From the 'Stuff' website.
Central Otago has been named one of the most underrated and intriguing wine regions in the world by Lonely Planet.
The region is hailed for its mix of history, alpine scenery and exceptional wineries, putting it at number two on the list, behind Mendoza in Argentina.
The list has been unveiled as Lonely Planet launches its new Wine Trails book, covering the world’s most exciting wine touring regions. As well as Central Otago, the New Zealand regions covered in the book also include Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough.
Described as the “pin-up of New Zealand tourism”, Lonely Planet said Central Otago is the country’s most beautiful wine region, vaunted for “adrenalized pursuits” such as skiing, hiking and biking as well as the setting for world-class winemaking.
“The local soils have proved excellent for pinot noir and Central Otago is lauded as one of the best places outside Burgundy for cultivating this notoriously fickle grape. It would take a good two days’ touring to get a comprehensive taste of the place, with around 30 wineries regularly open to visitors, and many more by appointment.
“The few vines planted back in 1864 were an early forerunner of an industry that has burgeoned since the mid-1990s. The scene remains largely in the hands of friendly boutique enterprises, with winemakers experimenting with a terroir not yet fully understood.”
The publisher paid special mention to Amisfield, Wild Earth Wines, Mt Difficulty, Akarua and Carrick.
General Manager of Central Otago Winegrowers Jake Tipler says it’s about time the region started getting more recognition internationally.
“We always feel like the underdogs here in Central Otago. Marlborough gets the big flashy headlines around the world and has been the darling of the world stage for a long time, so Central Otago is very happy to take the mantle from them,” he said.
“We’ve got some phenomenal wines here and I’m looking forward to showing them off to everyone.”
“Not only do we have some of the world’s best wine, pinot noir in particular, but it’s an absolutely stunning region to see visually. Queenstown has been the darling of New Zealand tourism for a very long time but just on the doorstep of Queenstown is this amazing wine region.
“We’re really happy they have noted we are underrated as far as wine tourism goes. We'd love to see more wine tourists here.”
Alison Mason from Tourism Central Otago said it was great to be able to acknowledge the hard work Central Otago winegrowers have done particularly around sustainability initiatives, and doing things better for future generations.
“Not only are they producing a premium product, but what they're doing is also improving the environment with their product,” she said.
“And from a visitor perspective, the fact that you can explore further and have amazing experiences at not just your large scale commercial entities, but you've got all those boutique offerings too.”
Lonely Planet’s top 10 underrated and intriguing wine regions in the world
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Central Otago, New Zealand
- Wellington, Swartland and Tulbagh, South Africa
- Adelaide Hills, South Australia
- Kakheti, Georgia
- Okanagan Valley, Canada
- South Downs, England
- Dragasani, Romania
- Emporda, Spain
- Walla Walla, WA, USA
Here are some shots of the beautiful Central Otago Region. We know this part of New Zealand extremely well, so please contact us if you would like to know more.
