Having founded three wineries, sold two, and put the 21st vintage of Wild Irishman into barrel, Central Otago winemaking pioneer Alan Brady could choose to put his feet up.

Once dismissed as too cold and remote, Central Otago now commands the global stage, with 81% of its plantings in Pinot Noir. Joelle Thompson explores how the region pulled off such swift success.

Central Otago’s shift towards organic wine continues to gain momentum, with several renowned wineries receiving accolades at the recent Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Wine Awards.

The country may be famous for Sauvignon Blanc, but it also produces great reds.

There are Pinot Noirs and Pinot Noirs. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with examples that perfectly express their local region but burgundy lovers may be seeking better-value closer alternatives to the prototype. Above, Rippon’s vineyard overlooking Lake Wānaka in Central Otago, New Zealand. A rather shorter version of this article is published by the Financial Times.

First stop on a recent road tour around some of New Zealand’s key winemaking regions is Central Otago where Santana Minerals’ goldmine is throwing a shadow over this beautiful wine region.

Once a year, an independent jury selects twelve outstanding Pinot Noirs from Central Otago — a cross-section of vintage and region. Falstaff has taken a closer look at the selection and presents the highlights of the Central Dozen 2023.

The Australia and New Zealand roadshow kicked off last week in London, travelled to Edinburgh and finishes off in Dublin on Tuesday. Over 1,000 wines from 250 wineries were shown with an incredible 38 winemakers pouring wines, despite the busy harvests back home.

While Marlborough Savvy B snagged our palates and ids with its sassy panache, Central Otago Pinot Noir is poised to capture our souls and brains with its cerebral elegance. In lieu of bikinis and sunshine, we have cashmere wraps, sunset views, a dog-eared copy of The Germinal. Cue the Nico soundtrack.

A selection of Central Otago Pinot Noir from 2023

The history of Pinot Noir in New Zealand is one of feast and famine, dominance and disaster.

It might surprise many to learn that Pinot Noir was, in fact, the dominant red grape variety in New Zealand from the 1880s through the early part of the 20th century. Of course, the wine industry at that time was tiny, little more than a cottage enterprise of farmers growing grapes alongside other crops and livestock.

As part of the Central Otago Spring Release event, the four wine writers present—Jane Skilton MW, John Saker, Dave Brookes and myself—were treated to a masterclass with four of the region’s pre-eminent winemakers.