Does anyone have personal knowledge of any NZ wines that are available in New Zealand?

A Kiwi friend will purchase and bring me some wines to Thailand if I give him the brand names. Looking for reds or whites in price range of 10-20 NZD.

 

Also has anyone experience with bringing wine into Thailand? I know the official limit is 1Liter although I often bring 2 - .75L bottles. I have never been stopped at Customs but I do see Asians with a lot of baggage being stopped and have their luggaged x-rayed.

I have often drunk New Zealand wines and find many as good as you will find anywhere, although which ones come in at your price range I just do not know. It also depends to a certain extent on which type of wine you want. Personally I would not opt for a New Zealand cabernet sauvignon, but they make some stunning Pinot Noir. One particularly memorable one was from the Bannockburn estate - gorgeous!

 

For white, the country has more or less made the Sauvignon Blanc its own. For years, Cloudy Bay was the wine to drink, but I expect it is out of your price range now. Virtually any Sauvignon Blanc ought to be good.

 

Not sure about customs at BKK. I have sometimes brought in a bottle of spirits with another bottle of wine or champagne packed in my case. That has always worked, but I do sometimes see customs officials putting bags through X-ray machines or arrival. That would pick spot any bottle pretty easily.

It seems not many Kiwis or Winos on this forum? I like Pinot Noir and checked out price for Bannockburn which was about 50 NZD; too high for my budget. I once bought an inexpensive NZ Pinot Noir and it was dreadful but their Sauvignon Blancs have always been good. I guese you get what you pay for?

It seems not many Kiwis or Winos on this forum?

 

Kiwis? None that I know of (who post). It would be nice to hear from any members currently living there, or living abroad but born in New Zealand. Any Kiwis reading this, you are lucky indeed. Many young New Zealanders get a wanderlust judging by how many you meet in Europe, but I wonder just how many don't yearn to return to the nest, settle down and live happily ever after. I would imagine it is a very fair, open and progressive country. I hope the Maoris are treated well. The country excels at rugby football, the 'all-blacks' always formidable opposition. Have you seen them do the 'haka' before a game?

 

Winos? I assume you are using that term in a friendly fashion? In Britain to be called a 'wino' is a bit like saying somebody is on skid row; a down-and-out.

 

Assuming you mean somebody interested in wine who enjoys a good bottle from time to time maybe even having a wine cellar or cooler, then I'd be very surprised if there weren't many such reading this. I am one of them, but because I buy and drink wine from many different countries I haven't got sufficient knowledge to be able to recommend particular wines. I can only generalise, for example with dinner last night I enjoyed an excellent Chilean Rose Merlot, name on the bottle was 'Aromo' and it came from the Maule Valley. I have no idea whether all Chilean roses are good, but as rose is my current favourite style of wine I will definitely try any I come across from Chile. I really should try and record the names and tasting notes of wines I drink, but I hardly ever do that. Some people keep a wine diary, that must be an excellent resource for reference purposes, if you have the discipline to keep records.

 

I guese you get what you pay for?

 

I imagine so. But no doubt there are bargains to be had (underrated), just as some wine growers rest on their laurels and charge too much (overrated). I suppose the power of the marketplace holds sway in the long term.

Wino, a graduate of the wine institute of New Orleans. Yes, wino in a friendly fashion, someone who enjoys a glass of wine. I was going to write "oenophile" but it sounded like a dirty word or an illegal activity. I know there are a number of Kiwis on other forums but Koko doesn't post on those forums.

 

 

 

This might be of interest - a review of one Pinot Noir which cost just $7.99 (but it doesn't say in which country).

 

http://www.cheapwinefinder.com/2012/01/2009-clifford-bay-pinot-noir/

 

And here is another NZ site with relatively inexpensive Pinot Noirs, each with customer reviews.

 

http://www.winesale.co.nz/pinot-noir.php

Thanks FH, that info was exactly what I was searching for. I know that most NZ Sauvignon Blancs are good but knew nothing of the NZ Pinot Noirs which I want to taste.

I like New Zealand Pinot Noirs too. They're always good in my experience... I suspect the colder climates are good for making Pinots because Tasmanian Pinots are also very good (Tasmania's an Australian island state). 

 

In my experience, Pinot Noirs tend to be more expensive and slightly rarer than other varieties of red. So, if you're after $10-$20 bottles, you may need to look a bit harder for a pinot. Plenty of other nice red varieties in that price range though.