Wooing Tree Vineyard Central Otago Sandstorm Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
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Wooing Tree is owned by Stephen and Thea Farquharson and Stephen’s sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Geoff Bews. We are all committed to producing top quality grapes and wine and are a truly family owned and run business. Originally from farming backgrounds in North Otago, more recently we worked in IT both in Wellington and overseas. Wooing Tree is a family owned single vineyard, situated next to the town of Cromwell in the heart of Central Otago, New Zealand.
We’re lucky enough to be nestled into a stunning glacial mountain valley. Not only is our location scenic – it is perfect for ripening pinot noir. This grape is notoriously fussy about where it likes to grow! Cromwell’s dry climate and cool nights allow pinot to ripen slowly, developing layers of complex flavour pinot lovers adore.
The Wooing Tree is a local landmark that sits prominently in the middle of our family vineyard. It has long been a place for locals to woo their lovers, and if it could talk, would have many a story to tell! These days it is not quite the private spot it once was…but we still have plenty of visitors proposing marriage and even getting married under our beautiful iconic tree, amidst the vines.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.