Wineries keen to cash in on pinot

By DITA DE BONI

Pinot noir could be the next red-hot hope of the wine sector. A first New Zealand conference in its honour will be held late this month.

The Pinot Noir 2001 conference, in Wellington, will bring together both international and national "rock stars" of wine to nut out what is needed to make New Zealand pinot as successful as our top wine export, sauvignon blanc.

New Zealand is one of only a handful of regions in the world that can successfully grow the pinot noir grape, described by many as fickle.

Producing the wine is time- and labour-intensive. A quality yield seldom makes more than 1000 cases.

But wine buffs are more than willing to pay for the scarce product, say industry figures.

The challenge to be addressed now is making a pinot to match the best from the west coast of the United States or France's Burgundy area, they say.

About 70 pinot producers will bring their wine to Wellington during the conference for feedback from local enthusiasts and from wine gurus such as Australian critic James Halliday and French winemaker Robert Drouhin.

Wellington Mayor Mark Blumsky and Tourism Board chairman Peter Allport will also be present, vying for a slice of the $1 million the conference is excepted to bring to the capital - close to the notable pinot-growing area, Martinborough.

Plantings of the grape first appeared in Auckland in the mid 1970s, spreading south within a decade. Now, domestic wineries have boosted both plantings and production of pinot in anticipation of ever-increasing overseas demand. Production of the grape grew 30.5 per cent between 1999 and last year to 6319 tonnes.

The total production area of pinot noir is expected to rise 85 per cent in the next three years, to command more than 15 per cent of all vineyard land. The grape is the third largest varietal grown, slowly gaining on chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.

A large percentage of pinot goes to make a base for methode champenoise. About 5 per cent of New Zealand's wine exports of almost $170 million is in bottled pinot noir, mostly to the traditional export destinations of Britain, Australia and the United States.

Generally, the wine is described as a complex, light, velvety red. Pinot-philes go further, with commentators such as Kate McIntyre, of the Australian Wine Magazine, saying good pinot noir "should smell sexy. It's similar to the first aroma of truffles, of faintly perspiring bodies, of musk ... It appeals to the heart and senses."

Richard Riddiford of Palliser Estate, who will chair Pinot Noir 2001, says either way, New Zealand must make a product that is highly distinctive if it wants to play on the world stage.

"Our sauvignon blanc is already distinctive, and it is also relatively easy to make, but it is difficult for consumers to drink a lot of it.

"Pinot noir, on the other hand, is a varietal which is inherently difficult to get perfect. Therefore, everyone wants to make it. But we have got the perfect climate for it, and we can grow it at a price point which is seriously worrying to other producers."

Mr Riddiford rejects claims from some quarters that too much pinot noir has been planted before markets for it are assured.

"The wine industry is involved in long-term decision making, with a lead-in time of seven years for red wines. But the increasing popularity of reds, as well as the ease with which pinot can accompany a large variety of foods, means it should continue to be popular for a long while."

Mr Riddiford says he is also something of a cynic, chalking up much of the popularity of the varietal to the fact it is easier to pronounce than others such as cabernet sauvignon.

"But for whatever reason, the fact is that from an economic viewpoint, we have a scarce resource and its potential is huge."

Another attending the 2001 conference will be Harvey Steinman, editor-at-large of Wine Spectator magazine, which is the most widely circulated wine journal in the world.

It claims 1.5 million regular readers.

Mr Steinman says New Zealand pinot will have a lucrative market in the US once it refines its product.

"Those American consumers who know New Zealand think first of sauvignon blanc, then chardonnay. They don't think of [New Zealand for] red wines ... They think of Californian cabernet, French bordeaux, Australian shiraz, Tuscan reds.

"But ... if New Zealand can make an outstanding pinot noir, and enough of it to export, American pinot drinkers will flock to it enthusiastically. But first the quality must be in the bottle."

Mr Steinman says the hard fact is that a winery cannot produce nearly as much pinot in a given acreage as efficiently as it can produce sauvignon blanc, but the rewards are commensurate.

And his verdict on our pinot?

"I have tasted New Zealand pinot that offers the distinctive character and style that pinot drinkers want, but I haven't tasted a great one yet. I hope to taste some wines on my visit that will have the extra depth of character that could rank with the best in Burgundy, California or Oregon."