Marlborough Pinot Noir To Star At Ozzy Tasting

Press Release September 1, 2010

Marlborough Pinot Noir To Star At Australian Wine Tasting

Sauvignon Blanc may be the most popular variety grown in the Marlborough region, but it’s Pinot Noir that will be the focus of attention in Sydney next week.

As part of New Zealand Winegrower’s Australian Spring Release tastings on September 7, Marlborough has been asked to provide a selection of regional wines that show the diversity of the province.

Marlborough Winegrowers General Manager Marcus Pickens says the opportunity was something they didn’t want to pass up.

“We know that as part of the new release tasting, there will be some classy Sauvignon Blancs from 2009 and a first look at some 2010 wines which wineries are rating highly as a vintage. In light of this we decided it was an opportune time to further promote the diversity of Marlborough and the sub regionality of one of our other great wine styles, Pinot Noir.

We’ve had great encouragement by some prominent wine media recently including Jamie Goode from the UK and Lisa Perrotti Brown MW from the Wine Advocate publication; they both urged continued attention to Marlborough Pinot Noir due to the exciting examples they have found”.

Eight wines from the same vintage (2008) have been chosen to represent the region; with wines from the three main sub regions, the Wairau, Awatere and Southern Valleys and a couple of regional blends on show.

Mr Pickens said Wine Marlborough’s marketing committee assisted in selecting the wines based on various criteria including a rating of very good or excellent in a blind tasting by peers. All eight give a broad overview of the diverse style and regional differences appearing in Marlborough’s Pinot Noir.

Nautilus Estate winemaker Clive Jones will be on hand at the tasting to guide attendees through those regional differences and explain what makes Marlborough a great Pinot Noir region. The Australian New Release tastings are conducted in a different format to most other tastings.

Trade and media are invited during the day and are able to self pour the wines they want to sample. Consumers are then invited to attend at night. No winery representative is allowed to be involved in the pouring, allowing the wines alone to do the marketing.

“Everyone who attends these events say they love the format,” Mr Pickens said. The Spring Release Tastings coincide with the countdown to the Rugby World Cup 2011, which will kick off in September next year. The third Bledisloe Cup rugby match is being played in Sydney on September 11, providing the perfect promotional tool for both the Rugby World Cup and New Zealand wines.

Australia is one of New Zealand’s largest export markets, second only to the UK. The eight wines to represent Marlborough are as follows:

Nautilus Estate Pinot Noir 2008 Seresin ‘Leah’ Pinot Noir 2008 Framingham Pinot Noir 2008 Saint Clair Pioneer Block 14 Doctors Creek Pinot Noir 2008 Vavasour Pinot Noir 2008 The Crossings Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2008 Auntsfield Hawk Hill Pinot Noir 2008 Churton Pinot Noir 2008

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