Good Taste: The cost of a decent pinot noir

2008 Borthwick Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir. Photo / Supplied

If you're wondering why good pinot noir costs a lot more than good shiraz, cabernet sauvignon or gewurztraminer, you're not alone. Even if gewurztraminer isn't in your top-four favourite wines, the principle still stands - pinot noir is out of kilter with most other wines in its price-to-quality ratio.

The biggest wineries in this country - and some of the smallest ones - are trying to make the cheerfully affordable pinot noir to end all cheerfully affordable pinot noirs, but it's just not happening. Is it even possible?

While the bunch of affordable New Zealand pinots is growing by the month, I have yet to try one with the X-factor. The reason is partly pinot noir's instability in the vineyard. It mutates and degenerates easily, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson in her Guide to Wine Grapes. Plus, it's not exactly the easiest wine to make, as every honest pinot producer will admit.

In the past month I've had a vast number of pricey pinots pass my lips and even at a high level, the price-quality ratio just doesn't stack up.

The costliest pinot poured into my glass last week was from Central Otago. It was $95 a bottle and tasted good ... but not more than twice as good as the $36 or $45 pinots I also tasted. The 2008 Borthwick Estate Pinot Noir at $36 was easily my wine of the week. The week prior, I tasted nine pinot noirs, ranging from $30 to $50 a bottle. Three stood out. Again, their prices varied wildly. Some of the worst were the most expensive; not necessarily because of greed but - I'm hazarding optimistically - because pinot noir is a tricky beast.

At the risk of sounding contradictory, I like some lower-priced pinots. The Marlborough 2009 Mount Riley Pinot Noir is a soft and silky bargain at $22; the fresh and fruity young 2009 Sileni Cellar Selection Pinot Noir from Hawke's Bay is good value at $22; and the new 2008 Huntaway Central Otago Pinot Noir has appealing, juicy flavours at $24. The key is to enjoy them in isolation; don't compare them with higher-tiered pinots.

The best way to get your lips around top-shelf pinot noir is to pool resources; $15 multiplied by four will nearly buy a bottle of Escarpment's Insight Series Pinot Noir - Pahi, Te Rehua and Kiwa are each $65 a bottle. And what's an extra $1.25 each to enjoy one of the best pinots in the country? You may not get to drink as much, but enjoyment isn't always proportional to volume.

Wines of the week

2008 Borthwick Estate Wairarapa Pinot Noir, $36

Winemaker Paddy Borthwick was one of the first to grow grapes on Dakin's Road in the North Wairarapa and this pinot noir is the silky, smooth, full-bodied star in his line-up. www.borthwick.co.nz

2008 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir, $42

Palliser Estate is one of Martinborough's oldest, producing consistent whites and this velvety smooth pinot, which improves with every vintage. www.palliser.co.nz

2008 Kupe by Escarpment, $65

Larry McKenna's Kupe Pinot Noir is the pinnacle of Martinborough pinot noirs with its ripeness, structure and satin mouthfeel. It will change the perception of Kiwi red wine for many. www.escarpment.co.nz