‘Big Splash, Small Puddle – Twelve Wines.’ One Remarkable Vintage. Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2024. Wairarapa Wine Region has unveiled the first of its inaugural Wairarapa Wine Pinot Noir Selection, a curated case of twelve Pinot Noir wines from the exceptional 2024 vintage, showcasing the diversity, character and quality of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated Pinot Noir-producing regions.
In an initiative designed to share what Wairarapa does best with wine media and trade audiences, New Zealand wine writer and Master of Wine Stephen Wong and Australian wine writer Mike Bennie travelled to Wairarapa to taste Pinot Noir submissions from across the region. Supported by a wider panel including winemaker Haidee Johnson and New Zealand wine legend Larry McKenna, the wines underwent an independent blind tasting process before the final twelve were selected.
The resulting collection offers more than a snapshot of an outstanding vintage. Together, the wines provide a window into the Wairarapa’s landscapes, seasons and people, reflecting the distinctive sites, thoughtful farming and diverse wine-making approaches that define the region today.
Wairarapa has earned an international reputation for Pinot Noir. Characterized by small, often family-owned vineyards and hands-on farming, the region’s wines are deeply connected to place and shaped by a cool, dry climate, long growing seasons and significant diurnal shifts.
The 2024 vintage will be remembered as one of clarity and composure. Following a settled winter and favourable growing conditions, warm days and cool nights allowed for slow, even ripening. Fruit arrived at wineries in excellent condition, with balanced sugars, natural acidity and exceptional phenolic ripeness.
Ata Rangi Chief Winemaker Helen Masters describes 2024 as the finest vintage she has experienced in her twenty-two years of winemaking in the region.
Stephen Wong MW said the selection captures both the enduring strengths of Wairarapa and its continuing evolution.
“The final selection captures both the classic, old-vine expressions amplified in the 2024 vintage and the more nuanced site-driven wines that reflect the breadth of winemaking approaches practised in Wairarapa today.”
For Wairarapa Wine Region, the Pinot Noir Selection represents a celebration of a remarkable season and a collective expression of the region’s identity: a place where small scale, careful stewardship and a deep connection to land continue to produce wines of distinctive character and global significance.
Wairarapa Wine Pinot Noir Selection 2024
Left to Right: Urlar, Pinot Noir – Cambridge Road, Pinot Noir – Kusuda, Pinot Noir – Ata Rangi Pinot Noir – Oraterra, Pinot Noir – Huntress, ‘Pawero’ Pinot Noir
Left to Right: Mason, ‘Hidden Vineyard’ Pinot Noir – Moy Hall, ‘Dunrobin’ Pinot Noir – Martinborough Vineyard, ‘Home Block’ Pinot Noir, Palliser Estate, ‘Hua Nui’ Pinot Noir – Craggy Range, ‘Aroha’ Pinot Noir – The Elder, ‘Aburn’ Pinot Noir
About Wairarapa Wine Region:
Wairarapa Wine Region is the trading name of The Wairarapa Wine Growers Association Incorporated.
We represent the interests of grape growers and wineries in the Wairarapa, which produces approximately 1% of New Zealand’s wine.
Our purpose is to proudly stand up for and build the reputation and integrity of Wairarapa Wine Region.