Rebecca Salmond's wine journey is encapsulated in her brand name, Odyssey Wines, which she created 32 years with small volumes of New Zealand wines made from grapes grown in Marlborough and Gisborne.

Today, after weaving impressive vintage experience across the world in places as illustrious as Burgundy, Bordeaux and Cote Rotie in France; Alto Adige and Sicily in Italy; Marlborough and Hawkes Bay in New Zealand, she produces a raft of sub-brands under the Odyssey banner. 

These reviews are of her latest trio of wines to land on my tasting table. Each wine offers superb value for money and delicious drinkability.

18.5/20
2025 Odyssey Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc RRP $22

Classic cool climate Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant flavours, expressing Marlborough upfront, fruit forward style while retaining textural interest on the palate, thanks to lees contact and a hint of residual sugar of two grams per litre, which puts it firmly in the dry category. This is a fruity style from winemaker Rebecca Salmond's single vineyard in the Brancott Valley. It offers superb value and ripe flavours in a wine with a lingering taste impression on the finish.

17.5/20
2024 Odyssey Marlborough Pinot Gris RRP $26

Certified organic and vegan, this wine opens with fruity aromas of peach, rockmelon and pear, all captured in a smooth, medium bodied wine. It's made from hand picked fruit and was fermented in stainless steel, until it neared completion and was transferred to seasoned oak barriques to rest on lees for a year, which builds subtle texture and complexity as well as weight into the palate. An impressive wine at an affordable price, with pristine fruit appeal. 

17.5.20
2024 Odyssey Marlborough Pinot Noir RRP $30
Odyssey Wines Pinot Noir is handpicked from winemaker Rebecca Salmond's vineyard in Brancott Valley Marlborough, which brings a balance of ripe dark cherry flavours to this wine, along with savoury elements to add complexity.  The grapes in this wine were hand picked and cold soaked for a week prior to fermentation with the indigenous yeasts found on the grapes at harvest. The wine was aged in French oak (30% new) to bring a roundness, imbuing it with notes of gentle spice and warm cedar aromas. Great value for money and superb drinking now and over the next two to three years.