NEWS & UPDATES - the pulse of Central Otago Wine industry
Guest comments
“If Vivaldi had lived here, he would have written everything a lot louder!"
Guest Comment
'What a fantastic wine tour - it was "decanted" just for us. Our guide was upbeat, professional, knowledgeable and charming and lead us expertly through your spectacular wine country...' Julie
Wine Spectator Press
"Central Otago Pinot Noirs are dramatic: blackish garnet in colour and plumped with an opulence of black cherry and chocolate flavours along with whiffs of blackcurrant, liquorice, raspberry and cherry. Its Pinot Noirs taste like no others...
Above all is the sheer revelation of Central Otago as the planet's newest Pinot Noir contender. Yet another Pinot Noir "life-form" has emerged - one to celebrate and watch closely," Matt Krammer
2011 Team
We are delighted to have Sarah and Liz join our team of guides during 2010.
Jess Ruthe has returned after taking a year out to have her first child. Jess will now be in her 6th year with Appellation Central.
We now have over 27 years of wine tour guiding experience between us.
Our Operations Manager Mel Jack has sadly moved on with her partner accepting as excellent CEO position in Ashburton. We have shortlisted replacement candidates for the position.
Qualmark Endorsed Visitor Activity
June 2006 Appellation Central gained the important Tourism New Zealand Visitor Endorsed Activity accreditation. This once again highlights the quality of our tours and professionalism of our business.
Peregrine top trophy:
Peregrine top trophy: Peregrine Pinot Noir wins top UK IWSC wine trophy more ..
Best of Wine Tourism Award 2011
Appellation Central was recently awarded the 2011New Zealand Best of Wine Tourism award for Wine Tourism Services.
This is a great accolade for the professionalism of Appellation Central and quality of our tours. Read what the Judges said:
.. It was my pleasure to have been on your tour. I found it to be one of the most professional that I have been on and there were lots of great little personal touches that set it apart from others.
Dr Richard Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, University of Otago.
After reading the application and then experiencing the tour, I came away with the impression that you leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of business excellence. In my experience, there are a small group of business owners and operators who have made the very conscious decision to optimise their product and their business. The industry needs more conscientious business- focused operators like you. Tara Druce, Tourism Consultant, Central Otago
Trade tasting April 2009
We recently attended a trade tasting of over 100 wines in Queenstown. Here are some brief notes of a couple of the Pinot Noirs that caught my eye:
Shakey Bridge '06 - 18/20
A delightful spicy aroma, rich and powerful dark fruits onthe palate and great length.
Aurum Mathilde '07 - 17.5/20
Rich and voluptuous with delightful brambly fruits,soft tannins and a hint of spice on the finish.
Olssens Jackson Barry '07 - 18/20
Rich, full bodied and complex with memories of rich xmas cake and a long spicy finish (limited supply).
Prophets Rock '06 - 18/20
An exotic spicy nose leads to a fascinating wine with characters of dark plum pudding and spices with underlying fine tannins.
