Puff Balls: Postcard Views

New Eden Dept: In just a generation, New Zealand has emerged as a new Eden for pinot noir, the signature red grape of Burgundy and the rapture of wine geeks everywhere. The variety can produce glorious juice, usually lean and lightly tinted yet with eye-opening complexity. In the best renditions, an unmistakable essence of fresh berries comes laced with earthy notes of beetroot and mineral. They are consummate and versatile reds for food, according to Globe And Mail. I used to be one of those Burgundy-or-bust bores, even though my budget crashed every time I’d splurge $50 or more to land a transcendent one. The more I taste Central Otago pinot noir, though, the more I come to believe that New Zealand is the place this grape was destined to unpack its suitcase and the reference was to merino sheep, a breed prized by Italian tailors and makers of high-end athletic wear for its soft, ultrafine wool. For decades, merino farming was the lifeblood of this spectacular mountain terrain because of the region’s arid, wool-enhancing climate. Visitors can still see postcard views of flocks grazing on verdant slopes, especially at shearing time when their cartoon-like overgrown exteriors can make them seem like puff balls with faces. But over the past 25 years, many slopes have been turned over to produce a new and more lucrative commodity – wine for people who can afford merino suits. But the vines tend to travel poorly, like Texans complaining about hotel amenities in Paris. With few exceptions, notably cool pockets in California and Oregon, few regions outside Burgundy have managed to earn serious vineyard cred with this fragile, thin-skinned grape. As reported in the news.
@t globe and mail, wine geeks