Pinot gris is one of the world’s more popular wine varieties, is very food friendly and is particularly well suited to growing here in Marlborough. The pinot gris grape has low acid but retains more of its natural acidity in Marlborough’s cool climate, allowing the wine to be in balance. Strong diurnal fluctuation provides a long, sunny growing season, affording excellent flavour development.

For my Marlborough Pinot Gris, I blend from sites across a wide range of the Marlborough winegrowing region. My blend centres on north and south bank Awatere, with fruit from the Wairau Valley and Kekerengu Coast complementing the intensely aromatic Awatere core. When crafting my blend, I pay close attention to the fill-in and layering of the different flavour spectrums and aromas.

I try to capture the sense of lovely poached pears, light stone fruit and bright red apple and follow through with a dry, mineral finish. Most of the grapes are hand-picked and delicately whole cluster pressed to add fine texture, weight and minerality. We machine harvest the balance of fruit at night to retain as much fruit freshness as possible. I use the most delicate press cycle to avoid the extraction of harsh phenolics and to retain fruit purity. The hand-picked portion is fermented on solids to add a delicate texture and enhance the spicy notes on the nose. The palate weight comes exclusively from the high solids ferment and fruit concentration.

In New Zealand, the varietal is generally called pinot gris rather than pinot grigio and encompasses a wide range of residual sugar levels and styles. I am trying to produce a dry version of pinot gris that has a nod towards some of the more aromatic, finer examples of northern Italian, higher altitude pinot grigio as well as referencing a little the wines of Alsace, but it’s pretty much a Kiwi style — a Marlborough style.

I aim for an aromatic, crisp and precise pinot gris, and stylistically it is dryer than most. My Marlborough Pinot Gris is a beautiful food wine and is probably the easiest of our white wines for pairing with a wide range of food. The attention to detail around fruit handling allows a wine composition that can age gracefully over many years.

Simon Waghorn — Winemaker