Wine festivals have become almost a cliché among knowledgeable wine lovers. Virtually every week some wine festival/tasting/conference is going on somewhere, most with the sole purpose of promoting sales of the wines of the particular region or trade association sponsoring the event. Nothing wrong with that, its natural and expected that wineries and wine-growing regions would want to promote their wines with pride. And such events can certainly be useful for consumers, since the opportunity to compare and contrast wines of the same varietal and/or region is both educational, and fun.

But let’s face it, after attending a few such events, a certain sameness and tedium sets in. The format is the same—booth after booth of nice people pouring mostly pretty good wine. The wines quickly begin to all taste the same. And frankly, real judgment and analysis of the wines in a casual, walk-around environment usually takes a back seat to simply having a good time—and getting a good buzz. Opportunities for improving ones real understanding and appreciation of the nuances of the wines is usually limited, or non-existent.

So when a really well-conceived, expertly-planned event comes along, it really helps clarify the potential value that wine festivals can have, and point up the shortcomings of most. And without question, Pinot 2007 was simply the best run, most educational, and most enjoyable wine event I have ever attended. What distinguished Pinot 2007 from the great majority of wine events?

Pinot 2007 had a very clear focus and intent. Not just to promote New Zealand Pinot Noir (although clearly that was a significant aspect), but to study and understand NZ pinot—to evaluate its quality relative to pinots grown elsewhere in the world, and to determine the differences to be found in the varying terroirs within New Zealand. To this end, the seminars were very well conceived, with wines that showed the breadth and depth of NZ pinot. And the international tasting demonstrated that New Zealand pinot deserves to be on the same stage as pinots from Burgundy, California, and Oregon. Yet there was no excessive praising of the wines, claims that NZ pinots are the “best in the world”, blah, blah, blah. No, all of the New Zealand commentators were very realistic in their assessments, if anything understating the quality of the wines, recognizing that it will take years before the true place of New Zealand pinots in the wine world will be known. I really felt I learned a great deal, not just about the wines themselves, but also about how to evaluate the wines in the context of the history, winemaking, and terroir of New Zealand. This was way more than simply an exercise in tasting dozens or hundreds of different wines.

Yet with all its serious intent and in-depth analysis, Pinot 2007 was a blast! A perfect balance between a serious intent and content, and a highly enjoyable social atmosphere. The people attending and participating were exceedingly friendly and accessible, and this seems to be a characteristic of all New Zealanders. It was very easy to meet people, make contacts, even develop friendships over the three days of seminars, tastings, and meals. And did I mention the food? Quite simply the food at Pinot 2007 was spectacular, blowing away the food I’ve had at any other wine-related event. Most of Wellington’s top restaurants, and New Zealand’s top caterer (Ruth Pretty) coordinated the two lunches and three dinners that were included in the package, and each one was simply outstanding, and included a very wide selection of New Zealand wines, both pinots and the country’s excellent aromatic whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer). I’d attend this event for the food alone!

So where do New Zealand pinots stand today? Simply put, I really like these wines and believe they have considerable potential. They fit stylistically somewhere between the riper, more opulent style of pinot of the top wines from Sonoma, Mendocino, and Oregon, and the classic, terroir-focused wines of Burgundy. They are very food friendly, and generally represent excellent values. While many are fairly straightforward and simple (but delicious), there are enough wines of complexity and depth to suggest the tremendous potential that exists for New Zealand pinot. Yet to be determined is the extent to which the best wines will age, i.e., not just endure, but actually improve and develop complexity with time in the bottle. And the ultimate longevity of the wines is uncertain, as the industry is simply too young to have provided many examples of long-aged wines that have proven to be worth cellaring. At this point, the top wines clearly develop positively for a good 3-7 years, and seem to be structured for longer, although it is unclear if they have the structure, depth or inherent complexity to justify putting them away for decades. Still, anyone who loves pinot really ought to check out New Zealand’s best. The wines are only going to get better from here. And as we learn more about the particular characteristics of the specific regions within New Zealand, there will be plenty to keep pinot fanatics interested in New Zealand for years to come.

These events are scheduled every three years, in part to allow time for the wine-growing and wine-making to make progress that can be measured and evaluated. So the next event will be Pinot 2010, and I, for one, wouldn’t miss it.

Bennett Traub
Reporting From New Zealand
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Introduction | Terroir | 8 Great Producers | Pinots of the World | Other Notable Pinots | Conclusion