A limited-edition pinot noir made in honour of an inspirational North Island winemaker who loved Central Otago’s being released in Queenstown tomorrow.
Andy Anderson, who died of cancer, aged 50, in 2019, was head winemaker at Waikato’s Takapoto Estate vineyard.
In that capacity he won the International Wine and Spirit Competition pinot noir trophy in 2017 and 2018 for wines made, in turn, from
Bannockburn’s Legends Terrace vineyard and Coxs’ Vineyard, in Queenstown’s Gibbston.
At the celebration of his life, friends, including Gibbston’s Sean Brennan and Timbo Deaker, decided to remember him with a special pinot.
The result, made by Anderson’s Takapoto successor, Alex Coldicutt, is ‘The Andy Pinot Noir 2020’, which uses grapes exclusively from Gibbston’s Brennan and Matapari vineyards.
Kiwi masters of wine Cameron Douglas and Bob Campbell have rated it 95 and 94 points, respectively.
The wine’s being launched at Bespoke Kitchen at 6pm today; it’s also for sale via wineforandy.nz
Proceeds from sales will go towards the annual Andy Anderson Memorial Scholarship in viticulture and oenology at Christchurch’s Lincoln University, which will enable a student to produce a Central Otago vintage each year.
