Staged every three years, it will take place from January 28 to 31, 2013 in Wellington.
There will be 112 wineries from five Pinot Noir-producing regions which will show more than 300 wines accompanied by local ‘wild foods’.
Conference chairman Alastair Maling MW, said: “Most events have speakers where the audience just listens. Our event will have the audience debating the relevance of natural wines – or if funky means faulty, or whether terroir is more about marketing than place.”
“We have set up three days of Pinot workshops focusing on our five major Pinot regions which will unearth the stories behind our world class Pinot Noirs – but the regionality doesn’t stop at wine,’ he said.
“The regions have identified their very best food producers to help create memorable lunches. Each day the lunch will focus on a region. It may be salmon from Marlborough or thyme-scented rabbit pie from Central Otago, lamb from the Waipara valley, goat cheese from Nelson or crayfish from Wairarapa,” said Maling.
Speakers already confirmed include Jasper Morris MW, Matt Kramer, Lisa Perotti Brown MW, Tim Atkin MW, Australia’s Mike Bennie and Ned Goodwin MW from Japan. The event will be opened by Sam Neill, film star and proprietor of Two Paddocks.
The event is supported by New Zealand Winegrowers who regard it as a ‘hero event’ in the New Zealand wine calendar.
For more information visit www.pinotnz.co.nz or you can follow @PinotNoirNZ on Twitter or Pinot NZ on Facebook. For registration enquiries contact info@pinotnz.co.nz.
