• Subtle spice
• Vanilla & chocolate
• Vibrant red fruit
• Plush velvety tannins

"It's gorgeously fruited and perfumed on the nose showing dark cherry, raspberry, warm spice, vanilla and roasted nut characters. The palate displays excellent weight and fruit intensity, together with silky texture and soothing mouthfeel, making it immensely appealing" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2020

"Fleshy, almost juicy pinot noir with ripe plum liquorice, black cherry, anise and spice flavours. A fruit-focused, appealing and accessible red that offers good value at this price" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jun 2018

"This new release of Main Divide comes from a very hot summer with some rain followed by dry autumn conditions. The wine was aged in oak (35% new) after fermentation with plunging twice daily to extract structure. It’s a good quality Pinot Noir and tastes youthful now, so will benefit with time, softening and maturing into an even more approachable wine" Joelle Thomson, May 2020

"This fine-value Waipara red from Pegasus Bay was barrel-aged for 18 months. Fragrant and full-bodied, it is youthful, with generous cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing considerable complexity" Michael Cooper, Apr 2020

"This youthful, supple Waipara Valley, North Canterbury red is good value. Matured in French oak barrels for 18 months, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with excellent depth of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, nutty, savoury notes adding complexity and a smooth finish" Winestate Magazine Australia, Aug 2020

Upon release it is deep ruby in colour. The nose is brimming with vibrant red fruit including plum, raspberry and cherry. There are also hints of spice, vanilla and chocolate, with some underlying savoury notes. The wine is mouth-filling, yet balanced with plush velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and a prolonged finish.

Main Divide is the local name for the Southern Alps and is the backbone of the South Island, where grapes for Main Divide are exclusively sourced. Vineyards have been selected for their quality and ability to express unique regional flavours.

Settled weather during December provided optimal conditions for flowering. A very hot Summer then enabled the grapes to ripen beautifully. Free draining stony soil helped mitigate the effects of some late Summer rain, and the ensuing dry Autumn meant the fruit was able to be picked in excellent condition.

Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods were used to make this wine. Various blocks were picked at different stages, depending on their maturity, aiming for a range of red and dark fruit flavours. Approximately one quarter of the grapes were put at the bottom of the fermentation vats as whole bunches, with the balance being destemmed on top, retaining as many whole berries as possible. The vats were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins. After approximately a week, the must started to ferment naturally. During fermentation the skins of the grapes were gently plunged twice daily. When the fermentation finished, the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for up to a week to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The exact duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently the wine was gently pressed off and put into oak barriques (approx. 35% new), from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the Summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent a natural malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. After maturing for 18mths in these barriques, the wine was finally bottled.