A Bit About Oriel Wines

There’s nothing better than walking through your front door to a bottle of wine. Receiving a voicemail from my door man, letting me know I had a present waiting for me at the front desk, I was very excited to get home from work. Lo-and-behold, dropped off by the Chicago distributor himself, a bottle of 2006 Oriel ‘Mana’ Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand sat waiting for my arrival.

Now Oriel Wines is not your typical winery, instead of investing time and effort producing the wines in one geographical location, they are wine scavengers, scouting out the best vineyards and wine makers around the world, and let me tell you, they are getting some awesome acknowledgment for their product. Is that cheating? I’m sure some would say so, but what other winery can say their wines come from Spain, Germany, California, France, New Zealand... you get the picture. I would just call them resourceful.

According to Oriel, “making great wine is like making great food—to make a little with the very best ingredients is possible, to make a lot is not.” So instead of producing barrels and barrels of wines, they hand make small amounts, assuring quality and specific characteristics. Now I’ve had many great wines that are “mass” produced, but when you are working on such a mass scale I am sure it’s not very hard to loose quality.

Every where from Food and Wine Magazine to The Chicago Tribune, and even Rachel Ray has something to say about Oriel wines, and the proof is in the review. Receiving the title as one of “the years best Chardonnays”, Oriel’s 2006 Russian River Valley Dylan Chardonnay was given 94/100 by Wine and Spirits Magazine, for it’s ripe fruit, layering flavors, and sophisticated minerality.

So what about the bottle I received?

Produced by Ant Mackenzine of Oriel and Spy Valley Wines in New Zealand, ‘Mana’ is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. A traditional Maori (Mow-ree: the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand) word meaning “the ethereal substance from which magic is formed and souls are made”, Mana boasts a passion fruit and ripe melon aroma with hints of mineral, and bright flavors of tropical fruits.

I’ve actually had the opportunity to visit New Zealand, and we had a short visit in Marlborough. With picturesque sunken valleys, breathtaking mountains to the south and the edge of the island to the north, the geographical location is ideal for wine making, especially Sauvignon Blanc.

Acknowledging the importance of the Island’s history, there’s no surprise that a Maori word has made it’s way onto a wine. In my visit to New Zealand Maori influence and culture was still recognizable throughout both islands.

Receiving a 9-9.5 out of 10 points from Alder Yarrow of Vinography, 88 points from Wine Enthusiast, and 87 points from Wine Spectator this wine was not scored as highly as Dr. Konstantin Frank’s 2007 Dry Riesling of New York, but still scored fairly well.

Retailing for $20.00, you can purchase this wine on Oriel’s website, (www.orielwines.com.) and have it shipped to your door.

Pairing

With a tropical fruit and bright mineral flavor, I would recommend pairing this wine with baked white fish with fennel and carrots, seafood dishes, lightly spiced thai food, or with a delicate lemon sorbet. With a fairly pronounced acidity, ‘Mana’ would be able to stand up to some heat but not super spicy mexican or thai cuisine, and would definitely fall short if paired with super fatty meat, or a rich dessert.

For my pairing I made a seafood paella with shrimp and white fish. Check back later for the review, it’s bound to be a perfect pair!