NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand may be relatively new to the world’s wine scene, but that hasn’t stopped it from producing some of the most exciting wines on the planet. Pinot noir has truly found its home here and its personality is as epic as the country itself.
Auckland
New Zealand’s oldest wine region seems hell bent on getting eaten up by Auckland’s sprawling diaspora of housing, but the beating heart of generational winemakers is a force to be reckoned with. Expect your pinot a touch old school, a touch grunty, a touch savoury. Good gear.
Hawkes Bay
Hawkes Bay is the even prettier cousin of your pretty mate but you only get to see them once a year, and they sometimes have stuff stuck in their teeth. Not sure what that all adds up to, but Hawkes Bay doesn’t always rhyme with pinot noir, but best examples are silky and stunning.
Martinborough / Wairarapa
No one remembers the person who came second, or third, and it’s tough when your neighbour (Martinborough) is a pedigree Olympic athlete that seems to come in first with unnerving regularity. That’s ok, Wairarapa goes about its pinot its own fine way, and those in the know know it’s got all the right stuff. Soft, seductive, delicious; a real creeper.
Nelson
You know that person that’s always out with their wallet first, generous, charming and good to be around, well, that’s kind of like Nelson pinot, more or less. It’s generous, mouth-filling stuff that gets a bit of extra cuddly flesh, in all the right bits. Marlborough might be up the road all glamorous and the like, but we all like the charm of honest to goodness Nelson just as much. Right?
Marlborough
Primped and preened, fancy hair and nice duds, Marlborough has All The Right Stuff – the region’s got mojo for days. Dive into the full flavoured, quietly powerful pinot noirs of deadly seduction, satiny texture and ample, rich fruit character. One slug and you’re hooked. You can’t resist.
North Canterbury
You want the authentic, earthy, vibey Kiwi wine region, right? Get in and amongst the farms and flowers and trees and sing Kumbaya? Well, North Canterbury is kind of a bit like that. It’s happy people, small vineyards, totally unique wines, with a touch of earthy savouriness of good measure.
Central Otago
Brrr. Did it just get a little colder here? Central Otago sits way down the bottom of the world, and even enjoys bragging rights to some of the southern hemisphere’s most southerly vineyards. It was a wine region established on a collective mad vision, but produces world class, outstanding, powerful, ample pinot noir of mass seduction. Cue the bear skin rug and fireplace.
