The Dry Land Collection Longevity Natural Sweet Chenin Blanc

One of my New Zealand friends delightfully refers to dessert wines as “stickies” and this one fully lives up to that epithet.  It’s aroma of marmalade, honey and apricots erupts from the bottle, its pour is languidly viscous, the colour a deep gold and the taste a symphony of honey, ginger and spices.  Its full body and depth of flavours comes from its fermentation in 500 year old oak barrels.  Maybe the finish could be a little longer but this thrilled my guests at dinner and raised my humble tub of ice-cream to being a luxury dessert. And at 10.5% ABV it is still a little lighter than most stickies, which are typically in the 12% to 15% range and which often cost rather more.