Why this wine matters
More than a famous label.
First made in 1982, the 2023 blend is Merlot-led with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from estate Hawke’s Bay vineyards.
Te Mata Estate · Hawke's Bay
Awatea
Hawke’s Bay Bordeaux blend · blackberry · plum · violet · cedar · poised
Awatea is one of New Zealand’s benchmark Bordeaux-style reds and the more immediately approachable sibling to Te Mata’s flagship Coleraine.
Country
New Zealand
Region
Hawke's Bay
Appellation
Hawke's Bay
Grapes
Merlot · Cabernet Sauvignon · Cabernet Franc
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£25–£32
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
birthdayanniversaryfathers daydinner partygift
A benchmark Hawke’s Bay Bordeaux blend for anniversaries, Father’s Day and gifts.
How it is made
The decisions behind the style.
The 2023 was hand harvested, destemmed, warm fermented with extended skin contact and matured in new and seasoned French oak for about 15 months.
What does it taste like?
The shape of the wine.
Blackberry and currant meet violet, black olive and sandalwood, with refreshing acidity and bright fine tannin.
Body4/5
Acidity4/5
Tannin4/5
Sweetness0/5
Oak influence3/5
Freshness4/5
Aroma5/5
Serve it well
Serve around 16–18°C.
If this wine were human…
The immaculate host
If Awatea were human, it would be everything looks effortless, which is how you know somebody thought about every detail.
substantialsharp-mindedstrong-willedunfussy
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Everything looks effortless, which is how you know somebody thought about every detail. You tend to prefer things that reveal themselves gradually rather than arriving with a press release.
At dinner, you would rather have four good conversations than forty introductions. Secretly, you are much more sentimental than your taste in labels would suggest.
In short: everything looks effortless, which is how you know somebody thought about every detail. hawke’s bay bordeaux blend energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
No dead ends.
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
Research sources
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.