2022 Astrolabe The Farm Dry Riesling, Marlborough

Some bottle age is showing this vivid dry riesling off in full form. Lemon skin, lime leaf and orchard apples. Preserved grapefruit, calamansi lime flesh and green melon. There is a succulence, and some mid-palate pineapple and citrus oil; the flavour is enhanced by the juicy acidity and lingers. This is in a very happy place for drinking with rich white meats, pork or roast chicken, but still has another decade ahead of it. Drink to 2036.

93 points & Special Value Shanteh Wale for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2026

Lively, fresh and zesty riesling with lime, lemon balm, and grapefruit pith flavours. Linear and quite off-dry, this light-bodied wine is vivacious and crisp from start to finish. There is a juicy fruit which lingers alongside some toasty kerosene notes from bottle development. Enjoy over the near-term. Drink to 2030.

90 points Stephen Wong for The Real Review, December 2025

The fruit for this wine was grown by Astrolabe’s Waghorn family at their Farm vineyard in lower Wairau Valley’s Grovetown. The dry grown site is organic in conversion, with old vines of three clones of Riesling contributing to this blend.

The grapes were 50/50 picked by hand and by machine. The free-run juice and light solids obtained from the whole bunch press was fermented with an aroma enhancing yeast at cool temperatures in stainless steel and bottled after three months.

The final wine comes in at a low 10.5% alc./vol. and 9.7g/L natural residual sugar.

About this producer

An astrolabe is an ancient astronomical instrument that was used to make a diverse range of calculations. A mariner’s astrolabe, modified for use upon a ship, was used by early navigators to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of a celestial object.

Astrolabe is a Marlborough-based family business of the Waghorn family. When career winemaker Simon Waghorn wanted to start his own label in 1996, he chose the name Astrolabe as he liked the connotations of exploration and discovery.

The grapes are sourced from ten local families who live on their land and farm sustainably. The sites are spread across the Marlborough sub-regions, presenting an opportunity to work with produce from a diversity of soil profiles and mesoclimates.

The operations are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing NZ, and their Astrolabe Farm and Wrekin vineyards are certified organic. They have also been certified carbon neutral through Toitū and were one of the foundation members of Appellation Marlborough Wine, a group of growers seeking to safeguard the quality of the region’s wines.