Ara Pinot Noir crowned 2023 Champion of the Southern Valleys

This year, the Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, celebrated wines from Marlborough’s subregions and Pinot Noir came out on top for the Southern Valleys.

Ara Resolute Pinot Noir 2021 was awarded the Fruitfed Supplies Champion Southern Valleys trophy, further solidifying Marlborough’s reputation for quality Pinot Noir.

Encompassing Omaka, Fairhall, Brancott, Ben Morvan and Waihopai Valleys, the Southern Valleys are known for having varied soils and an ability to produce particularly good Pinot Noir and aromatics.

Ara Winemaker Jeremy Tod shared a little about the winning wine and how it felt to have it recognised among some high quality competition…

A big congratulations to you all for picking up the award for Champion Southern Valleys wine at the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show. This is a new trophy that recognises the best of the best wines produced within the Southern Valleys. How did it feel to receive the trophy?

It’s a great honour for our team to receive this trophy. The quality of Southern Valleys wines just seems to get better and better, and Pinot Noir is leading the charge. So to take out the top award in this category is really quite humbling. We’re super proud of this wine, and we’re glad the judges enjoyed it too!

Can you tell us a bit about the Ara Resolute Pinot Noir and what makes it special? Was there anything particularly standout about the 2021 vintage?

This is a great example of New World Pinot Noir, made in a way that respects the land where it was grown. The Ara Resolute Pinot Noir is grown and produced organically, which really seems to add an increased dimension of complexity and richness to the wine. 2021 was a low yielding vintage, and one with a high degree of ripeness variability. Through painstaking fruit sorting, and then careful delicate extraction during fermentation, the team have crafted a wonderful rich, ripe Pinot Noir with fine grained tannin and subtle floral notes that are quite typical of the Southern Valleys.

What is it about the Southern Valleys that contributes to producing beautiful Pinot Noir?

Soil, aspect, and diurnal temperature fluctuation! The Southern Valleys subregion has quite variable soil, based on clay and iron rich gravel. This lends itself to Pinot Noir fruit that develops rich, fine grained tannin. The Southern Valleys have several north facing slopes that are usually 80-150m higher in altitude than the valley floor, and this leads to warm daytime temperatures, and cooler night temperatures. This higher diurnal temperature fluctuation allows great anthocyanin development, and this gives Southern Valleys Pinot Noir their beautiful dark colour.

Marlborough Pinot Noir has been making an impression in recent years, and in particular at the Marlborough Wine Show, picking up Champion of the Show for the last two years. How does it feel to have a Pinot Noir recognised among the best, and what do you think makes Marlborough a great Pinot Noir producing region?

We are so humbled to win a Pinot Noir trophy amongst so many fantastic Marlborough examples. Marlborough Pinot really is going from strength to strength, and is increasingly recognised internationally as a true force to be reckoned with. Vine age, increased understanding of our local terroir, better clonal selections, and winemaking practices that respect the land and the wine style are all contributing to wines that showcase both the innate characters and complexities of the Pinot Noir grape, and of our wonderful wine growing region here in Marlborough.

Marlborough is celebrating 50 years of modern winemaking this year. In those 50 years it has made a huge name for itself with Sauvignon Blanc. Do you think Pinot Noir has the potential to be the next big ‘Marlborough’ thing? Or do you have any predictions for the next 50 years of Marlborough winemaking?

I think Pinot Noir in Marlborough will continue to reach new levels of quality and style, and will continue to help define the Marlborough grape growing region. The next 50 years will see a continued rise in the profile and standing of Marlborough Pinot Noir on a world stage. Alongside this, I expect to see other emerging wine styles and varieties to be produced by the next generation of young grape growers and winemakers in the region, many of whom are already producing some truly world-class examples.