25/05/2026
NEW READ: CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR: A NOT SERIOUS SPOTLIGHT
đˇLink below âď¸
When Carolyn from Central Otago Winegrowers Association asked if I wanted to taste twelve Pinot Noir wines from the region, it was an easy yes. No sooner had the âwooshâ of the departing âyes pleaseâ email left my eardrums, I was overcome by imposter syndrome. Who am I to validate the efforts of some of our nationâs top producers?
After a little meditation on the purpose of Not Serious Wine Chats, I decided â actually, this is exactly what itâs about. Iâm a wine drinker, which makes me as qualified as the next guy to slug a goodly sip and think about how a wine makes me feel. Also, the very qualified taste buds of Emma Jenkins MW had already helped refine the selection, so really â pressure off.
But opening twelve seriously good bottles in solitude felt quite wrong, so I packed up the jalope with the precious cargo and headed over the hill from Raglan to Hamilton to sit, sip and dissect the whole kit and caboodle with hospo pals who would pick up what Central Otago was putting down.
This new read is a refined summary of the chinwags and chortles, the furrowed brows and disagreements, and the overall good bants that ensued when we tasted the Central Dozen â 2023 edition.
READ > https://notseriouswinechats.nz/journal/not-serious-about-central-otago-pinot-noir
Thank you Central Otago Winegrowers Association
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