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NZ Central Otago
Central Otago wine map
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the subregions of Central Otago | Bannockburn GI, Alexandra Basin, Bendigo, Cromwell Basin (Pisa & Lowburn), Gibbston, Wanaka |
| Which subregion is a GI | Bannockburn |
| What are the major grapes of Central Otago | Pinot Noir: 1,656 ha Pinot Gris: 172 ha Chardonnay: 92 ha Riesling: 62 ha Sauvignon Blanc: 40 ha |
| What are the Soil Types of Central Otago | various (broken schist and clay, heavy silt loam, gravel, light sand) |
| What is the Annual Rainfall: | 10.8 inches |
| What are the Major Natural Features: | Southern Alps, Lake Wanaka, Waitaki River (North Otago) |
| What are Major Producers of Central Otago | Rippon, Peregrine, Felton Road, Mt. Difficulty |
| What are the official and unofficial subzones of Central Otago | Official Subregions Bannockburn GI Unofficial Subregions Bendigo Gibbston Wanaka Cromwell Basin Alexandra Basin |
| How does light effect the Rippon property | Central Otago: the only continental climate in New Zealand viticulture with high ultra violet light, long sunshine hours and highly refractive soils. |
| How does air effect Rippon Vineyards | Wānaka: a more temperate climate relative to the rest of Central Otago due to its close proximity to the dividing mountains of the Southern Alps. |
| How does water effect Rippon Vineyards | Lake Wānaka: the temperance of this large thermal mass, coupled with the protective nature of Ruby Island further softens Rippon’s microclimate |
| What are the soils of Rippon Vineards | Schist: the metamorphic mother rock, rich in foliated mica and quartzite is deposited as glacial moraines, coarse-layered gravels, ancient lake-bed clays and wind-blown loess. |
| How is location important to Rippon | Central Otago is situated on the 45° south latitude line, near the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. The Southern Alps and is New Zealand’s only viticultural region with a truly "continental" climate. It is also the world’s most southern viticultural region. Rippon lies at 330 metres altitude, on the shores of Lake Wānaka. To view geography in more detail, click on the 'Satellite' button, and use the arrows to zoom and navigate around the map. |
| What are the soils of the Lakeside and Hillside of Rippon | The Lakeside: A relatively new ejection cone of gravel debris from “waterfall creek”, the stream that cascades down Mt Roy, the 1800 metre peak beside us. This has formed many complex layers of Schist gravels and singles of varying grades (coarseness). The Hillside: Terminal Moraine deposits of the last glacial advance. Fine deposits of glacial meal are mixed with more coarse material and large blocks of schist rock to form a 50 metre high slope. |
| What are the expressions of Rippons soils | Expression: With its high content of Silica, Quartz and Mica, Rippon’s schist based soils produce, as the texture of the rock itself would suggest, Schist: A medium to coarse-grained metamorphic rock with well-developed bedding planes derived from the foliated recrystallisation of platy like minerals like mica. Moraine: Heterogeneous sedimentary deposited directly by a glacier. |
| What is Roche Moutonnee (Rippon Vineyards): | Roche Moutonnee: A section of hard rock that has been shaped by ice flowing over it. The side from which the ice came is smooth and usually at a low angle. The side in the direction in which the ice departed is steep and has been plucked by the ice. The plucking is the result of freeze-thaw action enhanced by pressure changes generated by the flowing ice. |
| What is the climate of Rippon: | The Southern Hemisphere’s predominant airflow, the “roaring forties”, passes over the South Island in a westerly fashion. When it hits the Southern Alps, most of its moisture precipitates on the Western side, forming an important rain shadow to the east. Most of this falls in the springtime. The summers are hot and dry with a heat summation range of 700-1250HDD. Winters are cold, but not extreme. |
| How does Rippon differ from other Central Otago areas | The Wānaka basin is the first to receive these clouds and more often than not they do not make it much further. This means that although Central Otago is the hottest, coldest and driest region in New Zealand, Wānaka is slightly more temperate than further down the valley towards Lowburn, Bannockburn, and Alexandra. |
| How does Ruby Island effect Rippon VIneards | A small, but important island of hard rock, sits out in front of the site where the vines are planted. This “Roche-Moutonee” has been left by the ancient glacier and is not only the centrepiece of Rippon’s view, but also a buffer against the harsh, prevailing Nor-West winds. These powerful winds, having dumped all their moisture on the West Coast, can be extremely dry and are able to cause heavy stress to both the vine and vigneron alike. |
| Dominant wines of Rippon | Mature Vine Riesling (Central Otago GI): Inaugural vintage 1989. Gewürztraminer (Central Otago GI): Inaugural vintage 1990. Mature Vine Pinot Noir (Central Otago GI): Inaugural vintage 1989. Emma’s Block Mature Vine Pinot Noir (Central Otago GI): Inaugural vintage 2008. Tinker’s Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir (Central Otago GI): From Rippon’s oldest vines. Inaugural vintage 2008. |
| Rippon Summary | Among the first vintners in Central Otago, Lois and Rolfe Mills planted an experimental vineyard in 1975, followed by a commercial vineyard in 1982. Their first wine release followed in 1989. Located in the more isolated Wanaka subzone, Rippon’s vineyards are now both dry-farmed and biodynamic. The winery takes its name from Rolfe Mills’ lineage; his family, the Rippons, reached Central Otago in 1912. They purchased Wanaka station and built a homestead at Rippon Lea. |
| Felton Road Region of Production: Winery Location: Year Established: | Region of Production: Central Otago GI Winery Location: Bannockburn, Otago Year Established: 1991 |
| Felton Road Summaary | founded in 1991 by Stewart Elms. Blair Walter, who joined the project as winemaker in 1996. When planting the vineyard, Elms selected clones he believed best suited to the various soil types across the geologically diverse property. English businessman Nigel Greening acquired Felton Road from Elms in 2000. Greening and Walter swiftly converted the vineyards to biodynamic and organic practices, beginning in 2002 and earning Demeter certification in 2010. |
| Felton Road Vineyard Holdings: | MacMuir Vineyard (5 ha): Central Otago GI. Pinot Noir on deep silt loam soils. Elms Vineyard (15 ha): Central Otago GI. Pinot Noir on Waenga soil (alluvial schist above pockets of calcium carbonate) and Chardonnay and Riesling on Lochar soils (sandy gravel with bands of clay loam). First planted from 1992 to 1994 Calvert Vineyard (5 ha): Central Otago GI. Pinot Noir on deep silt loam soils. Cornish Point Vineyard (8 ha): Central Otago GI. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on deep fine sandy loams. |
| Felton Road Top White Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages: | Riesling Block 1 (Central Otago GI): From Block 1 of the Elms Vineyard. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Inaugural vintage 1999. Chardonnay Block 2 (Central Otago GI): From Block 2 of the Elms Vineyard. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 16 months in used French oak. Inaugural vintage 2001. Chardonnay Block 6 (Central Otago GI): From Block 6 of the Elms Vineyard. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 16 months in used French oak. Inaugural vintage 2006. |
| Felton Road Top Red Wines 1 Produced & Inaugural Vintages: | Pinot Noir Calvert (Central Otago GI): Partial whole-cluster fermentation in open-top vessels. Aged 16 months in mostly used French oak. Inaugural vintage 2006. Pinot Noir Cornish Point (Central Otago GI): Partial whole-cluster fermentation in open-top vessels. Aged 13 months in mostly used French oak. Inaugural vintage 2007. |
| Felton Road Top Red Wines 2 Produced & Inaugural Vintages: | Pinot Noir Block 3 (Central Otago GI): From Block 3 of the Elms Vineyard. Partial whole-cluster fermentation in open-top vessels. Aged 13 months in mostly used French oak. Inaugural vintage 1997. Pinot Noir Block 5 (Central Otago GI): From Block 5 of the Elms Vineyard. Partial whole-cluster fermentation in open-top vessels. Aged 16 months in mostly used French oak. Inaugural vintage 1999. |
| Felton Road Brief Description of Style & Vinification Techniques: | Felton Road uses entirely estate fruit, harvested from its organic and Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyards. Fermentation relies on indigenous yeasts. Pinot Noir is made using roughly 20 to 30% whole cluster in open-top vessels, followed by a long maceration. Chardonnay wines experience complete malolactic conversion. Aging takes place primarily in used French oak barrels. |
| About Peregrine | Taking a “hands-on” approach to winemaking since 1998, the McLachlan family strives to produce wines that embody the absolute best of Central Otago. Operate organically. These passionate family wine producers have a philosophy of producing wine that is truly representative of the Central Otago region, drawing only the very best hand-picked fruit from their three estate-owned vineyards and a select number of grower sites in the Pisa, Bendigo, and Gibbston sub-regions |
| About Gibbston | Situated east of Queenstown along the spectacular Kawarau Gorge, Gibbston is the highest sub-region, its cooler climate and north-facing hillside vines ripen later than neighbouring sub-regions, giving lighter though still intense wines. |
| About Bannockburn | On the south bank of the Kawarau River, at the southern terminus of the Cromwell Valley, the vineyards occupy one of the warmest, driest sites in the region. Harvest can be up to a month ahead of other sub-regions, and the wines produced are highly distinctive and complex. |
| About Cromwell, Lowburn and Pisa | This area is located on the western side of Lake Dunstan stretching north for some 25km from the township of Cromwell. The majority of plantings are situated on the lower terraces and valley floor running parallel to the snow-capped Pisa mountain range producing seductive wines. |
| About Bendigo | Northeast of Cromwell, Bendigo has vines planted on gentle north facing slopes. Wide-scale plantings on stony soils capture the extreme climates hot summer sun and cold clear nights. |
| About Wanaka | A couple of mountain ranges and 80km north of Queenstown, beautiful Wanaka is cooler and slightly wetter than the rest of the region. The lake provides welcome reflected radiation and mitigates frost producing delicate and vivid wines. |
| About Alexandra | The most southerly sub-region, the climate is dry and runs to extremes in both summer and winter. The marked daily climatic variations right up to harvest give vividly varietal, aromatic, finely structured wines. |
Created by:
Cheroncowan