The New Zealand wine region with vineyards to rival Burgundy

The world’s most southerly commercial wine region, Central Otago produces pinot noir considered among the finest on earth. There are plenty of reasons people from all over the world make the long journey to the southern part of New Zealand’s South Island. The majestic, jaw-dropping scenery for one – Mount Cook, Milford Sound, the Southern Alps, glaciers and turquoise lakes – and the many opportunities for hiking, kayaking, climbing and (eek) bungy jumping.

I travelled there recently with another main aim – to visit the wineries of the world’s most southerly commercial vine-growing region, Central Otago. To the east of the Southern Alps, close to popular Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu, the Central Otago vines cling to a rugged, rocky terrain. Winemaking only took off here in the 1990s.

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