Grant Taylor was one of the first winemakers to come to Central Otago in the 90s. He was hired by one of the true pioneers of Central Otago, Alan Brady, to be winemaker at Gibbston Valley. At the same time, Grant consulted for some of the other early wineries in the region. He is one of the few winemakers who has lived through the history of Central Otago as it has developed as a wine region over the last couple of decades. Today Grant makes his own label of wines, a terroir series of Pinot Noir from the different sub-regions of Central Otago, called Valli Wine. 

I met up with Grant at his Valli vineyards to talk about the changes he has seen in Central Otago over almost 30 years and what he thinks the future will look like in New Zealand’s southernmost wine region. We talk about terroir, grape varieties and feeling like a kid in a sand box!

The history of the Central Otago wine region & its future: Interview highlights with Grant Taylor, Valli Wine

You were one of the pioneers here in the region, and have been making wine since 1993. Can you explain how Central Otago was back then?

Those were fun times! No-one had made wine down here seriously before. So we couldn’t do anything wrong, it was like kids in the sand pit – just play! It’s not like being the first man on the moon, but it’s probably as close to it as any winemaker can get. There were four winemakers down here at the time when I turned up in 1993. 

And what was everyone in New Zealand saying about you?

I turned up six or seven years after the first vines had been planted. I think people had stopped saying how crazy people were. But I would read earlier articles or hear about how the true pioneers – Alan Brady from Gibbston Valley, Rolfe Mills from Rippon, and Ann Pinckney from Taramea wines – how they were almost certifiably crazy planting grapes down here. I turned up in 1993 after they had been established a bit and I didn’t have any of that put upon me. But there were only about 40 acres planted then, and now I think there’s more than 5000 acres!

And why did people think you were crazy to be planting down here?

It’s much further south than any of New Zealand’s other wine regions. Otago’s known for being very cold with cold winters – frost, snow… But I think the people criticizing hadn’t looked overseas and looked at some places where vines were being grown. Like Germany or parts in the Northern Hemisphere where it reaches -15°C. Here’s its only -7°C. It’s just a nice cold winter! 

I think it was about varieties. They were growing Bordeaux varieties and Sauvignon Blanc up north and I think they had that in their mindset. But they weren’t thinking of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling.

When you arrived there were still very experimental plantings. Considering the history of Central Otago and its diverse wine varieties, why did Pinot Noir emerge as the champion?

There were 40 acres when I turned up and now Pinot Noir is probably 80% of the region. Back then it was only 20% Everybody planted a number of varieties – almost everything. Very much seeing what varieties suited the region. And Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris just ripened better than the other ones. The varieties really just popped their heads up and said ‘I like it here!”

Are there any varieties that you think would work well in the future?

There’s a significant amount of Grüner Veltliner being planted. And in the hottest region, Bendigo, I’d like to see more Syrah planted. I think it could make some wonderful cool-climate Syrah.

Tasting notes for Valli Wine

Grant Taylor tasting me through his Pinot Noir series at Valli

Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 

This is one of the coolest sub-regions of Central Otago: further west with more rainfall and higher elevation. Grant’s vineyard is 350m high (parts of Gibbston go up to 440m) and is on a terrace with loess and alluvial soils over river gravel. The alcohol is usually lower with Gibbston fruit and has marked acidity, which Grant explains is excellent for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris but can become problematic for Riesling (“For me Gibbston is just Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. For Riesling the acidity is just too high”). The wine has floral, red fruit and dried herb notes and is certainly elegant in style. “There’s the finest of tannins in Gibbston,” says Grant. “It lives on its acidity, and it’s floral and perfumed and pretty.”

Valli Bannockburn Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 

Coming from a high-elevation sub-region within Bannockburn, this vineyard site is 380m high and north-facing. The fruit here is quite precise and on the dark red cherry spectrum. There’s a lovely spiciness, and this wine has good length, freshness and some weight to the palate.

Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

The warmest of the sub-regions, the Bendigo vineyard Pinot Noir comes from a site with pedagogic lime, clay, quartz and some schist. This Pinot Noir shows riper, dark fruit on the nose, reflecting the warmer site. It is spicy with tense tannins, and would certainly be the more masculine of the series – broader and weightier in the mouth. 

Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

The last in Valli’s terroir series is from Waitaki valley – some 200km away from Gibbston and technically in North Otago, not Central Otago. The first plantings in Waitaki were in about 2000 and Grant has been making wines there since the first vintage in 2004 (when the vines were old enough). It has a cooler, maritime climate in a big open river valley. The vineyard is situated at just 70m above sea level on alluvial gravel with some finer powdery limestone. This is quite a different Pinot Noir altogether, with very fine tannin and an almost a salty finish. Wild red fruits with a forest-fresh finish. 

Valli Gibbston Pinot Gris 2017 

This whole-bunch pressed Pinot Gris comes from Grant’s Gibbston vineyard and is a brighter, fresher style of Pinot Gris. Fresh, zesty and easy to drink.

Valli Orange Pinot Gris 2017 

This orange wine spends 40 days and 40 nights on the skins to give it depth of colour and aroma. Apricot, blossom, honey and hay fill the nose and there’s some structure and freshness in the mouth. A good food wine.

Valli Waitaki Valley Riesling 2018 

There’s citrus, apple, blossom and honeysuckle notes on the nose, with a stellar acidity and just a touch of sweetness on the finish. I’d like to try this with some Pan-Asian cuisine.

Read more on Central Otago wines and wine producers:

• The anomaly that is Central Otago
• Trailblazing in Bannockburn: Blair Walter, Felton Road
• Prophesying a lighter style of Pinot Noir: Paul Pujol, Prophet’s Rock
• Central Otago wine region guide: Fast Facts & Terroir Essentials

*The old photo is of Grant’s original plantings in Gibbston for Valli.