WHERE are Villa Maria wines from? Spain, Portugal, Italy? Guess again, they hail from New Zealand.

I can hardly imagine the Aussies giving their wine brands such a misleading name. They'd come up with something suitably Australian, such as Swagman Billabong shiraz or Bruce's Old Dingo Enclosure chardonnay.

Anyway, it appears that Lord Of The Rings, The Return Of The King is not the only thing to be made in New Zealand that wins awards.

Villa Maria 2001 Reserve Hawke's Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot has just won the trophy for champion cabernet or cabernet blend in this year's New Zealand Wine Society Royal Easter Show.

This is a big softy of a wine, with lingering flavours of violet and cedarwood.

It's smooth enough but there's a little acidity, which is characteristic of a cool climate red. An interesting wine but at £14.99 a bottle, I'd think long and hard about buying it and then opt for the Swagman Billabong shiraz.

Fortunately there are more affordable examples of Villa Maria wines in its Private Bin range.

Regular readers will know of my disdain for flowery whites. Somehow, I can forgive the floral flavours in a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. These wines, in my experience, are so flavoursome that the floweriness plays second fiddle to a refreshing fruity crispness.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2003 keeps to the mould. It's dry with ripe passion fruit and mango flavours finished off with a sherbet fizz.

There's a contrasting savoury flavour which is hard to put a finger on. I think the nearest I can get to describing the taste is actually a smell - that of freshly cut grass.

I was much less impressed with Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. It was jammy with bags of blackcurrant flavour. Like its more expensive, trophy-winning stable mate, it's got violet flavours in the mix. Bit it is marred by too much acidity.

So, it's the status quo for me on Kiwi wines.

I really like the white in this bunch but I'm yet to be impressed by a New Zealand red.

Villa Maria 2001 Reserve Hawke's Bay Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, £14.99 at Safeway

***

interesting but expensive

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2003, £7.99 at Oddbins, Thresher, Wine Rack, Majestic, Sainsburys, Safeway, Budgens and Tesco.

****

fruity, herbaceous white

Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, £8.99 at Oddbins and Morrisons.

**

tongue zapping red

Updated: 14:08 Tuesday, April 20, 2004