Cross the famously perilous waters of the Cook Strait and you reach the South Island and the wine region of Marlborough, famous for its piercing sauvignon blanc, but it also makes high-toned (think soprano), silky and aromatic pinot noir that’s often redolent of red cherries with a floral note too. Nautilus Southern Valleys Pinot Noir 2017 Marlborough, NZ (New Zealand House of Wine, £24.99; The Wine Society, £19) is a glorious example – fragrant, slightly herbaceous, free-flowing.
Heading out of Marlborough, west around the coast, you come to Tasman Bay and the region of Nelson. I once drove here from Blenheim in Marlborough and did such a bad job of setting the satnav that I ended up at a residential house, presumably the destination of the last person to hire the car. I was trying to get to Neudorf, an estate in the Moutere Hills that makes spectacular chardonnay and pinot noir that is slightly firmer and more mineral than Marlborough’s. Try the red cherry gleam of Neudorf Tom’s Block Pinot Noir 2019, Nelson (The Wine Society, £19).
And finally take a trip further south to the wild mountains and lakes of Central Otago where prospectors once rushed for gold and pinot noir is often richer and denser with more flavours of spice and dark berries. Rippon Mature Vine Pinot Noir 2016 Central Otago, NZ (Lea & Sandeman, £38.95) is wonderful.
Food-wise, go simple with all of these: roast new potatoes with thyme; roast beef; roast chicken; smoked duck; Thai beef salad; or tagliatelle with ricotta, mint leaves and figs.
