Tohu Pinot Gris 2025, Awatere Valley, Marlborough RRP from $18.99  

The Awatere is located on the eastern site of Marlborough with many of the vineyards at the north-eastern reaches. On a clear day, the North Island is easy to see. This location means many of the vineyards are exposed to the easterly and southerly breezes, but there are significant sunshine hours to ripen the grapes.  

The wine styles are nearly always fresh and taut, often with a saline quality to the acidity. Lots of citrus and pomaceous fruit flavours are common in the wines.  

Founded in 1998, Tohu Wines is the world’s first Māori-owned wine company. They produce excellent wines including sparkling and Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and this Pinot Gris.  

This wine has some delicacy about it, it is bright, taut, fresh, salivating. The varietal flavours of green and red apple, white peach, pear and some honeysuckle deliver the core mid-palate flavours and weight. Salivating and just dry on the palate with textures from lees and acidity creating a vibrant mouthfeel. Well-made, balanced and ready to drink from late 2025 through 2028.  

The season: rather excellent  

• Warm spring. 
• Near-perfect flowering. 
• Above-average yields.  
• The diurnal shift from warm days to cool night ensured both flavour development and acidity were preserved. 

Food match:  

New season sweet corn with lots of butter and sea-salt with this wine is a near perfect match. You can also dip the corn cob into a sour-cream sprinkled with nutmeg for some extra matching.  

Alternatively, a sweetcorn fritter topped with sour-cream and a slice of smoke salmon works just as well with the Tohu Pinot Gris. 

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