Quality 'key' to pinot's success

FREE SAMPLE?: Pinot noir is one of the hottest topics in Wellington this week.

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Central Otago pinot noir growers have to get consumers to keep buying wine and develop market strategies to beat post-recession blues.

That was the message from keynote speakers at the New Zealand Pinot Noir Celebrations 2010 conference in Wellington this week.

Gibbston Valley Wines winemaker Christopher Keys said it was vital growers regained ground that might have been lost during the worldwide recession.

"We need to analyse our own production. The key is maintaining an intense focus on quality," he said.

Many Central Otago wine growers are in Wellington for the four day conference which started on Monday .

The sustainability of New Zealand pinot noir producers was covered yesterday, along with organics and bio-dynamics. "The industry is facing a great opportunity to respect the land our wine comes from and the processes that produce it," Mr Keys said.

"The New Zealand Wine Association aims for each producer to be certified as sustainable by 2012. What is hoped is that we won't even need to talk about it in future years, because everyone will be certified as sustainable."

Because many Central Otago wine producers were small-scale but produced high quality wines it meant sustainable use was already in place, Mr Keys said.

"This conference is all about exposing our wines to influential people. We have world class production and the key to making use of this opportunity will be getting international wine writers writing about New Zealand pinot noir.

"That could mean the difference between a UK customer picking up a bottle of Central Otago pinot instead of a bottle of burgundy from France."

The conference winds up today with sampling of 100 great New Zealand pinot noirs, symposiums on differentiating New Zealand pinot noir and a gala dinner.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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