Two new wines have been added to Wither Hills already extensive stable of wines this year to mark the winery's 30th birthday.
"Three decades of experience means we know the Marlborough area like an old friend, with its quirks and interesting habits. We believe the best wines capture that character - a reflection of where they’ve come from," says Matt Large, head winemaker at Wither Hills.
Two new Wither Hills wines
17.5/20
2018 Wither Hills Méthode Traditionelle RRP $54.99
This year, 2024, marks the 30th birthday of Wither Hills winery and here is the wine to celebrate; a top shelf bubbly made the same way as champagne, including the choice of grapes; Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes were fermented separately then blended to create a creamy expression of Chardonnay with toasty notes coming from the Pinot Noir. The two wines were blended post fermentation and then fermented for a second time in bottle where the dissolved CO2 becomes the bubbles and the yeast cells release complex flavours into the wine. This complex sparkling wine is part of a range of fascinating experimental wines that are available only at the cellar door and online.
17.5/20
Wither Hills Tawny RRP $54.99
Note the word tawny, which indicates that this fortified wine is made in the style of the world's best known, sweet high alcohol fortified red wines, which are best known as port. This is not a port because it's made from Pinot Noir grapes grown solely in Marlborough (whereas port comes solely from the Douro Valley in Portugal) but the style of wine is similar. And deliciously good. Foot stomped grapes were fermented to a low-ish level of alcohol to retain the fruit sweetness of the grapes and then fortified using neutral grape spirit. The result is a delish, high octane expression of Pinot Noir from this country's biggest wine region and one of its oldest wineries.
The two new limited edition wines are available now on the winery's website and are expected to sell out swiftly from witherhills.co.nz
