Explore Boutique Central Otago Pinot Noir Wine

Ever walked into your local wine store and only found 5 Central Otago Pinot Noir wines? Par for the course really, very few stores carry a large range of New Zealand's best Pinot Noir region.

Yet there are more than 100 wine labels from this celebrated area, many of them have won gold medals in New Zealand, Britain, Australia and the US. Some have even won Best Wine of Show at major wine competitions.

There are actually 6 subregions! From the cooler Gibbston and Wanaka areas to the warmer Bendigo and Bannockburn. From the famously hot Alexandra to the biggest vineyard area of all - Lowburn.

Why is it so hard to find? Most winegrowers down here in Central Otago have small 4-10ha vineyards compared to the more well known 40-200ha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vineyards.

The Pinot Noir grape is also deeply affected by every tiny aspect of the environment around it. Sometimes frost can wipe out a whole vineyard overnight! However the cool nights also results in slower growth leading to more complex wines.

Pinot Noir is more expensive than virtually any other variety to buy - and also to make. It has low yields (amount of grapes per ha), its exposed to harsh weather (frost), its often hand picked, and the wine making process is challenging.

My store, Wanaka Fine Wines, is based in Central Otago. When people walk into the shop they expect to find local pinot noirs. So about half our wine stock is from Central Otago - not 5 labels but more than 100!

Its our speciality - and our passion.

We've put together some suggestions that cover high quality, good value and subregional variety in case lots (6 brands, 2 bottles of each) or you can make up your own mixed case by choosing from the other 100 wines.

Cheers!
Henry Heard
Owner
Wanaka Fine Wines