The Central Otago Wine Cellar

SIX PACK WINTER WINES

Hawkshead Pinot Gris 2011
TOSQ Pinot Gris 2011

Peregrine Chardonnay 2010
Lowburn Ferry Skeleton Creek Pinot Noir 2009
Mt Edward Pinot Noir 2009
Archangel Pinot Noir 2009

NZ$175.00

LOWBURN FERRY SAMPLER PACK

2 bottles 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
(includes free winesave^TM)

TOP PIX SIX

TOSQ Pinot Noir 2009
Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir 2010
Lowburn Ferry Skeleton Creek Pinot Noir 2009
Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2009
Domain Road Pinot Noir 2009
Rockburn Pinot Noir 2010

NZ$231.00

SHOW STOPPER SELECTION

6 bottles of Central Otago wines that have done exceptionally well in recent awards!

Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010 - Champion Pinot Noir of the Year, Winestate 2011

Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2009 - Gold Medal San Francisco Int Wine Challenge 2011, Gold Medal NZ Int Wine Show 2011

alex.gold Pinot Gris 2011Pure Gold Medal, Air NZ Wine Awards 2011

Hawkshead Riesling 2011 -Cuisine 5 stars

Rockburn Pinot Noir 2009 - Wine of Show and Best in Class – Australian Boutique Winemakers Awards 2010. Best Pinot Noir Award – Shanghai International Wine Challenge 2010

Hawkshead Pinot Gris 2011 Cuisine - 5 stars

NZ$187.50

PINOT LOVER'S DOZEN

NZ$503.40 (ave. price NZ$41.95 per bottle)
all fantastic pinots with rave reviews and awards:

Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir 2009, Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2008, Domain Road Pinot Noir 2008, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2009, Lowburn Ferry Skeleton Creek Pinot Noir 2009, Peregrine Pinot Noir 2009, Pisa Range Black Poplar Pinot Noir 2008, Brennan Pinot Noir 2007, Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2008, Akarua Pinot Noir 2009, Wild Irishman Pinot Noir 2009, Mondillo Pinot Noir 2010

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:

One of Central Otago's established wineries changed hands recently - and also name.
Olssens of Bannockburn has become "Terra Sancta". New owners are Mark Weldon (fomerly an Olympic swimmier - and more recently head of the NZ Stock Exchange (NZX) and his wife Sarah Elliot.
Winemaker is Jen Parr.

The CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR CELEBRATION 2012 - was January 26-28. Lovers of Pinot Noir once again descended upon spectacular Central Otago for a world class Celebration of stunning local wine and cuisine.
"It's a fantastic gathering of passionate people who have the opportunity to experience first hand the unique expression of our wines in the dramatic landscape where we grow our vines," says chairperson of the Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration, Jen Parr.

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

10 November 2011
NORTHBURN WINE TOURISM WINNER 11 November 2011
Northburn Station, near Cromwell, was judged Best Innovative Wine Tourism Experience in the Best of Wine Tourism Awards for Great Wine Capitals Global Network for the Christchurch-South Island wine region. The award was for the wine and food match. "It is what we have been working for from the start," says co-owner Jan Pinkney. "It shows that what we set out to do has achieved fabulous results for us. Being recognised like this shows we are doing something a little different and helping put Central Otago on the map." Global Wine Capitals awards chief judge Joanna Fountain said Northburn Station was delivering an "exceptional" wine tourism experience at its tasting and restaurant facility, known as "The Shed".

4 November 2011
As life slowly comes back to normal after the excitements of the Rugby World Cup (yay All Blacks) its already time to think about Christmas. And at time of writing this today, snow is drifting past the window.... Winegrowers will be keeping a close eye on the weather in case of frosts if this southerly weather clears.
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards have been judged in Auckland, with a haul of 85 medals going to Otago wines, particularly pinot noirs. The trophies will be announced at a gala function on 17th November. 10 of the 12 gold medals awarded to Central Otago wines were from the Pinot Noir class, with wines from Pinot Gris and Rosé categories taking the other 2 gold medals.
Central Otago results: Pure Gold Gibbston Valley Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Gibbston Valley School House Bendigo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Judge Rock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Two Degrees Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009, 8 Ranges Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2011, alex.gold Pinot Gris 2011
Gold Brennan Gibbston Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 , Valli Bannockburn Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009, Charcoal Gully Estate Sallys Pinch Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, Folding Hill Bendigo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009

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

October 2011
More accolades for Peregrine Wines who recently won the the Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir Trophy in the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London. The double-hemisphere achievement has left Peregrine Wines' Managing Director and co - owner Lindsay McLachlan extremely proud and humbled. "Although we've been quietly confident all along with the standards of wines we produce, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would receive two fantastic accolades like this so early in our history," he said. The multi-award winning Peregrine Pinot Noir 2009 also won three trophies at last year's Air New Zealand Wine Awards, including Champion Wine of the Show.
Peregrine Pinot Noir 2010 is the current vintage available.

Recently Nick Paulin of Peregrine Wines, Central Otago, won the 2011 Markhams Young Viticulturist National Competition last weekend, held as part of the Romeo Bragato Conference.

The Negociants NZ Trophy for Champion Pinot Noir went to Olssens Slapjack Creek Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 at the NZ International Wine Show held in Auckland last month.

New listing: TOSQ
Thompson Vineyards specialise in the production of pinot noir and pinot gris. Their vineyards are situated on the terraces between Lake Dunstan and the Pisa Range in Central Otago. The Thompson family have been hands-on in the establishment and tending of the vines from day one, with the valued contribution of a small band of loyal helpers for expertise, advice and assistance along the way.
TOSQ Pinot Noir 2009 is the first release of wine under their own label.
Not only do Sue and Carl Thompson produce great wine, but Carl is also doing some fabulous vineyard photography. Some of his photos feature on our web site at www.otagowine.com but there is an even better selection at www.tosq.co.nz - check it out!

15 June 2011

Domain Road Vineyard from Central Otago has won a second international award this month, taking the Regional Trophy in the internationally respected Decanter Magazine 2011 Awards, for Domain Road Vineyard 2009 Pinot Noir . Earlier Domain Road won Best Riesling in Show for its 2009 Riesling at the Hong Kong International Wine Challenge.

The success of their wines over the past six years have prompted the owners to expand, and recently bought a further 10 hectare block adjacent to Felton Road, which will be planted in chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir grapes. The new acquisition doubles Domain Road Vineyard's capacity but the first harvest will not be until 2015.

Another Central Otago riesling has also been in the limelight recently. Northburn Station 2008 Riesling won a gold medal and Best in Show at the Hong Kong International Wine Challenge 2011.