Around the world in 6 bottles is a case with three whites and three reds, carefully selected to show how differently wine can express itself depending on place, grape, and producer. Here, Viña Errázuriz from Aconcagua in Chile, founded as early as 1870, meets Schola Sarmenti from Nardò in Salento with its focus on local southern Italian grapes, David Finlayson from South Africa with his modern cape blend style, Tiki Wine & Vineyards in North Canterbury, New Zealand, with family-owned Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford Wine Company in California behind Panamera, and Adega Ponte da Barca, the cooperative producer in Vinho Verde that has upheld the region’s wine tradition since 1963. The result is a case that moves from crisp and citrus-driven to soft, spicy, and generous – making the journey between continents both flavourful and very easy to enjoy.
Errazuriz Estate – Reserva Carmenère
An elegant and spicy Chilean red with dark fruit, figs, graphite, bell pepper, clove, and a light touch of roasted coffee. The tannins are soft and fine-grained, making the wine flavourful yet easy to drink. It pairs especially well with grilled lamb racks, beef patties with rosemary, pasta with mushrooms, and aged hard cheese. The grapes come from Aconcagua Valley, are hand-harvested early in the morning, destemmed, and fermented in stainless steel. A large part of the wine is then aged in French and American oak barrels for around seven months, adding extra depth without overpowering the fruit.
Schola Sarmenti – Critèra Primitivo
Critèra is a juicy and generous Primitivo with ripe fruit, a warm core, and lively tannins wrapped in soft southern Italian roundness. The flavour profile leans toward plums, dark cherries, and rich fruit with a fine freshness that keeps the wine vibrant. It works beautifully with pizza topped with salsiccia, pasta ragù, grilled chicken, pork neck, and semi-aged cheeses. The wine is made from 100 percent Primitivo from young vines in Salento, the grapes are hand-harvested, and both vinification and ageing take place entirely in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve fruit, purity, and energy.
David Finlayson Cab et al.
This is a modern and generous cape blend with Cabernet at its core, supported by smaller parts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The palate is dark-fruited and soft with cassis, plums, graphite, spice, and a rounded, plush expression rather than classic firmness. It pairs especially well with lamb shank, steak with hollandaise, grilled entrecôte, portobello with herb butter, and rich vegetable curries. The grapes are hand-picked, carefully sorted, and fermented in stainless steel for around three weeks with extra skin contact after fermentation. During the process, both pump-overs and punch-downs are used for gentle extraction.
Maui Sauvignon Blanc
This is based on Maui Sauvignon Blanc from Tiki Wine & Vineyards in North Canterbury. It is a bright and aromatic white wine with peach, passion fruit, lemon cream, tropical fruit, and a fresh herbal note that gives the wine clear Sauvignon Blanc character. It is perfect with grilled prawns, ceviche, goat’s cheese salad, asparagus, fish tacos, and as an aperitif in the sun. The producer is family-owned, and the wine is made from hand-harvested grapes that are gently pressed. Fermentation takes place at cool temperatures to preserve the aromas, and the style is kept fresh, fruit-driven, and lively.
Panamera California Chardonnay
A full-bodied and creamy Californian Chardonnay with baked apples, pears, pineapple, vanilla, and coconut, yet with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh. This is a white wine that pairs especially well with grilled corn-fed chicken, salmon with buttery sauce, pasta Alfredo, roasted cauliflower, and hard cheeses with nutty notes. Panamera is made by Rutherford Wine Company, a family-owned house based in Napa with broad sourcing from well-known Californian districts. After vinification, the wine is aged in new oak barrels, which gives it its rich, rounded, and vanilla-shaped style.
Adega Ponte da Barca Vinho Verde
A dry, aromatic, and crisp white wine with floral tones from Loureiro and citrus-driven freshness from Trajadura and Arinto. The style is light, lively, and highly food-friendly, with exactly the kind of bright energy that makes vinho verde so easy to return to. It pairs especially well with grilled fish, moules frites, salads with lemon vinaigrette, fresh shellfish, sushi, and mild goat cheeses. The producer is a cooperative estate in Alto Minho founded in 1963, and the wine is made in the heart of Vinho Verde from a blend of Loureiro, Trajadura, and Arinto. The result is a clear, fresh, and versatile wine with low alcohol and a distinct regional character.
