Each day began with the International Pinot Seminar during which attendees blind tasted their way through a flight of 8 2006 Pinots from France, Australia, America and NZ. After lunch the screwcaps were cracked and attendants were warmly invited to charge their Spiegelau Vino Grande Burgundy Glasses and savour the taste of New Zealand Pinot.

There were over 90 Pinots, representing all our wine growing regions. It was encouraging to see a solid turnout from Central Otago vineyards. We made some new friends from Grasshopper Rock and Domain Road as we shared tables and it was great to compare and contrast our wines.

We are also extremely pleased that the judges voted our Drumsara 2007 Pinot Noir Ventifacts Block as the Best of Central Otago! If you would like to order at discounted prices sign up to our wine vault wine club.

Read more about Passion for Pinot.

NZ International Wine Show

It is with great honour that we announce that our Central Otago Ventifacts Block 2007 Pinot Noir has received a gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show. This year 2273 wines were entered making it the largest wine competition ever held in this country and is one of the largest wine competitions in the Southern Hemisphere. The judging was chaired by Peter Cowley and Larry McKenna who presided over over 24 expert judges.

Sue Courtney, one of the judges and editor of www.wineoftheweek.com had these words to to say:

“… one of the most interesting Pinot Noirs that I tasted – Drumsara Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 [came] from the Alexandra subregion. It is a rich and earthy yet fruity style with smoky bacon and field mushroom aromas, a wild thyme infusion, concentrated red and black fruits and a beautifully balanced savoury finish. Nice touch of oak too- you know the oak is there but this is a big wine and can handle it. Besides, three days after the bottle was opened, when we enjoyed it with our dinner, it was integrating nicely. Gosh I love the screwcaps for preserving partially consumed bottles. This is a great new find. There’s an informative website too – check out www.drumsara.com.”

Her webzine for wine and food lovers is well worth bookmarking. There is a vast collection of tasting notes, restaurant reviews, and personalities.

This is not the only award that our 2007 vintage has recieved … all will be revealed in good time.