From Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Central Otago, New Zealand, Blank Canvas embodies the story of husband and wife team; international wine-making consultant Matt Thomson, and solicitor turned Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson.

Their collective goal is to create distinctive small-batch, single vineyard wines that reflect the best sub-regional sites in New Zealand. Their approach is minimalist, treading a path that incorporates both tradition and innovation, embracing both science and artistry.

Wines made without recipes, Blank Canvas is about pushing boundaries, taking risks and using creative license to create wines that are different, distinctive and sincere.

A wine of wonderful, pure aromatics this Gruner exemplifies classic notes of mandarin and ripe peach with an underlying trace of white pepper. The oak featuring in the wine is only obvious if you are told about it - it is there to provide richness and weight to the mid-palate, which is why we chose large French oak puncheons to do the job. A model vintage in Marlborough provided warm sunny days and cool nights which enabled all-important retention of acidity and ripeness of fruit. The result is a well-structured, luscious rendition of an Austrian classic.