Sobering truth on pinot noir

By SIMON HENDERY liquor writer

The country's pinot noir producers were reminded of a sobering truth yesterday - interest in their up-market grape variety is "poor to patchy" in New Zealand's largest wine export market.

Addressing more than 500 winemakers and industry participants at the Pinot Noir 2004 trade conference in Wellington, leading UK wine writer Robert Joseph described British wine buyers as "cheapskates".

Less than 4 per cent of wine in the UK sold for more than £7 ($18.85) a bottle, he said.

That is a price point most New Zealand producers expect to, and need to, better in a market that accounted for 40 per cent of the country's $282 million in export receipts in the year to last June.

"New World wine buyers [in the UK] are a small, amorphous group of experimenters," Joseph said.

And he described pinot noir - now the third most planted grape variety in this country - as like the salad option on the McDonald's menu. It was a choice most consumers said they approved of, but one which few actually chose.

Master of ceremonies and Carrick Wine chairman John Comerford's reaction to Joseph's sombre message: "After that, it's time for a drink.

"If we can't export it we'll have to drink it here."

This kicked off the conference's formal tasting session, overseen by Master of Wine Bob Campbell, who led the audience through a sampling of 12 pinot noirs from seven New Zealand growing regions.

The accompanying discussion traversed a full spectrum of wine production issues from clonal variation and vine maturity to phenolic ripeness and post fermentation maceration.

Pinot noir is probably the grape variety that arouses the most passion among winemakers and connoisseurs and Joseph's dim view of the UK market does not take into account the fact that New Zealand producers are aiming at the very top end of the international market.

The chief executive the Winegrowers industry group, Philip Gregan, said New Zealand was now seen as one of two or three serious pinot noir producers outside the variety's traditional home, Burgundy in France.

"We have put our own stamp on the wine. We haven't tried to emulate Burgundy pinot noirs - we have tried to redefine the style and it's working." That sentiment was echoed by leading Australian wine writer and judge James Halliday, who said before the start of the conference that when it came to pinot noir, New Zealand was right up there with the best in the world.

Pinot noir accounts for 15 per cent of the country's grape plantings and it is the third biggest variety behind sauvignon blanc (27 per cent) and chardonnay (25 per cent).

Despite uncertainty about how the international market will absorb it all, the variety continues to grow in popularity with grape growers. Last year there were 2500ha of vineyard land producing pinot noir grapes. That is expected to grow to 3300ha by next year.

Comerford's advice has been taken to heart.

They are expected to empty between 7000 and 8000 bottles of wine during the conference.