Central Otago, near the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, vies for the title of world's most southerly wine region. Vineyards cling to the sides of mountains and high above river gorges in this dramatic landscape. Pinot Noir has proven itself in this challenging Terroir, and takes up nearly three-quarters of the region's vineyard area. The typical Central Otago Pinot Noir is intense and deeply colored, with flavors of doris plum, Sweet spice and bramble.
Two Paddocks, owned by actor Sam Neill, had thought the Last Chance vineyard was the world's most southerly (at 45°15'). But several major Patagonian projects are underway at around 45 to 46°, and Argentina can currently claim the honor for Alejandro Bulgheroni's new vineyard at Sarmiento (45°60').
The viticultural zone covers the mountainous area around the tourist resort town of Queenstown on the eastern side of the Southern Alps. The exact boundaries and sub-regional divisions are not official, but a geographic indication is in the pipeline.
Wineries are scattered around several distinct sub-regions: Gibbston, Alexandra, Wanaka and the Cromwell Basin, itself home to Bendigo, Bannockburn and Lowburn. Lakes Dunstan, Wakatipu and Wanaka all contribute to the terroir as well, along with the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers.
Gold brought the first settlers to the region in the 1860s, and most of the towns in this Part of Otago have a Rich gold-mining history. The first vines were planted during this time by a French migrant but, unlike in the Sierra Foothills region of California where the European settlers provided a steady demand for wines, the tough, transient Otago miners had no interest in drinking wine, preferring beer and spirits.
An intraspecific cross between pinot noir and cinsaut called hermitage, obtained in South Africa in 1925 by Professor Abraham Izak Perold. Since then, it has been propagated in Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the United States (California), Canada, Brazil, Israel, etc. In France, it is practically unknown, although it is registered in the Official Catalogue of Vine Varieties on the A1 list. - Synonymy: none to date (for all the synonyms of the varieties, click here!).
sparkling wines from the region of South Island go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of chicken bonne femme, ideas for savoury pancake toppings or potjevlesch (northern france).
On the nose in the region of South Island often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, minerality or honey and sometimes also flavors of lemon zest, straw or yeast.
Titled A Life in Wine: Gérard Basset, the World’s Favourite Sommelier, the one hour-long film is produced by leading London wine club 67 Pall Mall’s on-site 67pallmall.tv studio and production team. ‘I was introduced to [Basset’s wife] Nina and [son] Romané in October 2021 where we sat and discussed a potential tribute, lovingly made by those closest to him, that would inspire people and tell the story of his incredible life,’ said 67 Pall Mall producer Kiki Hopkins. ‘We worked on a list of trea ...
The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...
Felix Debavelaere, from Domaine Rois Mages mentions the different personnalities of the Rully appellation. It is not easy to put it in a single box, not only because it can be produced in red and white but also because the wines can show different characters according to where the vines are planted. This video is taken from the “Rendez-vous avec les vins de Bourgogne” program (February 2021). Our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BourgogneWines Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bourgo ...
