Akarua Wines are from Bannockburn in Central Otago. Which also happens to be the home of my favourite New Zealand Pinot Noir. This particular bottle of Akarua was a gift from South American friends who visited us earlier this year. Their schedule only allowed time for one vineyard visit while driving through the South Island. I suggested they call at Akarua where they could lunch at the Lazy Dog restaurant and taste some wines at the cellar door. They arrived just before midday to discover it was closed due to it being a public holiday. Through the cellar door window they could see movement inside and knocked on the door. A woman came to the door and informed them the restaurant would open at 1.00pm. They asked if they could wander through the vines while waiting. The woman happened to be the viticulturist and was about to drive through the vineyard doing whatever viticulturists do on a public holiday. She offered to give them their own personal tour of the vineyard.
For my friends, it was the highlight of their week in the South Island. And to show their appreciation of my suggestion I was the lucky recipient of three bottles of wine presented in wooden boxes.
Akarua Pinot Noir 2003
Details: From the Winemaker
Eyes: Polished rubies.
Legs: So long you can still see them above the second A.
Nose: Cherries and violets.
Mouth: Elegant and lingering.
Buy: NZ$40 . World distributors page.
Verdict: I wish I'd left it in the cellar for another couple of years.
Thanks to our host this month at Cincinnati Wine Garage. Call by there for the round up next week.
