Rising Stars: 3 Regions Breaking into the Collector Scene

Beyond the blue-chip labels of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, a new wave of terroirs is quietly commanding the attention of discerning collectors. From Etna’s volcanic slopes to Kumeu’s precise whites and the Wachau’s age-worthy Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings, these wines are winning critic scores that rival the greats, yet with their prices remaining strikingly modest.

This convergence of rarity, character, and value from these regions makes collecting them a prescient pursuit.

Etna: Volcanic Purity & Tension

Volcanoes are nature’s most visceral reminder that forces far greater than us still shape the Earth. An eruption in June 2025 sent columns of plume into the sky, prompting tourists to flee. The country’s Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory had even shared an image they had captured showing the extent of the eruption.

On Etna, every eruption reshapes the land, and winemakers live with the risk of lost vines and yields. Here, terroir is at the mercy of nature’s whims, demanding respect, resilience, and a craftsmanship that makes the wines as rare, resilient, and singular as those who craft them.

Etna’s soils, born of successive eruptions over the past 15,000 years, are geologically young and ever-changing. Each lava flow slowly breaks down into sandy, fertile soil that is freely draining, forcing vines to dig deep for moisture and nutrients. This slow struggle keeps berries small and concentrated, while the cooler, high-altitude climate preserves freshness. Together, they give Etna wines their hallmark bright acidity and tension.

Whites that qualify for the Etna Bianco DOC are at least 60% Carricante, the native white grape. James Suckling’s The Peak of Purity and Tension: Etna 2025 Tasting Report calls these native Carricante-based wines “rare in purity and tension,” comparing them to Puligny-Montrachet for finesse and minerality.

Etna Rosso DOC wines, on the other hand, must be produced on the northern, eastern, or southern slopes of Mount Etna, at elevations between 300 and 1,000 meters. The blend requires at least 80% Nerello Mascalese, with up to 20% Nerello Cappuccio permitted, and the finished wine must reach a minimum of 12.5% ABV.

Nerello Mascalese, Sicily’s answer to Pinot Noir, has small berries with a high skin-to-flesh ratio, giving depth and complexity. Like Pinot, it transparently reflects its terroir. On Etna’s volcanic soils, this translates to vivid red fruit, a distinctive herbal edge, firm tannins, bright acidity, and a subtle mineral-salty finish that sets it apart from its more renowned Nebbiolo and Sangiovese counterparts. Few grapes are as attuned to volcanic soils as Nerello Mascalese, making it one of the finest expressions of red wine born from fire and ash.

The Girolamo Russo “San Lorenzo” Etna Rosso 2021, for example, showcases Etna at its finest. With a 96+ score from The Wine Advocate, it combines precision, energy, and volcanic purity, layered with wild fruit, spice, and stone. From 80-year-old vines rooted in rocky soils nearly 800 meters up the mountain, it delivers natural concentration and longevity. Yet at under £80, this offers collectors a rare chance to secure top-tier quality at a fraction of Burgundy’s cost!

Kumeu River Chardonnay: Precision & Prestige

From the outskirts of Auckland, Kumeu River has redefined what New Zealand Chardonnay can be, propelling the country onto the global fine wine stage. It is this estate that has propelled the Kumeu region into the spotlight, crafting Chardonnays now spoken of in the same breath as white Burgundy, yet, as we shall discover, still offering extraordinary value for collectors.

Kumeu’s cool maritime climate and clay-rich soils give the region a character of its own, distinct from both New Zealand’s more famous wine regions and from Burgundy, where granite and limestone prevail. The region’s shorter daylight hours are balanced by surprisingly intense sunlight, which can easily scorch the grapes. Though frequent cloud cover offers some relief, vineyard work is a delicate balancing act. Canopy management and vine training must be handled with care to avoid excessive shade or burn.

Kumeu River’s vineyards occupy some of the region’s finest slopes, where the art of vineyard management is mastered year after year. The result is Chardonnay of striking concentration and poise.

In 2015, Kumeu River’s single-vineyard Chardonnays were blind-tasted by Jamie Goode and Jancis Robinson MW alongside a lineup of esteemed white Burgundies from the same vintage. The outcome was nothing short of revelatory; Kumeu River’s wines not only held their own but, in several cases, surpassed their Burgundian peers. The 2007 Hunting Hill, for instance, outscored Domaine Leflaive’s Puligny-Montrachet Les Clavoillons of the same year.

For collectors, it is clear that Kumeu River offers the finesse of Burgundy with the added thrill of extraordinary value.

Wachau (Austria): Riesling on a Terrace

The Wachau Valley is one of the world’s most striking wine regions, where steep, terraced vineyards rise from the Danube and cling to soils of primary rock, gneiss, and granite. These sites are renowned for their ageing potential, laser-focused acidity, and stone-driven character.

Warm Pannonian air drifting in from Hungary meets cool Alpine breezes sweeping down from the west, creating a rare climatic tension that shapes the region’s style. This interplay, together with mineral-rich soils, gives Wachau wines their hallmark precision and structure.

Few producers harness Wachau’s dramatic terroir as masterfully as F.X. Pichler. His single-vineyard Rieslings from sites like Kellerberg, Loibenberg, and Steinertal regularly earn some of Austria’s highest scores.

The Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd 2022, for instance, received an extraordinary 98–100 points from The Wine Advocate, placing it firmly among the world’s elite white wines. Antonio Galloni of Vinous has praised Pichler’s bottlings for their “depth, energy and crystalline purity,” qualities that shine vividly in this release.

Yet despite such acclaim, the wine retails for around £90, a remarkable proposition for a bottle with this level of pedigree, precision, and age-worthy potential.

Why This Matters in 2025

For many critics, it is clear Etna, Kumeu River, and the Wachau have moved well beyond “emerging” status, with these wines now regularly scoring between 93 and 100 points. Etna’s pricing is already beginning to track Burgundy’s mid-tier wines, a sign of both rising demand and growing legitimacy. Concurrently, New Zealand and Austria are offering bottles of astonishing quality at prices that remain refreshingly accessible.

For collectors, particularly in the APAC markets long focused on French icons, these regions present a chance to diversify with wines of pedigree, character, and longevity. Beginning to acquire and drink these wines today is savvy and the mark of a truly discerning palate.