Melange Blanc 2025 is a skin-fermented white from Harrison Eaton's Mélange label, made from 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc grown on the organic Raupo Vineyard in Marlborough. Expect lemon, peach and orange peel, with real texture. It was rated 93 POINTS by Cameron Douglas, MS. A lovely wine for anyone curious about amber wines.
In the glass it shows a distinctive colour, the result of fermenting the juice on its grape skins for 28 days. Wildflower tea and grapefruit sit alongside crisp apple, with gentle tannins giving the wine grip and length.
This is a wine for those of us who enjoy a white with more texture and savoury interest than most. It's a great match for richer seafood and spiced dishes.
What it tastes like
This wine has a gorgeous, floral bouquet with citrus peel at its core. Cameron Douglas, MS found plenty of acidity and medium weight, with fresh, waxy herb notes from the Semillon. Because the juice spent time on the skins, the wine picks up tannins and phenolics (the compounds in skins that give red wine its grip), so it feels more like a light red in the mouth than a crisp white. It's delicious.
Style at a glance
- Body: medium
- Sweetness: dry
- Acidity: fresh and lively
- Tannin: light, from 28 days on skins
- Style: textured, citrusy amber white
Food to enjoy this with
This is a wine best enjoyed with great food. Good matches include:
- Grilled fish with preserved lemon and herbs
- Prawn and chorizo paella
- A Moroccan chicken tagine with apricots
- Pork and fennel sausages
- Aged gouda or a nutty hard cheese
- Pad Thai: an unexpected one, but the wine's citrus peel and gentle tannins handle the tamarind, lime and peanut
Who makes it
Mélange is the label of Harrison Eaton, elder son of Marlborough viticulturist Mike Eaton. Harrison was born in 1996 on the Clayvin vineyard, which Mike and his wife Jo planted in 1991. He never trained formally as a winemaker. After a 2016 vintage as a cellar hand at Giesen and time in its organic viticulture programme, he learned in the vineyard and the cellar, with Mike as his teacher.
Harrison started making wine on the side around 2018. His first experiment, a blend of fewer than 100 bottles, became Rougir, and the mixed nature of that wine gave the label its name: mélange is French for "mixture". The wines are wild fermented and bottled unfined and unfiltered, and Harrison's aim, in his words, is "wine that lets the land speak".
The fruit comes from the Raupo Vineyard in Marlborough, which is certified organic by BioGro and certified biodynamic by Demeter. Harrison also works alongside Mike on the family's Eaton wines, in both winemaking and viticulture.
For the 2025 vintage, the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc were grown and fermented together as a field blend, on their skins for 28 days.
About the vintage
Wine Marlborough's report on 2025 described a smooth vintage. December was the warmest on record in Marlborough, January was cool, and then a warm, settled February and March gave growers a long, unhurried harvest. Summer rainfall was about half the long-term average.
The crop was large, and growers capped yields to pick more selectively. Winemaker Jamie Marfell said the season was "smooth and easy and didn't miss a beat", with fruit ripening evenly and slowly, and Eva Pemper said "Marlborough has delivered once again on quality".
Critic scores and ratings
- 93 POINTS – Cameron Douglas, MS – camdouglasms.com, October 2026
"A distinctive colour and equally distinctive bouquet. Aromas and flavours of lemon and peach, a wild flowers tea, orange peel and grapefruit then apple and pith. A wine of equal texture and flavour with intensity from citrus peel and apple, more floral qualities then tart fruit tea. Plenty of acidity and medium weight, well made with some fresh waxy herb ideas, tannins and phenolics are an important part of the mouthfeel leading to a lengthy and balanced finish. Ideal drinking from day of purchase through 2030." Rated "Excellent".
When to drink it
It's drinking well now, and Cameron Douglas, MS sees ideal drinking through to 2030. Like most skin-fermented whites, it opens up with air, so give it a swirl in the glass.
Technical details
| Winery: |
Mélange |
| Wine: |
Blanc |
| Vintage: |
2025 |
| Variety: |
65% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc |
| Region: |
Raupo Vineyard, Marlborough |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Fermentation: |
Skin fermented field blend, 28 days on skins |
| Organic: |
BioGro certified organic fruit |
| Biodynamic: |
Demeter certified fruit |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Melange Blanc 2025 is available from our winenz.com website. For delivery within New Zealand, buy it from thewineryonline.co.nz. You can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine. On both websites and in both stores you can select a mixed case from a large range of wines, and if you are visiting from overseas, we can ship it home for you.
Questions we are often asked
Is Melange Blanc 2025 an orange wine?
Yes. It's a white wine fermented on its grape skins, a style also called amber or orange wine. That gives it colour, texture and light tannins.
What grapes are in Melange Blanc 2025?
It's a field blend of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc from the Raupo Vineyard in Marlborough.
Is Melange Blanc organic?
Yes. The fruit is BioGro certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic.
How was Melange Blanc 2025 rated?
Cameron Douglas, MS gave it 93 POINTS and rated it "Excellent", with ideal drinking through 2030.
Who makes Mélange wines?
Harrison Eaton, son of Marlborough viticulturist Mike Eaton. He started the label around 2018.
Where can I buy Melange Blanc 2025?
The Winery ships Melange Blanc 2025 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. You can also buy it in our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores.
