Pyramid Valley Orange 2023
£27.45
The wine
A slightly hazy orange hue with a lifted, complex nose of spices and florals, almost Campari-like. An explosion of flavour hits with Christmas spices and orange rind, while soft, fine tannins coat the mouth leaving a savoury and moreish finish. A great match with aromatic dishes.
An orange wine, made by fermenting white grapes on their skins as though they were red, which draws out colour, texture and a gentle tannic grip. Pinot Gris leads, with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Pinot Noir. The method is among the oldest in winemaking, and biodynamic farming with native yeasts suits it particularly well.
The producer
Pyramid Valley
View all Pyramid Valley winesMike and Claudia Elze Weersing spent fifteen years looking for the right piece of land before buying this one at Waikari in North Canterbury in 2000. What drew them was limestone, which is rare in New Zealand and which they were convinced was essential for the wines they wanted to make.
The farm sits at altitude in a cool, dry inland valley, and the soils are clay over limestone. Both matter: clay holds water through a dry summer and restrains vigour, limestone gives the drainage and the mineral character. Farming is biodynamic, and the four home blocks, Angel Flower, Earth Smoke, Lion's Tooth and Field of Fire, are named after plants growing among the vines rather than after the family or the view.
Each block is farmed, fermented and bottled separately, which at this scale is an act of conviction rather than commerce. The wines have become some of the most sought-after in New Zealand, and the estate also draws on Central Otago fruit for the Snake's Tongue bottling.
