Dry River Wines

We’re very pleased to announce the Dry River Wines Spring 2020 Release! Four new wines, plus a little something special: 2019 Chardonnay 2017 Syrah... 2019 Craighall Selection Riesling 2019 Twelve Spies 2020 Dry River Magazine That’s right - you can read our (rather gorgeous) annual magazine online, for the first time ever. We’ll be sharing more about our wines and magazine over the coming days. Ready to order? All wines from this release are now available for members to buy via our website. If you’re not already a member, follow the link below to join our wine club. https://dryriver.co.nz/pages/register/ #nzwine #wairarapawine #chardonnay #riesling #syrah #biodynamicwine

Now is your chance to enjoy one of 2020’s top 100 wines. Wine & Spirits Magazine has just released their Top 100 Wines of 2020 list, and we are absolutely thrilled to say that our 2015 Pinot Noir is on the list! The magazine staff tasted through 9,200 wines before deciding on their top 100. The 2015 Pinot Noir made the cut and was also named as New Zealand’s best Pinot. Editor Joshua Greene wrote that the wine is at a lovely moment of development right now and will conti...nue to age with grace. But there’s even more good news for Dry River wine club members: you can still buy magnums of our 2015 Pinot Noir. Each magnum bottle comes in a wooden gift box, so they make a spectacular gift (or you can treat yourself, we won’t judge). There’s a very limited number available, so you’ll need to get in quick. Click the link below to visit our online shop: https://dryriver.co.nz/pro/dry-river-pinot-noir-magnum-2015 We’d like to say a big thanks to our distributor Chuck for doing a stellar job of representing Dry River wines in the US. Cheers, Chuck! #pinotnoir #organicwines #biodynamicwines #nzwines #wairarapawines

To celebrate #OrganicWineWeek, here’s Wilco talking about why we have totally embraced organics and biodynamics at Dry River. @organicwinegrowersnz @organicweeknz #organicwine... #biodynamicwine #nzwines #wairarapawine See more

Whew, what a day - and we’re only half way there! The 2019 Pinot Noir is safely sealed in glass and Diam cork, in a two day bottling extravaganza. The whole team has been bottling our 2019 Pinot Noir, ready to send out to our en primeur purchasers this November before it is officially released in March 2021. Ever purchased wine ‘en primeur’? It means buying wine while it’s still in the barrel, long before it’s bottled. It’s a good way to get in early and ensure you are guara...nteed some bottles of your favourite wine, particularly if there are very limited quantities available. Our club members get the chance to buy Pinot Noir en primeur, six months before the official release. If you’re a big fan of Pinot Noir, make sure to join the club by visiting our website: www.dryriver.co.nz/pages/register #pinotnoir #nzwine #wairarapawine #biodynamicwine #organicwine #enprimeur

If you’re looking for something new to read this weekend, we have something for you. Each year we produce a magazine for our wine club members, but this time we decided to go digital and make it available to everyone. The 2020 Dry River Magazine is not just about our wine. It’s our way of showing you what inspires us, and providing a glimpse of why we love doing what we do.... This issue looks at the changing fashions and flavours of the wine industry, the poetry of William Wordsworth, a producer with whom we share a kindred spirit, and a wine merchant who inspired Wilco’s beliefs about how a wine business should operate. To read the magazine online, go here: https://blog.dryriver.co.nz/dry-river-magazine-2020/ And if you know someone who is passionate about wine, tag them in this post so they can check it out, too! If you’re not already a Dry River Wine Club member, register your interest on our website - we’d love to hear from you. #nzwine #wairarapawine #biodynamicwine #organicwine #winemagazine

A bit of neighbourly love here: thanks to Colombo Martinborough for hosting last night’s event with Cam Douglas MS. The pizzas were delicious, and the wines on display were pretty special. It was great to hear Cam talk about reconnecting with the Wairarapa, and it was a timely reminder that we have a diverse range of varieties and styles in our tiny appellation. (Plus, Cam may have said #Gewürztraminer is his favourite aromatic white varietal, so we were rather pleased!) If y...ou’re heading down this way for a tour, you truly are in for a treat. We’re lucky to be surrounded by some dedicated producers making beautiful fine wines. #wairarapawines #winetasting

When you’re looking for a wine to match with rich, savoury and salty dishes, it’s hard to go past a cool-climate Syrah. Our 2017 Syrah spent a little more in the barrel and has come out very nicely indeed. Even as a younger wine (we think it’ll be at its best in another six years) it has nice soft tannins, lovely dark fruits and a nice mix of spices on the nose. It’s one to savour, so if you can keep some in the cellar you’ll be rewarded. But even now it makes a sublime matc...h for just about any lamb dish you can think of - shawarma, rack, roasts - or strong, aged cheese and charcuterie. Head over to our website (www.dryriver.co.nz) and log in to purchase, or sign up if you’re not a member. #nzwine #wairarapawine #syrah #biodynamicwine #organicwine

Today we say farewell to this cheeky character. Ethan has been a key part of our small vineyard crew over the last four years as our machinery operator, and he will be missed by all of us. Thank you for all of your hard work, Ethan, and for being a part of the Dry River team. All the best for your new role at Cambridge Road!

The Twelve Spies is a new story for us at Dry River, and this third vintage is exceptional. It’s a juicy, balanced blend of our Tempranillo, Syrah and Pinot Noir. It’s a superb food wine - in fact, the first vintage (2017) was created with restaurants and sommeliers in mind, but we knew straight away that it wouldn’t stay a hidden gem for long. If you’ve never tried the Twelve Spies, this is the year to do so - you can cellar it for the next five years, but we think it’ll qu...ickly become your red wine of choice. Try it with pappardelle and beef ragu or grilled sirloin with creamy mushroom sauce for a truly delicious experience. To read the full Twelve Spies story - including the origin of the name - head over to our website. You’ll need to be a club member to purchase our wines, so make sure to register! #nzwine #wairarapawine #biodynamicwine

The Craighall Selection Riesling is the sweeter of our two Rieslings, and it’s a great example of why the variety is becoming a favourite for chefs and sommeliers. Serve it chilled as an aperitif or with spicy, salty snacks like prawn skewers. This particular vintage is bright and aromatic, with lovely citrus and even a hint of limoncello coming through. If you’re new to Riesling, we’d recommend starting with the Craighall Selection. ... Why ‘selection’? We take three separate picking passes of our two Craighall blocks, selecting only the perfect grapes for the wine. The sugar and Botrytis characters means it’s a wine that will get even better with long cellaring, too. To secure a few bottles for your next barbecue, head over to our website and log in to purchase, or sign up if you’re not a member. #nzwine #wairarapawine #riesling #biodynamicwine

ATTENTION WINE CLUB MEMBERS AUCKLAND TASTING POSTPONED Due to the COVID-19 alert level restrictions, we have to postpone our scheduled Auckland tasting. We’re looking at new dates and will have more information once the government announces its decision on changing levels. ... All other tastings are going ahead as planned - we’re sorry we can’t come and see you just yet, Auckland! Stay safe and keep an eye on our social media channels for more information. Wilco and the Dry River team.

Dry River Chardonnay has a pretty special reputation, and it’s the most sought-after wine we release each spring. If you like a refined style of Chardonnay, you’ll need to get in quick to secure a few bottles: we restrict each order to a maximum of 6 bottles to make sure there’s enough to go around. While most Chardonnay is bought to be consumed straight away (especially with seafood BBQs), we recommend buying a few bottles to keep in the cellar. It’ll reward your patience ov...er the next five to ten years. New to cellaring? Head to the ‘Cellaring Guide’ on our website for information on storing your wines for future enjoyment. #nzwine #wairarapawine #chardonnay #biodynamicwine

This WOAP event is going to be fantastic. Book tickets people!

#chardonnay fans - today’s for you. We started bottling our 2019 Chardonnay early this morning, which means it’ll be ready for your spring and summer BBQs! We’re very excited to get this wine out to our members as part of the spring release next week. Our little team of 6 started early this morning and there are just a few final touches to go, like hand labelling and applying the wax caps. Our chardonnay gets snapped up very quickly, so make sure to join our wine club. Ther...e’s no annual purchase obligation, and it’s the only way to buy our wines direct from the winery. Get in quick! https://dryriver.co.nz/pages/register/

Happy #pinotnoirday! Time for a celebration - this 2011 has our Martinborough postcode of 5711 which is pretty special. Coming into its prime, too. What’s your favourite vintage? #nzwine #wairarapawine