Our Top 10 Pinot Gris for 2011

The third and final instalment in our Top 10 list for 2011 is Pinot Gris. We are really starting to get excited about the quality and breadth of pinot gris coming out of NZ, something we couldn't say just 2-3 years ago. Whilst styles vary wildly, and there are still some quality issues with cheaper examples, the good winemakers are really starting to understand this varietal and how to express it in the bottle through various winemaking techniques. Buy any of the following with absolute confidence year after year:

Top 5 Pinot Gris

Spy Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011 - TROPHY, Air NZ Wine Awards, Best Pinot Gris. The 2010 was a great wine and would have made our list until we tried the 2011 a couple of weeks ago. This steps up in concentration. Beautiful Alsace style and worthy of the trophy.

Main Divide Waipara Pinot Gris 2010 - Those wimekaing magicians at Pegasus Bay are experts in aromatics, and make the best Riesling in NZ - no argument. Their pinot gris under the Main Divide label shows incredible concentration, wonderful savouriness, the brightest spine of acid carrying the wine for an almost impossible length of time on the palate. Great Waipara minerality too. Just $18.95 on straight case buys (could also have made our best-buys list).

Tupari Marlborough Pinot Gris 2010 - Also made our Sauvignon Blanc top 5 list. The wine is skillfully made using excellent quality fruit. Good concentration, the palate is creamier than many, but still vibrant and a strong thread of savoury spice throughout. Cuisine Magazine's best Dry Pinot Gris for 2011.

Urlar Martinborough Pinot Gris 2009 - Urlar also made our Sauvignon Blanc top 5 list. This wine is certified organice from estate vineyards just outside of Martinborough near Wellington. Some light barrel and lees work has added a richness (or 'fatness) to the palate, but that trademark Martinborough acidity ties it all in nicely. Only very small quantities produced.

Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Gris 2010 - This is easily the most unique style of gris we have seen come out of NZ. Larry McKenna has made this wine in what he terms a 'Burgundian style' - think Chardonnay. Except this is pinot gris, so we have the sweet pear and tropicla fruits coming through, but immediately complemented by savoury oak and a rich, not-quite-buttery-but-close palate. An excelllent food wine. On Sale for $32.95.

Top 5 Best Buys Pinot Gris

Wither Hills 'Two Tracks' Pinot Gris 2011 - Just released and we just sampled last week. This is very much made in a 'crowd-pleasing' style and is an excellent aperitif or would match well with a nice creamy blue cheese. Loads of pear and spice upfront on the nose and leads the palate as well. Bags of flavour, good concentration and moderate length. Awesome Christmas/BBQ wine and incredible value. Just $14.95 by the straight case + Bonus Free Shipping!!

Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris 2010 - Made from grapes drawn from various regions onthe East Coast of NZ, Villa Maria's entry level hits the spot perfectly from a stylistic perspective. A little crisper than the two tracks, lovely mouthfeel and moderate concentration again. Their next tier up, Cellar Selection, is a better food wine, but we love this on it's own.

Wild Rock 'Sur Lie' Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011 - We got to try this for the first time at our Craggy Range tasting last week in Sydney. A little lees work has added some creamy mouthfeel to an initial assault of fruit sald flavours at the front of the palate. Really good concentration and length, this wine would match Thai curries particularly well. Drink now through 2013.

Mt Difficulty 'Roaring Meg' Central Otago Pinot Gris 2011 - Our best selling pinot gris, and it over-delivers significantly on the price. Central Otago provides Mt D with some really great, bright fruit to work with here. Excellent concentration, some pear and spice and hints of tropicals on the nose lead to a vibrant palate courtesy of natural acids. No danger of over-sweet fruit or 'flabbiness' with this beautifully structured wine. Excellent, excellent pinot gris. Just $19.95 on straight case buys with bonus free shipping!

Vavasour Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011 - This is just released but previous vintages consistently win golds and trophies in competitions globally. Fromt eh Awatere Valley, which produces crisper wines from Marlborough, this leans away from sweetness and is a drier style.