Pinot Noir
From cult producer William Downie, the Camp Hill single vineyard Pinot Noir is a dense, incredibly concentrated expression of the grape. With some time to decant, an array of raspberry and redcurrant is revealed, along with floral, candy and woody notes, with a rich, long, almond and ironstone finish.  


Very Good Big Reds
 
2021 Terroir Project Cabernet Sauvignon
This is everything we want in a Cabernet! Made by rising star Lauren Langfield, this is rich and satisfying. Dark purple fruit, spice, coffee and cacao, tight and fresh acidity. 

2019 Hans Herzog Montepulciano
When nothing but a big and bold red will cut it, this is our go-to! Incredible now, but also one to cellar. 

2015 Jean Foillard 'Morgon Athanor' Gamay Noir
Unmistakably a Foillard Gamay, this is nonetheless an extremely special bottle from the legendary Beaujolais producer. Made amarone-style, where the additional hang time led to shrivelling of the grapes. The end result is an intense concentration of flavour!

2021 Scala Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore
An intriguing medium-bodied indigenous red from Southern Italy. A wine that evolves in the glass, revealing more nuance over several hours. Fruit-foward and approachable. Very moreish