Central Otago Pinot's are generally more user-friendly than Burgundy; Rabbit Ranch is very soft fruit-forward style with soft tannins; best enjoyed young.

A fruit driven style of Pinot with fragrant strawberry aromas and sweet berry flavours. Moderate acidity and feathery tannins frame an elegant palate of ripe cherry with a touch of earthiness.

This wine has an intriguing, bright garnet hue, captivating on the nose with ripe cherry, wild strawberries and bramble notes. On the palate, the wine is rich and flowing with tantalising bready sweetness. Rich boysenberry flavours are supported by elegant French oak, lending spice and toasty notes. The finish is lingering and complex, bright with natural acidity.

Kendall-Jackson from the Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, make a delicious Pinot Noir that has iIntense strawberry/black cherry/smoky/herb garden aromas and flavours with soft fleshy textures and underlying savoury/toasty oak.

This Pinot noir is the flagship from Two Paddocks an organically grown barrel selection from the estate properties. As in the vineyard, the wine is hand crafted using traditional methods including a 25% whole bunch indigenous fermentation and hand plunging. Maturation is in French barriques for 11 months, using a mix of older and new (25%) barrels.

It’s this trade-off of acid for tannin that makes pinot noir so food friendly. Pinot works well with salmon and ocean trout, their (Omega 3-rich) oiliness lapped up by pinots exuberant acidity and is the perfect red with soft brie-style and washed-rind cheeses, coming into its own with blue cheese. Try a soft Saint Augur cheese from the Auvergne with the Celsius Pinot Noir for a new flavour sensation.

Nanny Goat Vineyard is the clear leader of the pack when it comes to affordable Central Otago Pinot Noir. Made in a fruit forward style with mounds of fresh berry fruit and intense lifted perfume notes of violet and blueberry. Still medium-bodied on the palate with soft, powdery tannin, this is a Pinot for the moment.

Central Otago is regarded as the best for NZ Pinot Noir. Ripe bouquet of satsumas, plum & meat. Firm soft tannins.

Dark cherry, violet and cinnamon spice aromas complement red fruit, chocolate and subtle spice flavours on the palate. The fruit flavours are framed with supple tannins and a core of juicy acidity. This wine is immediately enjoyable but will continue to drink well for the next eight years if you can wait that long.

There is no doubting the quality of Northern Tassie Pinot. This is a fine example from the Tamar Valley has elegance, length and varietal flavours of plum and cherry balanced by a touch of oak and light astringency.