Q
Rosé 2026 750ml
Waitaki Valley's 2026 growing season will be remembered as a year in which viticultural decisions shaped wine style more than any dramatic climatic swing. While growing degree day accumulation was broadly comparable to 2025, the season unfolded under a cooler, cloudier summer pattern, punctuated by intermittent rainfall that kept vine pace measured and encouraged a longer, more detailed ripening curve.
Spring delivered several frost and snowfall events, reinforcing Waitaki's reputation as one of New Zealand's most marginal cool-climate regions; however, the vineyard escaped damage, resulting in relatively even budburst and steady shoot development. With fewer highly solar-driven days, vine metabolism remained slow, tempering sugar accumulation in relation to flavour development and favouring physiological ripeness at lower potential alcohols.
In glass, the vintage signature is perfumed and finely boned, marked by lifted florals and a distinct lavender-like scent, with poise, freshness and precision at the core.
If you're looking for a top tasting rosé with more flavour than you'd ever expect from a light-hued wine, here it is. Q Waitaki Valley Rosé is made from hand picked Pinot Noir grapes grown in the limestone-rich Waitaki Valley soils. It is bone dry in taste (less than three grams of RS) and gains depth of flavour from a portion of fermentation in French oak barriques for three weeks, which adds texture, concentration and subtle complexity while preserving the wine's purity and dry style.
Pale pink, it opens with expressive aromas of watermelon, red currant and bright acidity with a finely tuned structure giving this wine a long, graceful finish.
Joelle Thomson, joellethomson.com, 7 November 2026
19/20
Born of a single vineyard, capturing the clear, cool precision of Waitaki Valley, hand-pruned, hand-harvested, and drawn from limestone-rich soils.
Q Rosé is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir. Seductive pale pink in colour, it opens with expressive aromas of watermelon, red currant and crystallised ginger. A portion is fermented in French oak barriques, bringing added concentration, texture and depth to the palate. Dry, elegant and beautifully gastronomic.
At the table: chilled shellfish, grilled prawns, or a plate of charcuterie in the sun.
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Tasting Notes
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Region
Waitaki Valley |
Bottle Closure Type
Screw Cap |
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Vintage
2026 |
ABV%
13.00 |
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