Pinot Noir Soils Webinar

During this session, we delve into the different regions that excel in growing Pinot Noir, and how their individual soil types help define their wines. Led by moderator Cameron Douglas MS, a panel of some of our fantastic New Zealand wine voices discuss what makes New Zealand Pinot Noir so unique. Join us to explore how the diverse range of New Zealand soils, along with the caretakers of the land, produce such high-quality sustainable wines. We get a bit geeky and specific in this session! 

Wines will not be tasted during the session but we encourage you to join the conversation with your own selection of New Zealand Pinot Noirs.  

Cameron Douglas MS

New Zealand's only and Oceania's very first Master Sommelier, Cameron writes, reviews, judges, presents and waxes lyrical about wine (most especially fine New Zealand wine). He works with restaurants in New Zealand, writes for four magazines, judges in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, USA and Asia, and lectures full-time in wine and beverage at AUT University. When it's not wine, it's in the kitchen, cooking up fabulous dishes to pair, mixing cocktails (or at the gym working it all off...)

Helen Masters
Ata Rangi

Helen Masters has been in charge of production at Ata Rangi for over 17 years.
As well as crafting fine wines of consistent international acclaim, she is actively involved in the continual pursuit of excellence in the vineyards, as well as driving Ata Rangi’s environmental management systems and organic certification. Helen also supports the wine community locally and nationally as a member of the region’s Winegrowers body, a past board member of Pinot Noir 2017 and co-chair of Pinot Noir 2022.

Dom Maxwell
Greystone/Grey’s Peak

Dom Maxwell has been the winemaker at Greystone wines, in Waipara, North Canterbury since inception and Muddy Water from 2011. Dom is known in the industry for consistently crafting wines of a high standard across a range of cool climate varieties, often with innovative approaches. Greystone wines has won numerous awards domestically and internationally under Dom’s approach. His experience has been moulded by time working in Oregon, Rheingau and Burgundy – helping to form the basis of a gentle winemaking approach. Dom has twice been awarded New Zealand Winemaker of the year – 2011 by Winestate and 2018 by Gourmet Traveller Wine.

Natalie Christensen
Yealands

Natalie Christensen, named by The Drinks Business as one of the World’s Most Influential Women in Wine in 2018, is a gifted winemaker with well over a decade of winemaking experience under her ever-colourful belt. Natalie became part of the fulltime Yealands winemaking team in 2015 having already worked for other notable New Zealand wineries Saint Clair Family Estate and Matahiwi Estate. Prior to joining Yealands, she was Winemaker at La Cana in Rias Baixas, Spain making albariño for the Jorge Ordonez group. She became Yealands’ Chief Winemaker at the end of 2018.

Jen Parr
Valli Wines

An Oregon native and graduate of Stanford University, Jen adds a depth of international winemaking experience including in the USA, France, South Africa and Australia. She has completed 17 harvests in NZ and has completed 30 vintages overall.

No longer tempted by winemaking jobs further afield, Jen knows that her heart is here in Central Otago and she is fulfilled and inspired by working with the legend, Grant Taylor, to help craft what she believes to be New Zealand’s most exciting Pinot Noirs: Valli.