Waitaki Valley North Otago, often shortened to Waitaki Valley, is a small

New Zealand wine New Zealand wine is produced in several of its distinct winegrowing regions. As an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has a largely maritime climate, although its elongated geography produces considerable regional variation ...

region and

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

in northern Otago, and New Zealand's youngest. The Waitaki Valley GI is defined as the southern bank of the

Waitaki River The Waitaki River is a large braided river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast. It starts at the confluence of the Ōhau Ri ...

no higher than elevation above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, along a narrow strip of approximately between the towns of Duntroon,

Kurow Kurow is a small town in the Waitaki District, New Zealand. It is located on the south bank of the Waitaki River, northwest of Oamaru. The name is an Anglicised form of the Māori name of the nearby mountain, Te Kohurau. History The town was ...

, and

Omarama Omarama is a small town (population 291 as of the 2018 census) at the junction of State Highway 8 (New Zealand), State Highways 8 and New Zealand State Highway 83, 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Ze ...

History

The region is New Zealand's youngest. The first small vineyard, later to become Clay Cliffs Estate, was planted in

in the mid-1980s, producing its first

Pinot Gris Pinot gris, pinot grigio (, ), or ''Grauburgunder'' is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

vintage of 140 bottles in 1994. The region's first large vineyards were planted in 2001 as part of a commercial venture by South Island entrepreneur Howard Paterson before his sudden death in 2003. The local wine growers' association was established in 2005. Dissolved in 2010, the current organisation was re-established in 2011 a
"Waitaki Valley Winegrowers Association (2011) Incorporated"
/ref> The

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

occurred just as initial interest in the area was growing. Poor initial vintages and remoteness from tourism further troubled some producers, several of whom withdrew from the area altogether. By 2024 the remaining producers were growing on about of vineyard area and have been gaining a reputation for the quality and individuality of the region's wines.

Soil and climate

The area contains north-facing limestone hillsides and escarpments, and pallic Burgundy-like limestone alluvial soils. The climate is a combination of the cool, maritime influence from the Pacific Ocean and the warm, dry summer and autumn weather in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps. In a good year, the warm summer and long dry autumn in the Waitaki Valley can produce one of the longest growing seasons in New Zealand. The grapes reach full ripeness and produce complex, well-balanced wine. However, the weather year-to-year is so variable and frost-susceptible that some years have been simply too cold to produce a reliable harvest.

Viticulture and wine making

The region' small vineyard area of produces less than 1 percent of New Zealand's wine, crushing of grapes in 2024. Wines from Waitaki Valley are made mainly from

Pinot Noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

Riesling Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...

, and

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

. In particular, the Pinot Noir is proving to express a distinctive terroir. New Zealand Master of Wine Bob Campbell, writing in ''

Decanter A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal. Their volume is usually equiv ...

'' in 2014, describes Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir as different in character from other regions of New Zealand, and more restrained and delicate than that from Central Otago. Well-known producers making Waitaki Valley wine include Valli, Clos Ostler, and Forrest Wines.

References

Bibliography

External links