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It's a relief to have finished the last of the picking on Tuesday 30th April. The colder weather has well and truly arrived in Central Otago and early morning frosts are now a regular occurance. Overall the vintage was very good with Matt and his team excited about the wines- Matt describes them as rich, fruit forward wines with soft fine tannins. Something to look forward to tasting in the future.Our vineyard crew are taking a well earned mini break before they get their pruning gear ready!

Now that the weather has turned, leaves are starting to fall and the heat pumps are turned on, it's time to get your wine cupboards stocked for winter! Nothing beats a red wine sitting by the fire, and I know we are biased but Central Otago Pinot Noir just can't be beaten. Our Akarua Pinot Noir 2011 has picked up three gold medals to date and is drinking beautifully, perfect wine for winter and sharing with good friends, especially with a leg of lamb. YUM!

The harvest at Akarua is well underway and the winery is humming with excitement about the quality of fruit coming in from the vineyard. With our own winery on site we have the advantage of processing the fruit as soon as it comes in from the vineyard so the grapes are always at their most optimum. The pressure is always on and its great to have our vintage crew from all around the globe helping us out this year.

Perfect day for our first day of harvest, take a look at this Chardonnay that has just come in to the winery. We have started picking our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for our Akarua bubbles and the fruit looks and tastes devine. I certainly think that we are all in for a really great vintage in Central Otago and by the looks all around the country. We are lucky that in the wine industry hot, dry weather are the ideal growing conditions for our vines.

The head of the world’s leading wine glass company flew into Queenstown this week (w/c March 18) to consult with local winemakers and leading wine experts about producing a speciality wine glass specific for Central Otago Pinot Noir.

Georg J Riedel, chief executive of the prestigious Austrian Riedel Glass Company, toured the Central Otago wine region to gain a better appreciation of the region’s famed Pinot Noir before embarking on an intense tasting session to “find the perfect glass in which to enjoy Central Otago Pinot Noir”.

Mr Riedel, a 10th generation member of the Riedel family, led the interactive session with a select number of around 20 wine experts and local winemakers who each sampled their own vineyard’s wine in 14 different types of Riedel glasses.

He said using the right glass was ‘crucial’ when enhancing the art of drinking wine and encouraged guests to “forget about the look of the glass” and “feel the emotion of the wine".

“I asked them to concentrate on how the wine performs in the glass, how does it feel, and how does that vary from glass to glass,” he said.

“Central Otago is internationally recognised for producing some of the world’s best wine, and Pinot Noir from the region is particularly sought after because of the great intensity and finesse of the wine.”

Mr Riedel said Central Otago Pinot Noir was selected for the new wine glass because of its quality and intensity.

Each guest was asked to rate the glasses and award points to those they thought best reflected the way their wine should taste, before scores were collated and two glasses emerged as clear winners.

Experienced local winemaker Alan Brady, pioneer of wine in the Central Otago Wine region, said he was “amazed” at how different his Wild Irishman Pinot Noir wine tasted in each of the glasses.

“It was like I had tasted 14 different wines and for me there was one clear winner which stood out from the rest,” he said.

“The perfect Pinot Noir glass has a rounded, bulbous bottom and a thin pointed flow at the top. The glass controls the flow of wine to the palate in a spectacular way so the wine doesn’t become better, it tastes better”, said Mr Riedel.

Steve Green, chairman of New Zealand Winegrowers’ and owner of Bannockburn’s Carrick Winery, said this important development signalled that Central Otago Pinot Noir

had ‘come of age’.

“The international reputation of our wines has been recognised and a dedicated Central Otago Pinot Noir glass will sit alongside worldwide icons such as a Burgundy Glass and the Champagne Flute”, he said.

“An historical moment is about to occur in New Zealand’s wine industry and Central Otago is preparing for the world stage.”

Visiting Queenstown for the first time, Mr Riedel was full of praise for the region saying he was “in love” with the beautiful town and a “huge fan” of the region’s Pinot Noirs.

“A wine as good as your Pinot Noir needs to be

savoured from the correct glass.”

Along with his father before him, Georg Riedel has taken the 250-year-old Riedel company to the top of the wine glass world by designing individual glasses to enhance the aromas and flavours of specific wine varieties and styles.

Time magazine famously wrote: “The Riedel family have contributed more to the delight of wine lovers in the past 50 years than almost any winemaking dynasty.”

The company produces a range of glasses of different shapes and diameters for varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir which are used throughout the world.

Mr Green said it was testament to Mr Riedel’s love of Central Otago’s wines that he had travelled from the other side of the world to talk to winemakers and growers here and gather their thoughts.

“To have a company as influential as Riedel recognise our region’s Pinot Noirs as stand-out and worthy of a specially designed glass is a proud moment in Central Otago’s relatively short 30-year winegrowing history,” he said.

Austrian-born Quartz Reef winemaker Rudi Bauer described Mr Riedel’s visit as a “massive“ international endorsement of the region’s commitment to delivering quality wine.

“We’re looking forward to working with him further to identify the key elements for a Central Otago glass.”

The Riedel Central Otago Pinot Noir glass is planned for release by Hancocks Wine & Spirit Merchants in 2014.

ENDS

The winery and vineyard is a hive of activity today as harvest begins tomorrow with the picking of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for our Akarua sparkling wine. Lots of new crew on board to help with vintage and pick all those delicious grapes. Exciting times.

Don't miss this amazing opportunity to experience a Georg Riedel masterclass. Learn why glassware is so important in the world of wine. This is Georg's one consumer event in New Zealand.

Tuesday 19th March, 7pm, Jacks Point Clubhouse.

Please see attached invite for all the information you will need.

Good news today with the results through from the Easter Show. Lovely to see the 2011 Pinot Noirs shining through. A gold awarded to Akarua Pinot Noir 2011 backs up the promise of this wine and with a previous two golds (New Zealand International Wine Show 2012 and Bragato 2012) this wine is earning its credentials as one to lock up in your cellar.

Akarua Rose Brut NV also picked up a Gold medal which is particularly exciting for us as our sparkling wine range has only been out in the market for one year. The wines are rapidly gaining recognition for their style and finesse.

Congratulations to all award winners and to the Easter Wine Show which is 60 years old this year - what an achievement!

Our new dessert wine Akarua Alchemy Ice 2012 was awarded a Pure Elite Gold at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The meaning behind Alchemy is the quest to turn base elements into gold - so this lovely medal gives true meaning to the word! This wine is due to be released in the new year.

Here is the link to a nice story that Close Up ran last night on "What makes Central Otago Pinot Noir so good", great to see Matt Connell and Akarua wines on the big screen and fantastic coverage for our region.

www.tvnz.co.nz/close-up/masters-pinot-noir-video-5200387

Akarua was presented with the prestigious Red Wine of Show and Class Trophy for its award-winning 2010 Pinot Noir at the ‘Five Nations Wine Challenge’ at a dinner held in Sydney last night (October 26).

Akarua winery, located in the outstanding Bannockburn sub-region, picked up the coveted Pinot Noir trophy at the awards and then was later awarded the Red Wine of the Show, recognising its 2010 vintage as one of the best in the world.

Wineries can only enter the awards by invitation from judges selected from each of the five represented countries -- New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina.

New Zealand Master of Wine Bob Campbell has invited Akarua to take part in this competition for the past three years, and last year the Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 was runner-up in its class.

The Five Nations wine challenge was best summed up by Mr Campbell when he wrote: “Because the wines are all pre-selected by each of the judges, the standard of wine quality must surely be higher than any competition of this size in the world.”

Akarua winemaker Matt Connell said it was “fantastic” for Akarua to gain this recognition for the already well-awarded 2010 vintage.

“We’re a well-established winery in Bannockburn now, and the age of the vines which were planted in 1996 is providing us with beautiful fruit to produce outstanding wine,” he said.

“This competition has particular significance for me because it is invitation only, so you know that you are up against the best of the best as only seven wines of the same varietal from each country are invited to take part.

“To end up with the Trophy and then Red Wine of Show is certainly a major highlight in my career to date.

“The 2010 was a good vintage for Central Otago, without climatic extremes, which meant that the wines have beautiful balance and vibrancy whilst still retaining power and structure.”

Each wine poured during the three-day wine challenge is tasted ‘blind’ by all the judges.

South African judge Michael Fridjhon described the Akarua 2010 Pinot Noir as “very bright cherry fruit, ample spice, elegant, seriously structured real power and texture. Still juicy. Big yet delicately handled.”

The “Five Nations Wine Challenge” achievements has capped off a fantastic year for Akarua which has continued to gather a loyal following for its wines.

The winery has also been thrilled with the success of its ‘Methode Traditionelle’ range which was launched earlier this year, demonstrating that Central Otago can succeed at a number of wine styles.

The Akarua Rosé Brut NV has just been awarded a Regional Trophy at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, a sister competition to the Decanter World Wine Awards. The wines were judged in Hong Kong in September by a team of Asia’s leading wine experts.

Matt and the team at Akarua are focused on continuing to build the reputation of Akarua wines and provide wines that are consistently excellent for consumers from vintage to vintage.

The Akarua Methode Traditionelle range was launched in February this year with Akarua Brut NV and Akarua Rose Brut NV. The wines have been met with much enthusiasm from our consumers and it is particularly satisfying for us all at Akarua to be able to show the diversity of Central Otago and that we can excell at a number of wine styles including sparkling wine.

The latest accolade is a Regional Trophy awarded to the Akarua Rose Brut NV at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, perfect timing for everyone choosing their Christmas bubbles, so if you haven't already give the Akarua sparkling range a try this summer.

To read more about the award visit https://www.decanterchina.com/en/index.html?article=212

Akarua Pinot Noir 2011 has just picked up its second gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show 2012, this joins the gold medal awarded at the Bragato Wine Awards 2012. Matt Connell, Akarua winemaker has always believed that the 2011 vintage would show itself as one of the leading vintages from the region. Lets hope the medals continue to arrive!

Akarua Pinot Noir 2010 was the top NZ wine in the 5 Nations Wine Challenge! This is a fantastic achievement for a wine that we are all very proud of. Check it out in the Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/top-drop/great-noses-unite-to-uncork-the-secrets-of-their-countries-best-wine-20120819-24gjb.html

A typical example of Akarua's famous "fruit bomb" style with lush, ripe dark cherry, berry and plum flavours. Fruit sweetness is nicely restrained by fine tannins that prevent any suggestion of cloying. Crowd-pleasing wine that's very appealing.

We are excited to be part of the inaugural Pinot Palooza in Melbourne on the 21st October.
Pinot Palooza will give you the opportunity to taste the wines of up to 60 of the best producers of Pinot Noir in the Southern Hemisphere. In total there will be up to 120 Pinot Noirs on display.Check out their website for more information on the event www.pinotpalooza.com.au

Lovely to have some reviews in on our 2011 Pinot Noirs, and of course even better when they make such great reading.
Sam Kim from Wine Orbit has just sent through his verdict on the wines and gave the Akarua Rua Pinot Noir 2011 4.5 Stars and the Akarua Pinot Noir 2011 5 Stars. We here at the winery are also really excited about the 2011 vintage and think that the wines have some beautiful complexity and elegance. Check out the full reviews on our review pages.

Bob Campbell MW's Vintage Report on New Zealand Pinot Noir 2010 in the July issue of Decanter is a great read, covering wines from the North and South Island of New Zealand.
Akarua Rua Pinot Noir 2010 scored 18.5 points with Bob describing Rua as "a third-label wine at first label quality".
Although the 2010 vintage is no longer available we encourage you to try our new vintage release of the 2011.

Akarua are delighted to have been recognised at the 2012 Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Akarua was awarded the:

Hill Labratories Harvest Award and,
WaterForce Integrated Management Award

The awards are a testament to Akarua's commitment to sustainable practices.

Don't know how they managed it but all the same must congratulate our Board of Directors at Akarua for this fantastic PR stint, I think they call it ambushing marketing but hey we don't mind! The golf hasn't started yet at The Hills but we are all looking forward to a great tournament. Akarua will be there sampling our diverse range of wines over the 4 days so please do come and pay us a visit. We are also the feature winery at the Josh Emmett dinners being held at The Club House at The Hills - we can't wait!

A fantastic day was had by all last Wednesday (15th February). Forty guests from Queenstown and Wanaka joined us in Bannockburn for the annual Akarua Clay Bird shoot and to celebrate the launch of our new sparkling wines with a sumptuous lunch in the vineyard.
Congratulations to Grant Hattaway from Pier 19 who took away the Akarua Trophy this year for his top score in the clay bird shoot!
We have had a fantastic reception to our new bubbles and are thrilled to offer a new Central Otago Methode Traditionelle range to our customers.

Talk about excited! The Cellar Door is buzzing about the inaugural release of our Methode Traditionelle wines. Akarua Brut NV and Akarua Rose Brut NV are now available from the Cellar Door and from fine wine stores around the country from February 1.

The 50 hectares of prime vineyard land planted at Akarua’s winery site in Bannockburn, to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, combined with the continental climate of Central Otago, are perfectly suited to the production of quality sparkling wines. The temperatures throughout the growing season in Bannockburn result in a large diurnal temperature range, which is also a significant characteristic of the Champagne region.

Akarua is extremely fortunate to have secured the expertise and guidance of Dr Tony Jordan to develop the Akarua Methode Traditionelle range. Tony has worked alongside Akarua’s winemaker Matt Connell to craft this new range of wines and is a partner in this exciting new Akarua venture. Tony’s considerable experience in sparkling winemaking includes working with many notable sparkling wine producers including Domaine Chandon (Australia) and Cloudy Bay. Through his own company Oenotec p/l, he consults on sparkling wine production to companies in the UK, China and Australia.

Stylistically the Akarua sparkling wines are wines of character that reflect the power of Pinot Noir and the subtlety Chardonnay grown in the Central Otago terroir. Maturation in old oak and extended yeast age in bottle add subtle complexity to the vibrant aromas and flavours, and to the silky long, crisp palate.

Akarua Noir Ice 2011 is hedonistic and amazing. The colour is like a pink sapphire and the aroma is of fresh pinot grapes with a delicate musk / rose petal nuance coming through. Decadently sweet with a texture like thick nectar, the concentration is incredible and the taste is scintillating and bright with tangelo-like acidity penetrating the spun sugar sweetness. The pinot noir grape taste exudes through the wine and the finish is like macerated strawberries covered with a fine clear toffee.

Just 10% alcohol by volume, this 375-ml bottle has a cork closure that is covered with wax. Just 2666 bottles of this 100% Pinot Noir ice wine were made. A single bottle costs $40 – quite simply a steal. Dial up www.akarua.com and get in quick – you may still get it delivered for Xmas. With 204 g/l residual sugar, it really is a sweet wine lover's treat.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir from the ‘Clutha’ block of Akarua’s estate vineyard in Bannockburn, frozen and pressed, the must fermented to 10.0% alc., 204 g/L rs with a TA of 10 g/L.  Pale pink colour with some depth and the faintest purple hues, pale on rim.  This has a lively, pure nose of strawberry fruit with a little steely freshness along with hints of honeysuckle and caramel.  Intensely sweet, this has has an extremely unctuous and viscous texture, thick, lush and dense with rounded mouthfeel, carrying bright strawberry and honey flavours that blossom in the mouth.  Excellent racy acidity underlines the length of the palate, providing sufficient cut to prevent cloying, and leads to a soft, long finish with subtle flavours of honey, red berry fruits and florals.  This is a lush, decadent and unctuous dessert wine with beautiful strawberry and floral notes to make it a match with rich summer-fruit puddings over the next 5-7 years. 2,666 bottles made.  (375 ml)  18.5+/20  Dec 2011  RRP $40.00   

Fantastic review in from Bob Campbell in Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine  (100 Top New Release Wines).
Bob has given Akarua Pinot Noir 2010 95 Points and 5 Stars in this latest edition:
"Strong, sweet fruit flavours with pronounced plum, dark cherry, cassis and anise characters. Luscious wine that's restrained by fine, ripe tannins. A classy pinot noir that's easy to appreciate.

Michael Cooper has just released his 2012 edition of the definitive Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wine. This book has become somewhat of a bible for NZ wine consumers and certainly the 2012 version is a much thicker book than its predecessors. Michael has given some great ratings and reviews on our range of wines, so be sure to check them out on our review pages.

Well known Australian winewriter Nick Stock has just released his 2012 edition of The Age Good Wine Guide. This book is a firm favourite in Australia and gives readers a comprehensive guide on purchasing wine.
Akarua Pinot Noir's received fantastic scores in the book:
 - Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009, 93 Points
 - AKarua Pinot Noir 2009, 93 Points
 - AKarua Pinot Noir 2010, 94 Points
 - AKarua Rua Pinot Noir 2010, 92 Points
Check out our review pages for the full commentary on the wines from Nick.

We have just released the new vintages of Akarua Riesling and Akarua Pinot Rose 2011! It is fantastic to get these great spring and summer wines to our cellar door as daylight savings arrives.

Matt & David have just returned home from a recent international sales trip visiting our distributors. On a well earned day off they took to Matt's favourite pastime of fishing and had the luck to strike a superb day in Vancouver fishing for the elusive King salmon  - they say they did pretty well with seven caught - we will take your word for that guys!

Akarua Pinot Noir Reserve 2009 has made it into the First XV lineup for the Great Trans-Tasman Red Wine Challenge held on Friday 16th September.
Each nation was represented by fiteen wines; eight forwards (Syrah/Shiraz) and seven backs (Pinot Noir) selected by team captains. Teams consisted of four judges and were headed up by a well known wine personality from each nation. Noted NZ expert Bob Campbell MW represented the Kiwis with Cameron Douglas MS, Corey Hall (The Gemwine Company), and Simon Nunns (Coopers Creek), whilst wine writer and critic James Halliday led the Australians in battle with Australian sommeliers Andrew Philpot, Patrick White and Matt Sweiboda.
The eight team members participated in a blind tasting on Friday morning to score each wine. The wines with the highest points made the "First XV" selection and were unveiled at a media tasting in the NZ2011 Business Club Lounge in The Cloud on Queens Wharf.

Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 as been awarded a double gold and trophy runner up at the prestigious Five Nations Wine Challenge, with Akarua Pinot Noir 2010 also awarded a gold medal. This is an invitation only event made by the 5 judges representing the countries of: Australia, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile.

"I've tasted this lovely wine three times this year - and it keeps getting better. A deeply coloured Bannockburn red with densely packed cherry, plum and spice flavours, it has hints of chocolate and coffee, ripe, smooth tannins and an enticingly perfumed bouquet. A steal".

The 2010 vintage is shaping up to be a cracker with news today that Akarua Pinot Noir 2010 and Akarua Rua Pinot Noir 2010 have been nominated for Winestate's Wine of the Year. This is as a result of both wines picking up Gold/5 Stars in Winestate's annual NZ Pinot Noir Tasting.
"I always had high hopes for the 2010 wines as the vintage was very similar to the outstanding 2009 year. The Pinot Noirs have great fruit intensity and depth of character". Akarua Winemaker Matt Connell

News just in this morning. Akarua Pinot Noir has picked up a Gold Medal at NZIWS - the largest wine show in New Zealand. A whopping 2080 entries with 199 Gold Medals awarded. A great accolade for the 2010 and goes nicely with the recent Decanter Gold Medal win for Akarua Rua Pinot Noir 2010.

What a wonderful site to wake up to on Monday morning with the vineyard blanketed in a cover of white. The snow has certainly provided challenges to the vineyard crew who are still well entrenched in the pruning season. What a sight to behold though.

www.bobswinereviews.com Strong sweet fruit flavors with pronounced plum, dark cherry, cassis and anise/spice characters. Luscious wine thats restrained by fine, ripe tannins. Very classy Pinot Noir thats easy to appreciate.

Akarua have revamped their wine club to include 3 tiers of wine membership. This will enable many more wine lovers to have access to Akarua wines as well as receiving special benefits such as Riedel glassware and freight free deliveries within New Zealand.

Akarua has been invited to submit two of our Pinot Noirs (Akarua Pinot Noir 2009 & Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009) into the prestigious Five Nations Wine Challenge.
This is the only wine show in the world where the wines entered come in exclusively by invitation from the five Judges. Bob Campbell MW has selected the New Zealand entries. The other countries represented in the Challenge are Argentina, Australia, Chile and South Africa.
The winners will be announced in Sydney on September 9th 2011.

More than 12,200 international entries in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 did not deter Akarua’s Rua Pinot Noir 2010 from receiving a Gold medal in this stellar line up. This is a significant achievement for this new vintage release wine which is Akarua’s introductory wine in a lineup of three Pinot Noirs in their portfolio. Over 121 medals were awarded to New Zealand wines in the show with only a small proportion awarded to Gold medals, eleven in total. Pinot Noir made up over half this gold medal tally, with six awarded to New Zealand Pinot Noirs.
Akarua Rua is made from fruit off Akarua’s estate in Bannockburn, which is the largest privately owned single estate in Central Otago. Typically Central Otago in style Rua has a core of juicy black berry fruit, with layers of savoury highlights and a soft but bright finish. Widely regarded as a wonderful value for money offering, this endorsement, which has been judged by ten renowned international judges, cements this status further.
Akarua Winemaker Matt Connell is delighted. “We are focused on providing consistently great wines from our Akarua vineyard, which will introduce wine lovers from all around the world to the delights of Central Otago wines.” Akarua Rua 2010 has also made it on to Decanters World Wine Awards Top 8 Pinot Noir List at number four.
Akarua has enjoyed a string of successes with their 2009 vintage wines; Champion Pinot Noir Trophy at the Royal Easter Show 2011 for Akarua Pinot Noir 2009 and Gold Medals in the Air NZ Wine Awards 2010 and the NZ International Wine Show 2010 for Akarua Reserve Pinot Noir 2009. The team at Akarua is confident of another great year with such a positive first showing for the 2010 vintage.