New Zealand Pinot Noir

This challenging grape variety produces myriad styles across this small country, says Bob Campbell MW. The one constant is that quality is continually improving

SAUVIGNON BLANC MIGHT pay the bills, but New Zealand’s rising reputation as a fine wine producer is largely due to Pinot Noir. In just a few decades it has gone from experimental to exciting as Kiwi winemakers get the measure of this challenging grape variety. The real miracle is not just how far Pinot Noir quality has grown, but that it continues to grow strongly every year.

Pinot Noir vines were first planted in the 19th century but fell victim to phylloxera. The variety returned to Kiwi soil in the 1970s and was put on the map when St Helena’s 1982 Pinot Noir from Canterbury scored a gold medal at a local wine show. A few years earlier, a scientific report noted that Martinborough had a climate that was similar to Burgundy. A few hopefuls including Ata Rangi, Martinborough Vineyards and Dry River bought land and planted Pinot in the alluvial gravel terraces of Martinborough.

Other regions soon followed, although high-quality Pinot Noir production is restricted to the southern part of the country from central Hawke’s Bay down to Central Otago. It should be noted that the majority of the Pinot Noir grown in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne is used in sparkling wine production.

Every region from Hawke’s Bay south can make top Pinot. Regional differences are sometimes obvious but can be blurred by vineyard aspect (hillside versus plains), sub-regional variation (cooler Gibbston sites vs hotter Bendigo conditions in Central Otago) and, of course, viticultural and winemaking methods. Vintage variation adds further complexity.

Focus on quality