Two Paddocks Picnic P/Noir 750

The fruit now comes from the company's own Central Otago vineyards in the Alexandra, Gibbston and Bannockburn sub-regions. It is hand harvested, mostly destemmed and cold soaked before an indigenous yeast ferment. The wine then spends about nine months in French barriques that are one to four years old, with only a sliver of new oak, so the fruit stays in front.

In the glass it is light in body, with black and red cherry, a dark plum note and a pinch of wild herb. The tannins are soft and the finish is juicy and velvety. The winery pitches it for any occasion from a day beside a trout stream to an evening at the opera.

A barbecue suits it well. Try it with grilled chicken thighs, a mushroom pizza or a ham and cheese toastie, and give it twenty minutes in the fridge on a warm afternoon.