Wine Notes
How to drink pinot noir you can afford without it costing an arm and a leg.
Great second-tier pinot noirs to try
Red wine lovers usually fall into two camps. Those who look for the rich softness of merlot and those who have been seduced by the subtle charms of pinot noir, which also happens to be the most popular red grape in New Zealand.
Pinot noir is second only to sauvignon blanc in this country with 5,642 hectares of producing vineyard land nationwide; a small rise from last year’s 5,549 hectares. Still, this pales in comparison to sauvignon blanc’s dominance with 25,160 hectares nationwide, but we’ve all got to start somewhere. Speaking of which, where do you find pinot noir that ticks both the affordable price box and tastes good?
As a wine adviser at one of New Zealand’s most well-stocked (and quirky) wine stores, I can’t help but suggest that you give supermarket shelves a wide berth, if you’re looking for a pinot noir with the X factor. Supermarkets can and (especially in franchise-owned stores) often do sell delicious drops every now and then, but the best lower-priced wines tend to be surprisingly prolific at independent stores. Wine marketers and winemakers alike both know that when they have smaller volumes of great wines, they won’t be able to meet supermarket supply so they sell to smaller retailers.
This bunch of beauties is the tip of a relatively small bunch of very good pinot noirs at very modest prices.
I hope they hit the high notes in your wine glass that they do in mine.
Read Top Drops Under $20 on Joelle Thomson’s website