Waitaki Valley wine region

Wine region of New Zealand

Waitaki ValleyWine region

Waitaki River and Benmore Dam, 2005

Official name| Waitaki Valley North Otago
Type| Geographical Indication
Year established| First plantings 2001, GI registered 2018[1]
Country| New Zealand
Climate region| Ia
Heat units| 850 °C (1,560 °F)
Precipitation (annual average)| 541 mm (21.3 in)
Soil conditions| Pallic alluvial soils over limestone
Size of planted vineyards| 50 ha (120 acres)
No. of vineyards| 15
Grapes produced| 254 tonnes (560,000 lb)
Varietals produced|

* Pinot Noir
* Pinot Gris
* Riesling
* Chardonnay

No. of wineries| 4
Comments| Data source: New Zealand Winegrowers, 2024[2][3]

Waitaki Valley North Otago, often shortened to Waitaki Valley, is a small New Zealand wine region and geographical indication in northern Otago, and New Zealand's youngest. The Waitaki Valley GI is defined as the southern bank of the Waitaki River no higher than 500 metres (1,600 ft) elevation above sea level, along a narrow strip of approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) between the towns of Duntroon, Kurow, and Omarama.

## History

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The region is New Zealand's youngest. The first small vineyard, later to become Clay Cliffs Estate, was planted in Omarama in the mid-1980s, producing its first Pinot Gris vintage of 140 bottles in 1994.[4] The region's first large vineyards were planted in 2001 as part of a commercial venture by South Island entrepreneur Howard Paterson before his sudden death in 2003. The local wine growers' association was established in 2005.[5][6] The financial crisis of the Great Recession occurred in 2008, just as initial interest in the area was growing. Poor initial vintages and remoteness from tourism further troubled some producers, several of whom withdrew from the area altogether.[7] By 2024 the remaining producers were growing on about 50 hectares (120 acres) of vineyard area and have been gaining a reputation for the quality and individuality of the region's wines.[3][5]

## Soil and climate

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The area contains north-facing limestone hillsides and escarpments, and pallic Burgundy-like limestone alluvial soils. The climate is a combination of the cool, maritime influence from the Pacific Ocean and the warm, dry summer and autumn weather in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps.[8] In a good year, the warm summer and long dry autumn in the Waitaki Valley can produce one of the longest growing seasons in New Zealand. The grapes reach full ripeness and produce complex, well-balanced wine. However, the weather year-to-year is so variable and frost-susceptible that some years have been simply too cold to produce a reliable harvest.[7]

## Viticulture and wine making

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Grape varieties planted in Waitaki Valley in 2024 by vineyard area, total 50 hectares (120 acres).

1. Pinot Noir (39.2%)
2. Pinot Gris (28.7%)
3. Chardonnay (13.3%)
4. Riesling (9.7%)
5. Gewürztraminer (4.5%)
6. Other (4.6%)

Data from New Zealand Winegrowers 2024 vineyard report.[3]: 19

The region' small vineyard area of 50 hectares (120 acres) produces less that 1 percent of New Zealand's wine, crushing 254 tonnes (560,000 lb) of grapes in 2024.[2] Wines from Waitaki Valley are made mainly from Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay.[5] In particular, the Pinot Noir is proving to express a distinctive terroir.[9] New Zealand Master of Wine Bob Campbell, writing in Decanter in 2014, describes Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir as different in character from other regions of New Zealand, and more restrained and delicate than that from Central Otago.[10][7]

Well-known producers making Waitaki Valley wine include Valli, Clos Ostler, and Forrest Wines.[7]

## References

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1. ^ "Waitaki Valley North Otago / Waitaki Valley". Geographical Indications Register. Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
2. ^ a b "Annual Report 2024" (PDF). New Zealand Winegrowers. 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
3. ^ a b c "Vineyard Report 2024" (PDF). New Zealand Winegrowers. 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
4. ^ Cooper 2008, p. 366-8.
5. ^ a b c "Our Region". waitakiwine.com. Waitaki Valley Winegrowers Association. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
6. ^ "Waitaki Valley Winegrowers Association Incorporated". NZBN Register. New Zealand: Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. Retrieved 16 January 2025. Dissolved in 2010, the current organisation was re-established in 2011 as "Waitaki Valley Winegrowers Association (2011) Incorporated"
7. ^ a b c d "Waitaki Valley Wine Region". Wine-Searcher. 23 June 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
8. ^ "Waitaki Valley". nzwine.com. New Zealand Winegrowers. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
9. ^ MacLean, Hamish (8 December 2018). "Distinct flavour to Waitaki wine region". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
10. ^ Campbell, Bob (25 September 2014). "New Zealand: a Pinot Noir paradise". Decanter. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018. "Over the past 30 years, New Zealand's Pinot Noir has gone from strength to strength and become a serious player on the world stage. Here, Bob Campbell MW highlights the stylistic differences between each of the country's five main regions, and the key estates and wines to watch."

## Bibliography

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* Cooper, Michael (2008). Wine Atlas of New Zealand (2nd ed.). Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-869-71091-0. OCLC 236507204. Wikidata Q131767903.

## External links

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* Official website
* Media related to Waitaki Valley wine region at Wikimedia Commons

## See also

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* Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail

* v
* t
* e

Wine regions of New Zealand

North Island|

* Northland
* Auckland
* Waiheke Island
* Kumeu
* Matakana
* Gisborne
* Hawke's Bay
* Gimblett Gravels
* Bridge Pa Triangle
* Central Hawke's Bay
* Wairarapa
* Martinborough
* Gladstone

South Island|

* Nelson
* Marlborough
* Canterbury
* North Canterbury
* Waipara Valley
* Waitaki Valley
* Central Otago

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