Four Good Reasons to Drink New Zealand Pinot Noir

When you mention New Zealand to most wine drinkers they’ll immediately think of our world-famous Sauv Blancs. But this aromatic little grape is far from the only variety we do well.

Over the past 40 years, New Zealand Pinot Noir has gone from strength to strength to become a serious player on the world stage. Today our small island nation offers some of the best value, world-class Pinot Noir around.

So, why is New Zealand Pinot Noir so good?

1. A Pinot Paradise

The secret to New Zealand wine is our oceanic climate, clean air and rich, diverse soils. From as far north as Auckland to the deep south of Central Otago, Pinot grows everywhere. Within this abundance, there are several distinct regions and sub-regions, each with their own unique terroir and climate, providing vineyards with a tantalizing point of difference.

The Marlborough wines for instance are consistently elegant and finely tuned – a perfect example of new world fruit and old world complexity. The Pinot Noir’s of Waitaki Valley, North Otago have been likened to Chambolle-Musigny. Martinborough, with a climate very similar to Burgundy, produces Pinot Noir of exceptional quality and complexity. Whilst the deep, dark, dense Pinot from Central Otago, the world’s southernmost wine growing region with a cooler, continental climate, are arguably our most awarded.

“No other wine region in New Zealand has shot to fame as quickly as Central Otago.
Pinot Noir from this region is arguably becoming as equal in celebrity as Sauvignon Blanc is to Marlborough.”
– Cameron Douglas, MS

2. King of the New World

Burgundy will always be Pinot Noir royalty. But compared to other new world wine regions, our Pinot’s are vibrant yet restrained in character. Not overly manipulated, extracted or oaked, they have lovely fruit; and as our industry and vines mature, our wines are developing more depth and complexity.

In the beginning, Kiwi winemakers tried to replicate the Burgundy benchmark but they soon realised the charm of greater fruit and alcohol ripeness and they developed an understanding of regional styles.

Once winemakers had grasped the concept of playing to their terroir-driven strengths, the wines continued to blossom, and our carefully crafted Pinot Noir was the one to truly take new heights.

New Zealand now produces Pinot that is truly world-class, combining old-world production with new world flair, without the prohibitive price point of a Burgundy.

“When it comes to Kiwi reds, Pinot Noir is king.
The country has earned itself a formidable reputation for mostly premium bottlings of the variety.”
– Cristina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast Magazine

3. Super sustainable

A little known fact about the New Zealand wine industry is that it’s seen as world-leading in the sustainability space. Many wineries are applying biodynamic principles and 98% are certified sustainable under New Zealand’s strict regime. This means being conscious of water and energy usage and the environmental impacts of production – from farming to packaging.

4. Incredible value for money

New Zealand Pinot Noir is hands down, the best value world-class Pinot on the market. But don’t take our word for it. Tina Gellie from Decanter Magazine wrote, “New Zealand has developed a reputation for the quality of its Pinot Noir in recent years, and they can offer great value for money compared to the old world competition”. Our Pinot’s also consistently steal the show on most ‘Best Value Pinot Noir’ lists.

So on that note, it’s time you took your taste buds on a tour of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir regions with our carefully curated Pinot Noir selection…