Programme

Registration open
From 8.00am

Day 1 is all about Place – reconnection to our land, our past, our people, our tūrangawaewae (a place to stand). How place impacts who we are as New Zealanders. How we have been shaped by our ancestry, and how our connection to place underpins unique New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Plenary 1 | Reconnection to our land, Tūrangawaewae
8.30am – 10.00am
Mihi whakatau (Māori welcome) will open Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025. A celebration of our New Zealand heritage and an introduction to the intrinsic connection with our land.

Our programme will begin with exploring the theme of Place, Tūrangawaewae – a place to put one’s feet, a place to stand, a place to which one belongs. If Terroir is how a place is expressed, through grapevines, into something we can taste and feel, Tūrangawaewae is how a place informs, or defines us as people. It drives our sense of belonging and, in turn, how we relate back to that place. International speakers will discuss sense and expression of place, what this means to New Zealand, our industry, our producers, our consumers what this connection to place delivers in a glass of New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Speakers:

Master of ceremonies
Jesse Mulligan

Mihi whakatau | Celebration of our heritage, our place and our people

Welcome
Michael Henley MW, Chair Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025

New Zealand, Our Place
Dr. Hana O’Regan

A place to stand, Ōtautahi Christchurch
Ali Adams, ChristchurchNZ

Place of Pinot
Jeff Sinnott

Cultural connection to wine
Professor Marion Demossier, Social Anthropologist

Morning tea | Kai and korero (food and conversation)
10.00am – 11.00am

Plenary 2 | Our place, our Pinot
11.00am – 1.00pm
Plenary 2 opens with globally renowned kiwi voice introducing us to our place, our regions. We will then focus on expression of place and how this delivers in a glass of New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Delving further into our place, we discover the unique quality of our regions and how this influences the production of world class Pinot Noir. With talks from renowned local voices alongside our regional wine heroes we will discuss how the world sees New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Taking a regional tour of terroir, we welcome our panel of regional Pinot representatives who will introduce us to their regions unique place. Our speakers are the hands in the soil, the makers the people who craft their wines and celebrate their region.

Speakers:

Master of ceremonies
Jesse Mulligan

The Place of New Zealand Pinot Noir on the world’s stage
Eric Asimov, New York Times

What makes New Zealand Pinot Noir unique? 
Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast

Pinot Heroes: Our Pinot (Panel): how the regions have come to be and what makes these places, and their Pinot Noir, unique?

• Helen Masters, Ata Rangi, Wairarapa
• Paul Pujol, Prophet’s Rock, Central Otago
• Richelle Tyney, Greywacke, Marlborough
• Paul Donaldson, Pegasus Bay, North Canterbury

Hangi, culinary connection to place
Monique Fiso, New Zealand Chef, Writer

Lunch | Re-connection – modern style hangi
1.00pm – 2.30pm

Regional road trips | Journey 1
2.30pm – 5.30pm
Attendees will taste through selected Pinot Noirs and talk to all participating wineries about their unique Pinot Noir story. Your opportunity to take a tour of New Zealand’s unique Pinot Noir producing regions. Wineries will immerse you in their region, share their sense of place, and the care behind every drop. Presenting three of their best Pinot Noirs, the Regional Road Trips are your unique opportunity to spend quality time getting to know the winemakers and the team behind the bottle.

See the list of participating wineries

Taste of Waitaha Canterbury | Christchurch Town Hall
6.30pm – 10.30pm
Celebrating the unique and diverse food culture of Aotearoa, New Zealand. An authentic and traditional experience of manaakitanga (hospitality). With some delicious food, a stunning venue and a couple of surprises up our sleeve, prepare for a night of true local hospitality.

Registration open
From 8.30am

Day 2 is all about Care – future considerations for the heath, and livelihood of our place, Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), and what this means to our wine community and how this is woven into everything we do.

Plenary 3 | Caring for our place, Kaitiakitanga
9.00am – 10.15am
What it means to be Kaitiakitanga? Day two investigates how we relate and care for our land, as a place, and perhaps as a living entity.

We can consider guardianship as Pinot Noir winegrowers, merchants, commentators and enthusiasts. Importantly, acknowledging how the land has cared for or has provided for us. International speakers will provide insight into guarding our place for the future followed by a local panel discussion to close the morning with stories on practice of protection and conservation of our natural environment and the resources within it, on which people depend now and well into the future.

Speakers:

Master of ceremonies 
Jesse Mulligan

Guardianship “Spirit of Place”, what it means to be Kaitiakitanga
Makarini Rupene

Environment, climate, care of place
Professor Tim Flannery

Regenerative Viticulture
Dr. Jamie Goode, Writer, Judge, Author

Morning tea | Kai and korero (food and conversation)
10.15am – 11.00am

Plenary 3 continued | Caring for our place, Kaitiakitanga
11.00am – 12.30pm

Speakers:

Master of ceremonies 
Jesse Mulligan

How is New Zealand viewed, what can we learn?
Mimi Casteel, Vineyard Manager, Hopewell Wines, Oregon

Panel: Kiwi stories and case studies
Moderator: Steve Smith MW
Panel:

• Jonathan Hamlet, Craggy Range
• Nigel Greening, Felton Road
• Jim White, Cloudy Bay
• Dr. Amber Parker, Director of the Centre for Viticulture & Oenology

Lunch | Re-connection

12.30pm – 1.30pm

Regional road trips | Journey 2
1.30pm – 4.30pm
Taste around the regional rooms and discuss with the makers one-to-one, what makes their region and their Pinot Noir unique. Attendees will taste through selected Pinot Noirs and talk to all participating wineries about their unique Pinot Noir story. Your opportunity to take a tour of New Zealand’s unique Pinot Noir producing regions. Wineries will immerse you in their region, share their sense of place, and the care behind every drop. Presenting three of their best Pinot Noirs, the Regional Road Trips are your unique opportunity to spend quality time getting to know the winemakers and the team behind the bottle.

See the list of participating wineries

Evening | Free

Pinot Palooza | Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre
5.00pm – 8.00pm
Find information here >>

Registration open
From 8.30am 

Day 3 is all about The Time to Come – what’s next and ā Mua (the time to come). This day will provide a commercial lens on New Zealand Pinot Noir and the opportunities waiting on the world’s stage. This day is bookended by our two major tastings, ‘Inspiration’ and ‘Aspiration’.

Major tasting 1 | Inspiration
9.00am – 10.30am
Inspiration. Wines that exemplify the stories we have just told. Chosen by our New Zealand pioneers. A wine that inspired them then, and a New Zealand Pinot Noir that continues to inspire them now.

Moderator: Jane Skilton MW
Panel: Larry McKenna, Alan Brady, Ivan Sutherland

Morning tea | Kai and korero (food and conversation)
10.30am – 11.30am

Plenary 4 | The Time to Come, ā Mua
11.30am – 2.00pm
Linking our past, present and future, as we, as a community drive forward to deliver world-class, sustainable, and innovative Pinot Noir. A powerful final plenary session will question perceptions, look globally, and think ahead to the future. Prepare for multiple expert speakers and a multitude of topics.

Speakers: 

Master of ceremonies
Jesse Mulligan

Commercial, global perspective – where to from here?
David Allen MW

Panel: Pinot Noir perspectives
Nominated high-impact international guests present their perspectives on New Zealand Pinot Noir. What trends align, what their consumers are seeking, and opportunities to progress New Zealand Pinot Noir in their market.

Moderator: Jesse Mulligan
Panel: Stephen Wong MW; Dan Sims; Richard Hemming MW; Olly Smith; Alder Yarrow; Jacky Blisson MW; Fongyee Walker MW

What did you do Dad? Actions for the future.
Damon Gameau

Lunch | Re-connection
2.00pm – 3.00pm

Major tasting 2 | Aspiration
3.00pm – 4.30pm
Aspiration. The time to come. Flag bearers of iconic New Zealand Pinot Noir presenting a wine they are most proud of making, and another New Zealand Pinot they didn’t make but are inspired by.

Moderator: Emma Jenkins MW
Panel: Jen Parr, Valli; Nikolai St George, Cloudy Bay; Wilco Lam, Oraterra; Claire Mulholland, Burn Cottage

Formal closing 
4.45pm

Whakanui (celebration) Gala Dinner | Te Pae Christchurch
7.00pm – midnight
Finale Dinner. Quality kiwi Entertainment, local music, inspirational speakers’ delicious food… not to mention outstanding wines and of course company. An evening to celebrate all that we are and all that we will become.