Wine of the week: a pair of powerful and regal Kiwi reds

2016 Craggy Range, Gimblett GravelsVineyard Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand£21.99,nzhouseofwine.co.uk;£22.75, vinvm.co.uk; £24.00,thenewzealandcellar.co.uk

I must take my hat off to this industry body because, if more wine regions in the world undertook these thoughtful initiatives, wine writers would be able to taste more widely than we do without having to incur prohibitively punitive travel expenses. Interestingly, Craggy Range had two bottles in the box and they ended up being my top two wines. I tasted this pair again at the annual New Zealand tasting in London within days of my first tasting and they shone brightly, taking every corner of the country into account, not just Gimblett Gravels.

MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Gimblett Gravels makes the most structured and age-worthy of all Kiwi red-wine styles and 2016 is a powerful and focused vintage. In addition to the epic, peppery, blood-drenched syrah, with its smoky kindling touches and succulent core, the 2016 Craggy Range Sophia (about £50, arriving into Jeroboams, Farr Vintners and Hedonism imminently), a merlot/cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon blend, looked both regal and belligerent, hinting at greatness beneath its earth-driven, not fruit-driven, suit of armour. Both wines will be drinking within five years, but they will make the long haul, too.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com).

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.