This is the first of a series of three articles on the terroir of Central Otago, the most southerly wine growing region in the world, at 45 degrees South, marked by a dry, semi-continental climate. Known for pinot noir, the region has more than one grape to it—and more than
This is the second in a three-part series on the terroirs of Central Otago. After Gibbston and Wanaka, last week, here is a look at the largest winegrowing areas: The Cromwell Basin and Bannockburn, which combine to account for 70% of all Central Otago vineyards. The Cromwell Basin is east
This is the last of a three part series on the terroirs of New Zealand’s Central Otago. After Gibbston and Wanaka and The Cromwell Basin and Bannockburn, we are finishing with Bendigo and The Alexandra Basin, the two lowest elevation, most easterly sub-regions. Bendigo Bendigo is just east of the
Saint Clair estate was one of the first to show the world what New Zealand can do with sauvignon blanc, decades ago. This wine is so classically New Zealand you can almost taste it even before you open the bottle – which is done with a screwcap, to make it
“High Priestess” Sauvignon Blanc 2016 The color is almost completely transparent, with the lightest yellow/green tinting. The nose screams New Zealand, with gooseberry and white grapefruit. There is a hint of green pepper on the under-side of the nose. The palate leads with gooseberry, then shoots quickly into a more
This is PART TWO of L.M. Archer's exploration of Central Otago. Before continuing, read part one. Individuation: Fruit vs. Site Forsyth sees a decided march towards individuation throughout Central Otago’s vineyards. “So now, thirty years later, we’re at the stage where we can see better producers concentrating on individual vineyards,
Challenged by climate change, lack of available land and rising production costs, some of Burgundy’s top producers have established wineries in Oregon. But the more adventuresome are now flying much further afield -- to New Zealand’s Central Otago. Located on the 45 parallel in the Southern Hemisphere, Central Otago is
In a way, my entire recent trip to New Zealand was three weeks of “discovery”, so it was hard to figure out what to write about here. I finally settled on the most basic element: there is so much more to New Zealand wine than the Sauvignon Blanc it has