Leading UK wine expert raves about NZ wine

NEWS RELEASE
22 February 2007

Leading UK wine expert raves about New Zealand wine

The man credited as having one of the world’s finest wine tasting palates has given the New Zealand wine industry a huge boost, describing our wines as “thrilling”.

Oz Clarke is considered one of the world’s leading wine experts. A wine critic, judge, writer, author and TV host, he’s based in the UK and has won a number of awards including the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition International Drinks Communicator of the Year Award last year.

Oz was recently in New Zealand to attend Pinot Noir 2007 and two symposia on Aromatics and Syrah.

He says without a doubt, New Zealand is now producing “some of the most thrilling wine in the world.”

“Kiwi Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurtztraminer are world-class; Marlborough and Awatere Sauvignon Blanc is unique; Hawkes Bay Syrah is remarkable and unique; and Pinot Noir from New Zealand has come of age in the most astonishing way.

“In the three years since I was last here, regional characteristics, vineyard characteristics, vintage characteristics, and winemaker characteristics have leapt ahead to such an extent that I would now without hesitation serve a Pinot Noir from New Zealand alongside, or even ahead of, a Pinot Noir from Burgundy.”

Oz says for too long, there’s been a preconception that New Zealand Pinot Noirs come behind those made in the French region of Burgundy.

“Burgundy has held on to its mystical superiority for too long. I agree with American retailer Chuck Hayward when he says ‘to say that Pinot Noir reaches its peak in Burgundy is only an opinion, not a statement of fact’.

“And I believe that the time has come when Burgundy should stop looking down at New Zealand as an upstart, and that Burgundy and New Zealand should respectfully shake each other’s hands as different but equal partners in the world of fine wine.”

Oz says as New Zealand winemakers and viticulturalists move away from sticking to the rulebooks and winemaking by recipe, they are wonderfully placed to take the world by storm.

He says the Burgundies of today are very unlike the Burgundies of 30 years ago.

“And the Pinot Noirs from New Zealand are very unlike the Pinot Noirs of 30 years ago. The Burgundies are much better but so are the New Zealand wines.

“And whereas Burgundy can still provide peaks of pleasure, usually in tiny quantities and at considerable cost… with the advance of the plentiful and excellent 2006 vintage, New Zealand, from Napier to Queenstown, is truly establishing a track record of lush, scented, fascinating, pleasurable Pinot Noirs in ever increasing quantities and at affordable prices.

“In (my time here) I’ve found wines I guarantee I would consistently prefer to Burgundies in blind tastings.

“New Zealand really is producing some of the most thrilling wine in the world.”

Ends

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