The Central Otago Wine Cellar

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS & GIFT PACKS

thankyou to all those who have ordered - our Christmas deliveries have all been dispatched... Our shop can still receive orders, and we will dispatch if possible however there are no guarantees of delivery before Christmas - sorry! Merry Christmas!

ARTISAN WINEGROWERS OF CENTRAL OTAGO SAMPLER PACKS

6-pack NZ$201
12-pack NZ$375

6-PACK SUMMER WINE BOX

Mondillo Riesling 2011
TOSQ Pinot Noir 2009
Desert Heart Chardonnay
Lowburn Ferry Skeleton Creek Pinot Noir 2009
Maori Point Pinot Gris 2010
Archangel Pinot Noir 2009

NZ$175

ARTISAN WINEGROWERS OF CENTRAL OTAGO SAMPLER PACKS

6-pack NZ$201
12-pack NZ$375

LOWBURN FERRY SAMPLER PACK

1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2011
1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010
1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2009
1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Skeleton Creek Pinot Noir 2009
1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir 2008
1 bottle Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir 2007

only $240.00 (NZ$40.00) per bottle

EVEREST BASE CAMP 2013

We are shaped by our adventures and challenges. They give us our best stories, form our strongest memories and create powerful friendships. Ten Cromwell College (Central Otago) students are on a journey to the Himalayas to bring kinship and assistance to a school in the region. The visit to the Everest region is inspired through their motto "Whaia te taumata" Pursuing the highest peak. The journey is calle EBC (Everest Base Camp) 2013, and will be undertaken in the same year as the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's first summit of Mt Everest.

Sagarmatha is Nepalese for Everest. Purchasing Sagarmatha wines will not only get you some great wine at a great price but will help the kids of Phortse School with a contribution to be made when the group visits the school deep in the Himalayas.
...read more at www.ebc2013.co.nz

3 December 2012
In a move that signals the changing and evolving climate of the New Zealand wine industry, six modest growers from Central Otago – the eponymous “Artisans” – have banded together and formed their own group under a unified flag. The Artisan Winegrowers of Central Otago (AWCO) comprise Auburn Wines, Ellero, Georgetown Vineyard, Lindis River, Lowburn Ferry and TOSQ; some familiar names, and some that may have escaped under the radar until now. Cumulative production for all members of the group barely scratches 5000 cases, each with their own point of difference and specialisation.
AWCO aspires to a greater promotion, awareness and appreciation for truly artisan wines; the same people that own the brands are the same people working in the vineyard, crafting the wine and selling the product. The organization will also serve as a collaborative sales and marketing team, combining resources to achieve a critical mass that can more effectively tackle domestic and offshore markets.

3 December 2012

2012 will go down as the year Central Otago firmly established its reputation as a producer of fine New Zealand wines, if the recent Trophy count is anything to go by.
Almost every winegrowing district within the Central Otago region has brought home a Trophy in the last six months - from Bendigo, to Alexandra, to Gibbston, to Wanaka, to Bannockburn - confirming every district within the region produces outstanding wines.
International Trophies include Valli’s success in UK, Akarua’s - both in UK and Hong Kong, Pisa Range Estate also in Hong Kong - not to mention Grasshopper Rock, Terra Sancta, Quartz Reef, Aurora, Mt Maude and BannackBrae’s, successes in taking out Trophies in major New Zealand wine competitions. Trophies were awarded not only for the region’s signature variety - Pinot Noir, but also for Riesling and Pinot Gris varieties.

26 November 2012

The Grasshopper Rock Central Otago Earnscleugh Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010, from Alexandra, was awarded the Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show Trophy at a gala dinner in Wellington on Saturday.
It also won the JF Hillebrand New Zealand Ltd Champion Pinot Noir Trophy. Grasshopper Rock’s vineyard is situated in the southern-most latitude of the winegrowing areas in Central Otago. Chair of Judges and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich said that the Grasshopper Rock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010 stood out for its great depth of cherry fruit aroma, palate richness and multi-layered complexity.
“Pinot Noir is the most successful varietal class in the competition. The top wines are simply stunning, and a further endorsement of Pinot Noir’s suitability to making outstanding wines from many regions around the country. The wines from the outstanding 2010 vintage are of special note, and are showing even more layers after an extra year of age.”

8 November 2012

Crops from some parts of the Central Otago region are likely to be lower this season following devastating frosts over the past weekend.
Central Otago Winegrowers Association president James Dicey said some vineyards suffered significant losses, with reports of temperatures plummeting to as low as -5.5 degrees Celsius in some areas, rendering frost-fighting techniques next to useless, he said.
Now for the good news:

The 2011 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Gris has been awarded TROPHY – BEST ASIA WINE & FOOD PAIRING – Thai at the 2012 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition held in Hong Kong.

16 October 2012

Leading Central Otago winemaker Grant Taylor has won an unprecedented 3rd trophy for Best Pinot Noir at one of the world’s largest wine competitions.
Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 has been awarded the trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the 2012 London International Wine and Spirits Competition. A panel of 225 judges, including New Zealand’s own Jo Burzynska tasted entries from over 90 countries in a rigorous two-stage blind tasting, and deemed Taylor’s Pinot Noir to be the finest of all.
Grant Taylor is Central Otago’s most awarded winemaker having consistently won gold medals and trophies at major wine shows around the world since 1995.
He has previously received international trophies for the Gibbston Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2000 and Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005. However, Grant says this is by far the most satisfying achievement in his 33-year winemaking career. “To be awarded a trophy for a third time is a great honour in itself, but it being Valli, my own label and especially the estate vineyard that’s being recognised makes it much more gratifying,” he said.

And back home it was Central Otago which triumphed at the NZ International Wine Show held in Auckland last month.
Bannock Brae 'Barrel Selection' Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010 won the Nissan NZ trophy for Champion Wine of the Show.

23 August 2012
With spring just around the corner Central Otago wine growers are completing pruning and maintenance tasks in readiness for the coming growing season.

Rockburn Wines has brought home the MIKE WOLTER MEMORIAL TROPHY for CHAMPION PINOT NOIR from the NZ Winegrowers Bragato Wine Awards in Blenheim this week. Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010 was also named Reserve Champion (Richard Smart Trophy) at the awards which recognise the grower for viticultural excellence.
Central Otago gold medalists at the NZ Winegrowers Bragato Wine Awards:

Pinot Gris: Gibbston Valley Gold River Central Otago Pinot Gris 2012
Pinot Noir: Akarua Central Otago Pinot Noir 2011, Domain Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011, Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2011, Bannock Brae Goldfields Pinot Noir 2010, Grasshopper Rock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Pisa Range Estate 'Black Poplar Block' Pinot Noir 2010, Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Two Degrees Pinot Noir 2010.

New Zealand is now the world's 10th largest wine exporter, despite producing only 1% of the world's wine, according to latest figures released from NZ Winegrowers.
The country's exports hit a record NZ$1.18bn in the past financial year, up 8% on the previous year, with volume up 16%, New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith said in the industry body's annual report
New Zealand is now the world's 10th largest exporter by value and 11th by volume, Smith said, 'despite accounting for less than 1% of global wine production'.

The inaugural reserve pinot noir from boutique Central Otago producer Lowburn Ferry has received an outstanding ovation from a panel of international tasters known as the Grand Jury Européen (GJE).
14 GJE tasters recently held a special session in Paris about the styles of various pinots noirs coming from various countries in the world : France, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, USA, Argentina, and Germany. Invited producers were asked to provide a wine representing a vintage between 2000 and 2010. The lineup of 33 international pinot noir wines included Lowburn Ferry "The Ferryman" Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 from Central Otago, and 3 other iconic New Zealand brands. ...more information here

14 June 2012
Bald Hills Central Otago Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 has been awarded gold medals at two highly prestigious competitions in the UK: the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), at which more than 10,000 wines are judged by a team of experts - and also at the 2012 International Wine Challenge (IWC).
Other recent Decanter award winners from Central Otago include: Gold: Judge Rock Pinot Noir 2010, Mud House Golden Terraces Pinot Noir 2010,
Silver: Akarua Pinot Noir 2009, Amisfield Pinot Gris 2010, Amisfield Wine Company Pinot Noir 2010, Archangel Pinot Noir 2010, Ata Mara Estate Pinot Noir 2010, Bald Hills 3 Acres 2010, Brennan Pinot Noir 2009, Folding Hill Pinot Noir 2010, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010, Maude Pinot Noir 2009, McArthur Ridge Pinot Noir 2010, Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2010, Peregrine Pinot Noir 2010, Peregrine Riesling 2008, Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2010, Rock Ferry Pinot Noir 2009, Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 2009, Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2009

8 June 2012
Fresh snow on the mountains over recent days. The snow dump that hit Canterbury missed Central Otago but we've had some cracker frosts!

Last month saw most of the Central Otago harvest come in - some 8-9000 tonnes of grapes, and wow, what a vintage! After a variable growing season, seeing some frost damage in parts of the region after spring snows, good even flowering and then a cooler and dampish summer, the finale was a spectacular "Indian Summer" which allowed the grapes some good hang time and saw many happy pickers, winegrowers and winemakers! With across the board lower than usual Brix levels (a measure of sugar content) in the grapes - Central Otago Winegrowers Association president James Dicey predicts the resulting wines across the region could be "very different" to other years. "Flavours arrived at lower Brix, which could see lower alcohol wines," he said. Mr Dicey said he had gone through weather records back to 1993 and last summer was the coolest in that time in terms of Growing Degree Days (GDD). "But we had heat at the right time, making for a very interesting vintage," he said.

Demand for Central Otago grapes was also high this year, particularly as some other NZ regions experienced reduced yields - down 30-50 per cent in some cases, because of inclement weather during the growing season and during flowering in December.

Vintage 2012 is well under way in Central Otago.
The cool and rainy late summer fortunately turned into a typical Central Otago autumn with warm fine dry days and cool nights - perfect conditions for finishing ripening.

Coming to Central Otago this autumn / winter? As well as enjoying the spectacular scenery and the numerous activities going on, leave plenty of time for wine tastings winery visits.
If you need more information to plan your stay, click on the links below for downloadable maps, wine trail information, accommodation and more information:

11 November 2011
WINESTATE CHAMPION PINOT NOIR 2011 Australia/NZ -
Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010
11 November 2011

Lowburn Ferry Wines has added another major international award to its tally this week, bringing home the trophy for Champion Pinot Noir 2011 for Australia and New Zealand - from leading Australian publication, Winestate.
Coming from one of the smallest but brightest stars in the Central Otago wine industry, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010 was the top wine of more than 1500 pinot noirs from throughout Australasia tasted by the Winestate magazine panels over the past year.
Trophies were presented to category winners in Auckland and Adelaide this week. Owners Jean and Roger Gibson are ecstatic with the accolade, especially as Winestate is particularly influential across Australia and Asia which are key export markets for Lowburn Ferry wines.
Being released in the New Zealand market this week to cap off an award-winning week for Lowburn Ferry, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010 was also awarded a Blue-Gold Medal at the Sydney International Wine Show where gold medal winning wines are judged again as to how well they compliment foods to receive a blue-gold award. ...more information here

Appellation Central Wine Tours wins international wine tourism award

Award-winning Queenstown-based wine tour company Appellation Central Wine Tours has won an International Best of Wine Tourism Award in the face of stiff competition from established global wine regions.
Their win followed a jury meeting of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Global Network in Mainz, Germany last week.
GWC judges said ACWT won the award thanks to the excellent exposure and support it gave to wineries and other businesses in Central Otago, as well as the exceptional and memorable wine tourism experience offered to clients.
Appellation Central Wine Tours qualified for the international award by winning New Zealand’s Best of Wine Tourism Services award for the second year in a row.
...for more information on wine tourism in Central Otago, click here