I recently got up the nerve to go into Vintages. Contrary to my expectations, there weren't any big intimidating bouncer-like sommeliers there just waiting to be all snooty and disapproving and intimidate me into leaving. It turns out that you're free to just browse around however you like, and there are some reasonably-priced wines in there. It's not the most user-friendly setup though, and while I would unhesitatingly go in there to pick out a specific wine, I don't find it conducive to browsing. Kind of like major department stores.
So anyway, in Vintages I found Oyster Bay Chardonnay, which I had heard good things about, but had never been able to find before. I assumed that it would have a whimsical label since a) it is from New Zealand, b) it has the name of an animal in its name, and c) it rhymes. But instead it has a classy, subdued blue and white label, which may be why I had trouble finding it before.
As for the wine itself, it's fruity and smooth. The fruit is a bit different than you usually taste in wine - a bit more appley and less grape/pear/citrus I think - and it's also kind of buttery. There's a certain aspect of chardonnay that I find slightly unpleasant (but can't name) and this wine is missing this aspect. The result is something that is so yummy that I want to drink it in big gulps instead of sipping in a dignified manner. I think it could be easily overpowered by food, but it would make a lovely aperitif as long as you don't want to make it last a long time.
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