ON POINT PINOT NOIR

Amisfield wines feature distinctive characteristics and flavours specific to New Zealand’s Central Otago region.

THE WORLD IS RICH with beautiful vineyards and wine regions.

Somehow scenery goes hand in hand with decent wine growing; hillsides, rivers, lakes and oceans, the order of the vine-rows amongst the random beauty of nature, rural landscapes coddled into order.

Think the Mosel, Burgundy, Piedmonte, our own Yarra Valley and Margaret River, Oregon, Alsace, the Douro, Tuscany; it's a long list of fantastic places.

But few can match the majesty and raw charisma of Central Otago.

And, like most ‘regions’, Central Otago is a collection of sub-regions that are physically and visually different.

As are their wines.

Soil types change, some vineyards are on steeper slopes, others closer to water bodies, some attract more rainfall, some less.

The valleys carved by glaciers.

I guess the pointy end of Central Otago's sub-regions (assuming we can ignore the jawdropping beauty of Rippon on the shores of Lake Wanaka) is at Bannockburn, midst the schist and gold-sluicings, the meeting of water-bodies.

That is where Felton Road sits politely and humbly on its throne.

But if we hit reverse and trundle back towards Queenstown (one of the most beautiful towns on the planet; alpine, cultural, perched magnificently on the water and home of both Ferg-Bakery and Ferg-Burger; culinary epiphanies in the guise of fast-food retail), we come across Amisfield. Is it the closest winery and cellar door to Queenstown?

I reckon so, but if I have that wrong, it is the nearest that has gravitas.

It’s less than 15 kilometres from the centre of town to the Amisfield cellar door and restaurant on the shores of Lake Hayes.

And the restaurant has a very valid claim to being one of the best in Central Otago; the architecture is stunning and the food exceptional, pinpointing its energy on sourcing meats and vegetables locally.

It’s a showpiece.

Amisfield’s vineyards, however, are further east, shadowed by the slopes of the Pisa Ranges, and moderated by the waters of Lake Dunstan: organically farmed and certified.

Like every wine producer in the area, Amisfield treats Pinot Noir as its wunderkind.

And it’s a no-brainer; Otago Pinot Noir has a global reputation of being elite, which it is, thanks to the world-class efforts of Felton Road,

Mount Difficulty, Sam Neil’s Two Paddocks, Burn Cottage … so many astounding Pinot-makers. The region is simply born for the task with its diurnal extremes, plethora of slopes, relative coolness and abundance of sunshine.

But like all varieties, its guises morph as you travel through the area.

Amisfield makes all of its Pinot Noirs from estate-grown fruit, so there is a familial character across the range.

And if we exclude the Lake Hayes range (a kind of less-expensive sibling to the Amisfield wines), there are three varieties.

What they share is a plush, black-cherry character (which doesn’t read nearly so well as it actually tastes) underlaid by a bit of that earthy, undergrowth stuff that goes hand in hand with decent Pinot Noir.

They are silky and decadent without being forced or big.

The entry point is simply labelled Amisfield Pinot Noir and sells for around $50.

The current release is 2020 and, in comparison to some of the more forthright Otago wines, it is elegant.

Rich, definitely, and endowed with layers and plushness, but it has more restraint, less harrumph than some of its heavyweight brethren.

Like most of its cohorts, it is a fairly serious red, made to be cellared and fussed over with decent food.

Then it’s a few steps upwards in terms of both price and complexity to Breakneck Reserve – a selection of the best barrels from the Pisa Range Pinot (so, a true ‘reserve’).

It adds around half again to the price, but there is a substantial lift in terms of structure, finesse and drive, perhaps a snifter more fresh oak.

And when you consider the price of New Zealand’s top Pinot Noirs, it is a steal.

Heading the Amisfield range of wines is RKV Reserve Pinot Noir … and my goodness-me, this really sets things on fire.

It is sourced from a low-yielding parcel within the Amisfield vineyard, and given a few more bells and whistles when it comes to winemaking.

Including (and I’ve never come across this before; I don’t quite get why, or what exactly it adds to the wine) ‘some parcels of fruit fermented within the vines from which they grew’.

Which means what exactly? Fermentation tanks midst the vineyard?

That seems the most likely explanation, but to what end?

The grape skins and stalks would be laden with the yeasts endemic to the vineyard anyway.

Or is it a ploy to strengthen the sense of ‘place’ in the wine, because the Amisfield vineyards are quite removed from the winery?

Perhaps the Amisfield team thinks that fermenting within the vineyard adds a further facet of ‘locale’ to the winemaking process? I’m perplexed.

But whatever the thinking behind the practice, it doesn’t lessen the majesty of the wine.

There is a really bright flash of fresh oak weaving its way between the spice and savoury notes, the plush, dark-cherry fruit and the lovely (but considerable) line of tannins.

It is a marvellous Pinot Noir, made for the cellar.

Like most New Zealand wineries, Amisfield spreads its wings well beyond Pinot.

It does a succulent but racy Chenin Blanc; a gorgeous Blanc de Noir sparkling (two years on lees, almost bone-dry but impeccably nuanced); a dry, savoury Pinot Noir Rose; Sauvignon Blanc; Riesling; Pinot Gris.

But Pinot Noir is the cornerstone of the Amisfield brand, and rightly so … they are impeccable.

THE HUNTER VALLEY has a lot to offer tourists, from weekend getaways and concerts to family activities and fabulous food experiences.

For city dwellers, the two-hour drive from Sydney is the perfect distance for a weekend away.

They can enjoy this beautiful region, with country views of mountain ranges, pasture and forest, wake to the sound of birds and encounter kangaroos grazing within sight of their hotel room.

The Hunter has over 150 wineries and many hatted restaurants.

With so much to see and do, a long weekend provides us with a great introduction to the area.

Most Hunter Valley wineries require visitors to book and pay for cellar door experiences ahead of time.

Though this practice may seem less spontaneous, for the wine tourist, the benefits of personalised one-to-one tastings far outweigh the task of pre-planning.

Though it may be tempting to cram many venues in as possible, a maximum of three or four wineries in a day is plenty, at least one being a place where you stop for a meal paired with a glass of wine.

This allows you to spend time at a winery, enjoy the experience, while still leaving reasons for a return visit.

The Hunter region is also known for its highend cuisine.

There are many hatted restaurants, most offering degustation menus.