Pinot noir faces epic Anzac shakedown

Nothing shivers my timbers like some good old-fashioned transtasman fisticuffs. I'm not saying the netball, the rugby, the league and the cricket battles aren't gripping, but when it comes to a real blood-on-the-floor fight, you need look no further than a face-off of the fermented kind.
On Saturday, August 14 in the salubrious surrounds of The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Australia's foremost wine authority (and holder of the "most awesome eyebrows ever" title) James Halliday and his New Zealand Master of Wine counterpart Bob Campbell will conduct the ultimate "taste-off" for pinotphiles.
James will pit five of his favourite 2008 pinots from Australia against Bob's best 2008s from New Zealand. This fabulously friendly but intensely fought competition is a celebration of Australasian pinot noir and an absolute must for pinot fanatics.
Plus, if you're partial to teeing off on a world-class golf course, pampering yourself with superb spa treatments and indulging in some of the best cuisine in the Southern Hemisphere, you really need to get yourself to this event.
The Australians were sorely wounded last year when, in a similar taste-off with syrah, New Zealand emerged victorious. So can the Aussie battlers win back the title? We'll soon find out.
Pinots from New Zealand to be included in the challenge are Craggy Range 2008 Calvert Vineyard; Ata Rangi 2008; Felton Road 2008 Cornish Point; Neudorf 2008 Moutere; and Villa Maria 2008 Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot.
Campbell is confident the Kiwis have the edge. "New Zealand has the advantage in that I've chosen the country's best examples of pinot noir while the Australian selection is restricted to the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula," he says.
"That's a bit like the All Blacks playing a Sydney side rather than the Wallabies. However, it's fair to say that those regions are home to some of Australia's most impressive pinot noir styles. I've not tasted all the Australian wines, although Paringa Estate is my odds-on favourite.
"As far as the Kiwi contenders are concerned," adds Bob, "it's tough to predict a winner, although if I were a gambling man I'd put my money on Ata Rangi. I unhesitatingly pick New Zealand to win."
Representing Australia will be Tuck's Ridge 2008 Buckle Pinot Noir; Yabby Lake Vineyard 2008; Paringa Estate "Estate" 2008; Punch Lance's 2008; and Port Phillip Estate's 2008 Pinot Noir.
When asked which of his selections has the most chance of taking out the title, Halliday replied: "Mornington Peninsula dominates the Australian selections because of the vintage, and my guess would be either Paringa Estate or Tuck's Ridge because of their depth and intensity".
Halliday does, however, have a taste for New Zealand wines, with those from Felton Road, Ata Rangi, Mount Difficulty, Olssens Slapjack Creek and Craggy Range pressing his buttons. "However I have no issues with the Neudorf or Villa Maria wines selected by Bob Campbell," he adds.
But he's reluctant to offer the Kiwis any kind of encouragement in terms of gaining traction in lucrative off-shore markets. "They already have an unreasonable share of the Australian on-premise market, and I'm certainly not about to help them increase that share." Methinks some jealousy emergeth.
Part of the 2010 Winter Food and Wine Series, this once-in-a-lifetime event will set you back $800 + GST per person a night, which includes luxury suite accommodation, your seat at the Great Pinot Noir Challenge, pre-dinner cocktail hour, five-course degustation with matched wines, full breakfast and your choice of either a round of golf or a 50-minute massage per person.
Plus, if you feel so inclined, you can take a scenic property tour, venture forth for guided trout-fishing or opt for a Hawke's Bay wine tour.
For more information, call Cape Kidnappers on (06) 875 1900, or email reservations@capekidnappers.com