Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
F ans of the Lord of the Rings fi lms will recognize Central Otago, on New Zealand's South Island, as the spectacular landscape in which much of the action in these movies was set. But Central Otago is also New Zealand's most exciting wine region, and Per- egrine Wines is one of its most promising producers. Visitors to Peregrine can tell right away that some- thing special awaits them at the cutting-edge facility, designed by Wellington's Architecture Workshop to resemble the wing of a raptor in fl ight. Most of the working winery is actually buried underground. "The landscape dictated what we were trying to achieve in the winery," says co-owner Greg Hay, who serves as Peregrine's Director of Sales and Market- ing, noting the wing-shaped roof follows the outline of the surrounding mountains. "Our brief to the ar- chitects was to create a building that would become synonymous with the brand." Hay and his partners, Lindsay Mclachlin and Murray Brennan (a New Zealand–born M.D. who is Emeritus Chairman of Memorial Sloan-Ketter- ing Cancer Center in New York), released the fi rst Peregrine wines with the 1998 vintage. After several years of making wines in leased facilities, they com- missioned the striking new dedicated winery in 2003. As with other Central Otago producers, Pinot Noir is the varietal to watch at Peregrine. The winery is one of the pioneers of New Zealand Pinot. "Central Otago is blessed with cool nights and a continental- type climate that's unique to New Zealand," says Hay, "and that eliminated the Bordeaux varieties right away. We're on the 45th parallel, like Burgundy and Oregon, so we asked ourselves, 'What do they do?'" There are also lovely versions of Pinot Gris and Riesling. The wines are made by Peter Bartle, who came on-board when the new winery opened. About 50 percent of the fruit is from estate vineyards, with the other half coming from long-term contract vine- yards that the partners have a role in managing. The fi rst vintages of Peregrine's sister label, Mohua, have also just been released and are destined initially for the impor- tant U.S. market. Like the per- egrine falcon, the mohua is a rare, endangered New Zealand Bird in F The Peregrine Wines facility takes the shape of a bird's wing: "Our brief to the architects was to create a building that would become synonymous with the brand." 62 / the tasting panel / december 2009 New Zealand