Burgundy in France is indeed the spiritual home of both chardonnay and pinot noir, but in both Australia and New Zealand these varieties have created a very firm footprint of high quality in a relatively short period of time.
Chardonnay is the fifth most planted wine grape variety in the world and it is Australia’s most planted white variety and New Zealand’s second most planted white.
Planting of chardonnay in Australia started to take off in the 1980s as it did in New Zealand, where it was replacing hybrid varieties in the vineyard, such as müller-thurgau.
In New Zealand, pinot noir is the number one planted red and in Australia, the fourth largest red-grape planting, accounting for just 3% of the total national crush.
In 1979 in Australia, there was around 1,000 tonnes of chardonnay harvested, by 2008 it hit a peak of 428,000 tonnes and the annual intake now sits at around 360,000 tonnes.
Pinot noir is the ninth most planted variety globally. In New Zealand it is the number one planted red and in Australia, the fourth largest red-grape planting, accounting for just 3% of the total national crush.
So, chardonnay and pinot noir really have sprouted wings (and roots, canes and tendrils) and established themselves well and truly beyond Burgundy.
Bistro Moncur was the setting to highlight the world class quality of chardonnay and pinot noir from Australia and New Zealand. We were delighted that Rudi Bauer from
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
