2023 Marlborough Riesling, Greywacke

• Style: Off-dry Riesling, medium-sweet
• Taste: Jasmine, honeydew, stone fruit, citrus with bright acidity
• Food: Shellfish, Asian cuisine, soft cheeses, spiced dishes
• Occasion: Aperitivo, summer drinking, weeknight, Sunday lunch
• Serve: Chilled, 12% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Fragrant jasmine and honeydew open the wine, followed by orchard brightness—green apple and lemon zest—with anise and sweet blossom underneath. The palate turns silky and generous, honeysuckle and citrus peel moving into ripe stone fruit, while zesty acidity cuts through with real purpose. The off-dry balance sits perfectly between richness and freshness, finishing clean and long. At 12% alcohol, this is utterly food-friendly and dangerously easy to drink.

The Winery — Greywacke

Kevin Judd, who spent 25 years as chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay before founding Greywacke in 2009, demonstrates craft and restraint in this vintage. The name Greywacke honours the rounded river stones prevalent in Rapaura soils—sedimentary rock widely found across the region. Hand-picked on 5 April at moderate ripeness, the fruit came from Ashmore Vineyard in Fairhall's Southern Valleys, where 27-year-old vines grown organically on gravelly clay-loam soils benefit from Marlborough's cool diurnal range. A split fermentation—half stainless steel with cultured yeast, half old French oak on wild yeast—was deliberately halted mid-fermentation to preserve residual sugar. Six months on yeast lees in barrel before bottling created a textural, layered wine with real finesse.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve this chilled with Marlborough seafood, ceviche, Asian cuisine or soft cheeses; it's equally at home with spiced food or on its own as an aperitivo. This is the kind of aromatic white that rewards both linger-and-sip moments on a summer afternoon and weeknight or Sunday lunch tables. If you're exploring the finest examples of Riesling, or keen to discover more from New Zealand, this sits comfortably alongside the rest of our selection.