In wine, we often reduce things to numbers. Most articles on the Central Otago wine region in New Zealand will include, at some stage, ‘45th parallel south’ and ‘southernmost wine region in the world’. It is true that Central Otago is on the 45th parallel, and that it is the world’s southernmost commercial wine region (although experimental plantings in Patagonia are giving this claim a run for its money). However, this statistic could mislead you into believing that Central Otago is the final wine region following on from a gradual extension of wine regions further north. While it would be almost impossible, or let’s say inadvisable, to make wine on the 46th parallel, it is, in fact, challenging to grow vines on the 44th and even the 43rd parallels. Central Otago is an isolated wine region and what makes it unique is not its latitude but precisely because it is an anomaly.

Why Central Otago works as a wine region

There’s a common saying in New Zealand that I’ve gathered when visiting winemakers: “If it’s terrible farmland, you know it’s good wine land.” While cows and sheep like fertile soils and luscious green grass to graze on, vines do better when they have to struggle a bit – with poor soils and only enough water to just quench their thirst.

Central Otago is a dry patch (terrible farmland) surrounded by mountains and rolling green hillsides (excellent farmland). The chain of surrounding mountains give a distinctly Lord of the Rings vibe, but they also create a special mesoclimate and cast a rain shadow, protecting the region from the wet weather coming from the coast either side. The Milford Sound, just 100km to the west of Central Otago, for example, is one of the wettest places on earth. Last year it received over 9 metres of rainfall! Central Otago, on the other hand, sometimes barely scrapes together 300mm of rainfall in a year, making it New Zealand’s driest wine region. And it is sunny. (I know which side of the mountains I’d prefer to live on.)

Its other anomalous quality is that Central Otago is New Zealand’s only significant inland wine region. The north and south islands of New Zealand just aren’t wide enough in most parts and the influence is unavoidably coastal. However, Central Otago is in the middle of the section with the greatest girth, and that gives Central Otago a totally different climate. The wine region is semi-arid, with an almost continental climate, with hot, dry summers, and cool, dry winters.

All these factors combine to make it great vine-growing territory. In the 1970s, the first pioneers began planting commercial vineyards down here, convinced the bright skies would make for great grape-growing on the ground. What they hadn’t realized was that vineyards would also benefit from what was going on underground.

From a gold rush to a Pinot rush

Central Otago was founded as a mining town, becoming popular during the Gold Rush of the 1860s. And while the gold days are over, you’ll still see signs for stone quarries as you drive around. The rich mineral content of Central Otago is what makes it a gold mine for wine production, too. “Some of the soils have never been farmed before, so there’s a really high mineral content,” explains Paul Pujol of Prophet’s Rock.

Schist, pedogenic lime, alluvial gravel, rounded gravel, clay, silt, sand – it’s all found in Central Otago and often within the same region or even vineyard. “Along the length of Felton Road, which is only 3km, we have up to 10 different soil types,” explains Blair Walter, winemaker at the eponymously named Felton Road, which helped put the road and Bannockburn wine region on the vinous map. “From pure clay to pure sand, to alluvial gravel and rounded pebbles, to angular schist gravel and heavy silts. The soils can be very diverse and very complex.”

This rich diversity of soils lend very different profiles to the wines, especially as the vines grow deeper roots as they age. Today the vines are still, however, relatively young.

While the first vineyard plantation in Central Otago happened with the gold rush, in the 1860s, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Central Otago saw its first commercial plantings. And, in fact, most people thought those pioneers were batshit crazy.

“Those were fun times!” remembers Grant Taylor, who was one of the early winemakers in Central Otago, arriving in 1993 to work at Gibbson Valley winery, which had already been producing wine for ten years (releasing the first commercial wine from Central Otago in 1987). “No-one had made wine in a serious way down here 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.”

It turned out they weren’t just playing, but actually making seriously good wines. As critical acclaim gathered pace in the early 90s more winemakers and investors were drawn to the area. And by the late 90s, there was a Pinot Noir rush underway in Central Otago.

In 1993, there were only four wine producers in Central Otago and 16 hectares of vineyards planted. Just ten years later Central Otago boasted over 75. And today, in 2018, there are 138 producers in Central Otago and almost 2,000 hectares planted. On the back of a few successful vintages from early producers, the Central Otago wine region was quickly put on the map as one of the New World’s most exciting and up-and-coming Pinot Noir terroirs.

Central Otago Pinot Noir: a match made in New Zealand

Pinot Noir is one of those infamous Goldilocks grapes – it doesn’t like to be too hot, nor too cold. Paul Pujol explains: “Pinot is famously fussy: too hot and it loses definition (and stops being Pinot), too cold and it’s aggressively vegetal and unripe. We sit in the window of where we get Pinot Noir ripe successfully – even in our cool vintages.”

The extreme diurnal temperature range and consistently cool nights make Central Otago a verifiable cool climate, which Blair Walter believes is fundamental for quality Pinot Noir. “I think for Pinot Noir you really need to have a cool climate for it to excel, and we definitely have that here in Central Otago,” Walter says, as a biting polar wind whips around us in the vineyard. “The problem with a lot of cool climates when you go to find them is that they can tend to start to become wet climates, particularly in the autumn. In Central Otago, we are the driest part of New Zealand, with only 350mm of rain annually. So we have very clean fruit that ripens in a cool climate.”

The freshness and high acidity is a trademark of Central Otago Pinot Noir. The other trademark is vibrant fruit expression and bigger tannins. The high levels of UV light mean that the grape skins thicken for protection and this can result in chunkier tannins, which makes tannin management in the winery an important task.

The vibrancy of the fruit is attributed to the sunshine, too. Most sunny New World climates tend to err towards the fruit-forward style and Central Otago falls into that category, at least for now. As the vines become older, winemakers are beginning to see more of the savoury nuances of Central Otago Pinot Noir emerge.

Taking Central Otago Pinot Noir in a new direction

“Our Pinots are definitely influenced by the young vines at the moment,” agrees Blair of Felton Road. “The oldest vines in the region are barely more than 25 years old, and so that is a component that we are working through. As the vines age, the fruit becomes a little more suppressed and we start to see more complexities coming through.”

The style of Central Otago Pinot Noir is definitely evolving and not only due to vine age. “As the vines get older and the winemakers become more experienced, there’s been a movement of style – a case of growing up, I guess!” says Prophet’s Rock winemaker, Pujol, who has been at the forefront of the movement towards making lighter styles of Pinot Noir in Central Otago. “The profile of the wines of the region has moved towards elegance and refinement, and away from bigger structured, perhaps later-picked styles.”

As producers come closer in vineyard management and winemaking style, what’s really beginning to shine through in Central Otago Pinot Noir is the different profiles of the sub-regions. Central Otago Pinot Noir is quickly becoming a true ‘terroir wine’ in the geekiest sense of the phrase.

Other grape varieties in Central Otago

“When I turned up, Pinot Noir probably only accounted for 20% of plantings,” explains Grant Taylor, talking about what he found here in 1993. “People planted almost everything at the time – Chasselas, Müller-Thurgau, Cabernet Sauvignon… almost everything! But Pinot Noir just stood up and said ‘I like it here!” And that’s what we focused on.”

While Pinot Noir dominates today, accounting for almost 80% of the plantings in Central Otago, there are some small plantings of other red grape varieties, including Syrah and Gamay. However the marginal climate, and small frost-free window, is much better suited to shorter-cycle white wine varieties. Notable other varieties in Central Otago are Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, which are all the leading grape varieties after Pinot Noir.

“I think Riesling is the shining star of Central Otago,” says Pujol, who spent three years in Alsace making Riesling and other aromatic varieties there. “You get a wonderful acid structure but you also get really ripe aromatic flavours and they age extremely well.”

He’s similarly enthusiastic about Pinot Gris, for which Prophet’s Rock is consistently listed in the Fine Wines of New Zealand list: “With Pinot Gris we’re really lucky down here because we can ripen Pinot Gris into that aromatic spectrum of flavour but we retain acidity, which can be a difficulty with Pinot Gris in warmer climates.”

While Pinot Noir still takes centre stage in Central Otago, there’s a lot of excitement about the interesting white varieties being produced there. What the Central Otago wine region doesn’t have much of, making it a further anomaly in New Zealand, is Sauvignon Blanc. And this wine region, the southernmost wine region in the world (on the 45th parallel south), is all the better for it. A true anomaly in New Zealand.

What makes Central Otago wine region (and its wines) unique? According to the winemakers…
Central Otago wine guide: The world's southernmost wine region

Best Central Otago wines to try

What are the best Central Otago wines to try? I would definitely recommend starting with a series of terroir Pinot Noirs and then move onto some of the aromatic white wines and Chardonnay. Here’s a list of my recommended Central Otago wines to try from the producers that I visited:

Top Pinot Noirs from Central Otago for a terroir experience

Get to grips with the different sub-regions of Central Otago through its Pinot Noir. Bear in mind each winemaker has their own approach. However these Pinot Noirs offer a great experience of the different vineyard expressions:

Prophet’s Rock Rocky Point

This is from the poor schist vineyard of Prophet’s Rock and you can feel the power on the palate: tongue-tingling tannins and tension. On the nose you have bright and aromatic berry fruits, but the vineyard speaks for itself in the mouth. Read more.

Prophet’s Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir

The same winemaking (as above) but a completely different wine. The vineyard might only be a couple kilometres away from Rocky Point but the soil profile is as different as night and day. On the home vineyard, the soils are clay with chalk. Fragrant and delicate aromatics on the nose give way to fine-grained tannins with grip. Less weight on the palate than Rocky Point but more length. Read more.

Felton Road Cornish Point Pinot Noir

This is a moderate site for Felton Road, where the vineyard overlooks the lake and temperatures are less extreme. The soils are loess on alluvial gravel and the resulting wine is the most feminine of Felton Road’s Pinot Noirs – floral, fruity, fresh, with smooth tannins. Read more.

Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir

This special block has been highlighted by Felton Road since the early days. It has schist soils and the grapes are always distinct from the rows surrounding it. There’s some weight to this wine but it has quite a silky finish. An interesting – and delicious – comparison point. Read more.

Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir

You really ought to taste all of Grant Taylor’s terroir series of Central Otago Pinot Noir together. However, if I were to pick two, I would start with Gibbston Vineyard – which is close to Taylor’s heart, as the region he started out in. Higher rainfall and higher elevation make this a much cooler wine with more marked acidity and also more floral notes. Coming from a terrace with loess and alluvial soils over river gravels, it is usually lighter in alcohol and expression than the wines from the Cromwell Basin. Read more.

Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir

Technically this is North Otago, but I’ll include it here as it is certainly worth trying to give you an idea of what Pinot Noir tastes like beyond the semi-continental climate and protected bubble of Central Otago. This is a maritime wine and from a cooler climate, which gives you wild red fruits and forest herbs on the nose with a fresh and almost salty finish. Read more.

Recommended white wines from Central Otago

Central Otago isn’t just about Pinot Noir, so be sure to try some of these stellar examples of top white wines from Central Otago.

Prophet’s Rock Pinot Gris

There’s no doubting Paul Pujol knows his way around the Alsatian varieties and this example of Pinot Gris is testimony in the glass. A rich, off-dry style with fullness on the palate and finish with abundant aromatics of white pepper, pea shoots and white pear. Read more.

Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay

I really enjoyed Chardonnay in Central Otago and this was one of the highlights. Lean and mineral-driven with a long, chalky finish. This wine has drive and there’s just a little generosity of fruit to please the palate. It comes from schist gravel soil. Read more.

Prophet’s Rock Dry Riesling

I love a steely, bone-dry Riesling and this is one of them although, when it gets some age in the bottle, the wine unwinds and reveals blossom, citrus peel and crushed gravel. It has great complexity in the mouth and a mouth-filling texture, although linear acidity underpins the wine throughout. Read more.

And for something a bit different…

Valli Orange Pinot Gris

Why not go orange in Central Otago? This Pinot Gris spends 40 days and 40 nights on the skins to give it a depth of colour and aroma. Apricot, blossom, honey and hay fill the nose and there’s some structure and freshness in the mouth which would work well with many dishes. Read more.