UNKEL LIFE’S A BEACH ORANGE 2024

Unkel is a small organic vineyard & minimal intervention winery run by husband and wife duo Rob and Kate Burley, located in the picturesque growing region of Nelson/Tasman, New Zealand. Our wines are lovingly handcrafted in order to respect and portray a true sense of time & place.

“Unkel” (variation of the spelling of Uncle), is about working with Mother Nature in the Vineyard to produce the highest quality fruit that we can obtain from her. Once in the winery, rather than being that hands-on, overbearing parent or father figure, you can think of us more like that cruisy, fun, slightly wild Uncle in your life.

Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"5-day skin-fermented Pinot Gris (48%), 5-day skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc (42%) and 5-day skin-fermented Gewürztraminer (10%). Fermented separately and then aged in a mixture of old puncheons and stainless steel before being blended in Spring. A medium bodied orange wine. Gentle, mouthwatering phenolics wrapped around a hit of rockmelon, mandarin, rhubarb and rose water. A great introduction to Orange wine."

Reviews for previous vintages below…

90/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, February 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"A wine from a low-fi producer in the Moutere region of Nelson – using organic fruit. This orange wine is a skin-fermented blend of Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay aged in old puncheons and stainless steel. An opaque amber-orange colour in the glass. The bouquet shows peach, apricot, pear and citrus with a touch of baking spice and elderflower floral. Dry to taste, with a clean juiciness wedded to the phenolics and tannin from the winemaking methods. There’s nothing too funky or tart to distract in the palate, and a silky texture swaddles the back palate, before a harmonic finish with good length."