Smart makers price for reality

2008 The Edge Pinot Noir. Photo / Richard Robinson

All grapes are not created equal and the wines they ultimately produce are incapable of lying. Which brings us to that most alluring, majestic and petulant varietal - pinot noir.

Pinot is wildly popular and currently riding a wave of critical acclaim, reflected in phenomenal prices that even have the price-fixing barons of Bordeaux gasping in disbelief. Closer to home, away from the bizarre excesses and over-inflated international prices, is our own pinot noir pool and its confusing, erratic pricing structure.

To be blunt, many of our pinots ride on the coat-tails of the grape's reputation and are too expensive. On the other hand, our top pinot noir producers - and there aren't that many of them - are good value, even at nearly $80 a bottle.

Yes I know for many people spending $80 on wine brings the assumption they've bought a case, but good pinot commands good prices and our premier pinots are not only astonishingly lovely, they're well-priced for what they are. Top French equivalents can fetch a few thousand dollars per bottle, and very good medium-priced burgundies (pinot noir) typically nudge $400, so $80 looks bargain basement. But the truth is that for most pinot lovers $70-$80 is no longer viable.

To that end, some of our smartest pinot-makers are releasing second- or third-tier recession-proof wine - Escarpment's Larry McKenna's latest offering is about one-third the price of his top pinot.

Recommended

2008 The Edge Pinot Noir
Excellent value pinot - lighter and less structured than Escarpment's Kupe series but bearing all the hallmarks of Larry McKenna's carefully crafted wines. Smooth, earthy touches.
Price: $25

2007 Delta Vineyards Pinot Noir
Much-awarded winemaker and consultant-at-large Matt Thomson has produced a classy, affordable pinot that ticks all the boxes. Moreish, delicate and very satisfying.
Price: $25