Speciality glass for Central Otago Pinot Noir

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Georg Riedel tastes a Central Otago Pinot Noir at the glass tasting workshop

Georg J Riedel, chief executive of the prestigious Austrian Riedel Glass Company, toured the Central Otago wine region this month to gain a better appreciation of the region’s 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 says 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 says.

“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 says 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, says 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.”

“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”, says Mr Riedel.

Steve Green, chairman of New Zealand Winegrowers’ and owner of Bannockburn’s Carrick Winery, says 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 says.

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

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