Pinot Central: A Winemaker's Story

Penguin, 2010.

When Alan Brady planted his experimental vineyard on a few dusty acres in Gibbston, Central Otago, leading experts warned that the region was too cold to sustain a viable wine industry. Brady, an Irish born journalist with no experience of winemaking, doggedly persisted with his experiment. Ten years later, his Gibbston Valley Wines was attracting international attention and winning numerous awards for its Pinot Noir. Brady had proved the sceptics wrong. Today Central Otago Pinot Noir is recognised as some of the finest in the world. This is the story of New Zealand's most spectacular wine region told with wit and honesty by one of its seminal pioneers. It's a story of Kiwi ingenuity and Irish obstinacy and the magic spell of a landscape like no other. Alan Brady captures the optimism and determination of the early winegrowers as well as their passion for a grape variety that, while unpredictable and elusive, ultimately seduces all who fall under its thrall.