We carry more than eleven hundred wine SKU’s (stock keeping units in marketing lingo) but still we are often asked “what’s new? The answer today is “rather a lot” and I will tell you about a few that have arrived within the last month.

In 1865 William Jones left England to have a brighter future by farming in New Zealand and today his descendants own and operate just under three hundred acres of vineyards spread out over three locations in the Marlborough Region of South Island.

The winery takes its name from the original Scarborough sheep station homestead and we have just put into stock the Scarborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc.

At $17.65 a bottle it is beautifully balanced with candied lemon and other citrus flavours as well as passion fruit, guava and kiwi that make it a true expression of the Marlborough region that has become world renowned for this grape variety in particular.

Whitehaven 2013 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is the type of wine that wins top awards; for instance this year it was “Best of Show White” in the International East Meets West Wine Challenge and best overall wine as well as best in class. Winestate Magazine gave it 4½/5 stars and the International Cool Climate Wine Show awarded it a silver medal.

It displays lifted grapefruit and white currants with hints of freshly crushed herbs, nettles and flint. It is very fresh and clean and good for drinking young and fresh, although careful cellaring will let it develop over the next three to five years. It is more at the upper price range at $26.30.

Louis Martini is a lovely old winery in Napa Valley that was founded in 1933 and their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($31.45) from 2009 is often enjoyed in our home. But this is a story about something that took place 75 years later when the winery launched Ghost Pines to give winemaker Michael Eddy the freedom to blend the finest grapes across appellations. Ghost Pines embodies the progressive spirit of California winemaking with no boundaries or limits.

The name is taken from the Ghost Pine tree that is native to California and like grapevines it thrives in nutrient-deficient soils. Ghost Pines 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.60) is a blend of 7 percent Napa fruit and 30 percent Sonoma. Napa gives elegant character while Sonoma adds juicy red and black fruit flavours along with a disciplined structure. The blend of these two regions creates aromas of dark fruit jam, sweet nuts and black pepper that meld with dark berry fruit flavours. The palate is dense and chewy.

In the case of Ghost Pines 2012 Chardonnay ($19.90) the fruit is sourced from three most recognised areas, Sonoma, Monterey and Napa Counties and by not being restricted to one locale the winemaker can showcase a particular style that suits him. You will find apple, pear and lemon cream along with a combination of American and French oak influences.

This column is a paid advertorial for Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or on 295-0176. Burrows, Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.