There are 7 “deadly things” a Pinotphile should know about Central Otago:
1. When? 20th century winemaking arrived here in the late 1970’s/early 80’s. The first commercial wine was produced in 1987.
2. Where? allegedly the most southerly wine-growing region in the world. Think Southern Hemisphere – New Zealand’s South Island and down in the southern part of that. The area is not more than 150km north to south and less than 100km in width.
The vineyard area ranges in altitude from 200m to just over 400m, and is encircled with mountains, river gorges and lakes. There are about 6 wine-growing districts within this. Average vine age is 6-7 years.
3. How much is being produced? There are approx 60 wineries at present, and these account for about 5% of New Zealand’s production. Pinot Noir accounts for 70% of production.
4. Why is the region so good for Pinot Noir? Soil and climate basically.
a) The soil is schist & loess – ie. good minerality and low in organic matter (perfect for Pinot), plus good drainage.
b) Climate: Central Otago lies in a ‘sweet spot’ of latitude, only shared by Burgundy & the Willamette Valley.
The vines benefit from significant swings in day-night temperature (diurnal shifts) of about 20 degrees, improving the complexity of flavour in the grape. The seasonal shifts favour Pinot Noir – particularly the long dry autumn giving a long ‘hang-time’ for grapes on the vine -again favouring more complexity. Low rainfall throughout the year also suits this grape which under wetter circumstances is prone to botrytis.
5. What about the winemaking? Winemakers invariably have experience working with Pinot in premium regions. Winemakers’ co-operation and interaction with each other raises the standards for the region in general.
It is fair to say that winemakers are still experimenting to a degree, as any ambitious region would. Some of the practices appearing in common are:
- cold maceration for a few days prior to fermention to get maximum colour
- approx 20% whole bunch pressing
- de-stemming creating softer wines
- a few are using wild yeasts for added flavour
- daily plunging during fermentation to get as much colour as possible
- malo-lactic fermentation to create a rounder, softer style
- French oak aging for about 10 months (1/3 new) to impart additional flavours and structure to the wine.
- very light fining to preserve the carefully-formed flavours.
6. So what is the style? the theme uniting all these producers is purported to be ‘fruity.’ While vintages introduce variations on this theme, the accepted wisdom is a spicy style, and this is evident in the 2007 vintage, regarded as ‘uniform.’ Its predecessor was a warm vintage and gave acid & tannins. The 2008 vintage was passed over by wine critics, but is now showing beautiful silky, velvet character, reminiscent of the Burgundy style.
7. What should you try & how much are they? Muddy Water (imported by New Zealand Boutique Wines), Mount Difficulty (Wines Direct), Felton Road (On the Grapevine), Tarras ‘the Canyon’ (Corkscrew Wines).
How much are they? Limited production and challenging conditions make these wines expensive, largely around €25-€45 per bottle. Having said that, the upside is the consistency of quality, a rare quality in more classic wine regions.
To get the nuts & bolts about more wine regions and grape varieties, why not enrol for a wine course with Premier Wine Training?
