SHEILD Albarino 2025

Tasting note

Lemon in colour, it has pronounced primary aromatics of pink grapefruit, jasmine, and the seaside. Secondary aromas hint at lees contact and lend a tickle of honeysuckle. The palate is gently fruited, mineral driven, dry and lingering.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: white wine from New Zealand

Varietal: Albarino

Food match: A gentle salinity typical to the variety means it pairs fabulously with Kaimoana and crisp garden-fresh salads. For something truly exquisite try with freshly shucked oysters!

Vineyard: Waimea Hope, Nelson, New Zealand.

Soil type: Stoney alluvial.

Vine Age: 8 years.

Growing Season 2025: After a standard winter of moderate temperatures and average rainfall, spring started warm and the vines responded wonderfully. Flowering was compressed and strong with fantastic fruitset leading to high quality and even bunches. Regular rainfall, keeping to moderate levels, punctuated the summer and early ripening period. Grapes were picked early, delivering clean, tasty, and juicy fruit for winemaking.

Regional climate: Nelson’s sheltered topography gives protection from strong winds; combined with its proximity to the sea this gives milder temperatures than other South Island regions, mitigating frost risk. Regularly New Zealand’s sunniest region and with good diurnal variation this helps emphasise varietal character. High sunlight hours and a long growing season give wonderful fruit purity.

Winemaking: This planting of Albarino enjoys the free draining soils of the Waimea plains and the moderating influence of proximity to the sea. The fruit was machine harvested early morning on the 31st of March 2025 and carted to the winery, during which time it was able to benefit from skin contact with the juice, maximising flavour precursors. On arrival it was further destemmed and lightly crushed to the press. The press cycle was closely monitored, and the hard pressings were separated off. The juices were cold settled for an extended period to achieve a high level of clarification. The free run was then racked to tank and warmed for inoculation. The pressings were racked to an older Hogshead for a wild ferment and eventually malolactic fermentation. 8% of the wine underwent barrel aging for 9 months in seasoned Rousseau Hogshead.

Alcohol: 13.0% vol

Residual sugar: 6.5 g/l

TA: 8.33 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Cellaring potential: 2030

Closure: Screwcap

Ingredients: Grapes, stabilisers: yeast mannoproteins, Packaging gases: Nitrogen, preservative: Potassium metabisulphite (E 224), Sulphur dioxide (E220).

Produced and bottled by: Drinks Cabinet Limited, Atawhai, Nelson 7010, New Zealand