The Story of Central Otago Pinot Noir

Few wine stories are as dramatic as Central Otago’s. In the 19th century, gold miners planted the first vines, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that Pinot Noir began its meteoric rise. Today, Central Otago is a global benchmark, producing wines that reflect their rugged environment. Guests often join tasting tours across Central Otago’s subregions to experience this history firsthand.

Bannockburn delivers power and intensity, Gibbston elegance and perfume, and Wanaka purity and grace. Alexandra’s wines are spiced and taut, while Bendigo produces rich, concentrated flavours. Each subregion contributes to the whole, creating a mosaic of styles that is best understood through curated journeys through Pinot Noir country.

Tasting Pinot Noir here is to taste the land itself — schist soils, alpine breezes, and sunlit slopes captured in every glass. At Latitude 45, expert hosts interpret the story, vineyard by vineyard, glass by glass.