Wine:Other parts of the New World have tried to ape Burgundy's style, but New Zealand has made Pinot Noir its own, as you can discover at a tasting next week
At the risk of sounding like a man who, in the words of the Scottish man of letters Andrew Lang, "uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts: for support rather than illumination", a quick look through the figures for New Zealand's 2006 harvest tells a remarkable tale.
In 1996 Central Otago had only nine wineries. Ten years later it had 82, using grapes from the world's most southerly vines, just over halfway down South Island.
So why are people investing their money and time in this most difficult of New Zealand wine-growing regions, where frosts and foul weather can wither the brightest hopes?
The answer is the holy grail of Pinot Noir. Its natural home is Burgundy, where the celebrated slopes of the Côte d'Or produce some of the world's greatest red wines. Many people have tried to grow Pinot Noir elsewhere. California and Oregon have had some success, and Chile, South Africa and Australia continue to try to get to grips with it.
Critics have detected something different about New Zealand Pinot Noir, however, particularly when it comes from South Island. Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker agree on the potential pedigree of Kiwi Pinot; others have praised wineries such as Felton Road, Chard Farm and - my favourite - Mt Difficulty.
While other parts of the New World have tried to imitate Burgundy's style, New Zealand has created its own, which at its best is a complex mix of earthy, savoury flavours liberally laced with dark cherries and a lean, elegant texture. You can also drink it fairly soon after it has been bottled - typically after 12 months in French oak barriques.
Top-end wines such as Clos Henri and Nautilus, from Marlborough, and Mt Difficulty, which is from Central Otago, are good now but will develop more nuanced and complex flavours in time. An example is Carrick Pinot Noir 2003 (Enowine, Dublin, €38.99), a textbook example of Central Otago's distinctive mixture of finesse and fruit. Everything here is deeper, more concentrated, more elegant and yet, in classic Pinot Noir style, seems orchestrated with the lightest of touches.
Does Pinot Noir have to cost the earth as well as taste of it? There are exceptions. Babich 2005, another Marlborough wine, at €12.99, is good enough to give you the general idea without hitting the high spots. Morton Estate's Hawke's Bay Pinot Noir 2004, at €18.99, is surprisingly subtle and fleshy. These two bottles have corks rather than the screwcaps that the overwhelming bulk of New Zealand wineries have adopted.
Back to the statistics. Central Otago produced 980 tonnes of Pinot Noir grapes in 2005 and 3,452 last year. That's the good news: more fruit, more wine. Prices will remain high, however, as this is a difficult area to farm, with high costs.
Marlborough is by far the largest grower of Pinot Noir grapes, producing 11,403 tonnes, at all points on the quality scale. It also produces a huge amount of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, an aromatic that is ideally suited to South Island's more varied climate, particularly in Central Otago.
You can check all this yourself on Wednesday from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, at the New Zealand Wine Fair's public tasting at Stillorgan Park Hotel, in Co Dublin. There will be more than 190 wines to taste.
Tickets cost €15 each (or 11 for the price of 10); they must be purchased in advance. To book, call Jean Smullen on 086-8168468 or Deirdre Buckley on 087-6250482, or e-mail info@wine eventireland.com or jean@jeansmullen.com.
STEAL A DEAL
After seasonal excess, January may be a month to recover, but it is also a great time to pick up bargains, such as those on offer in Berry Bros & Rudd's sale. You can save up to 35 per cent across a wide range, including Nicolas Potel Burgundy and Roederer Champagne. Call 01-6773444 or e-mail sales@bbr.ie. Delivery is free on orders of more than €150.