Kiwis' Thoughts on Cotes du Pepin White

This last weekend I had the privilege to attend a harvest party for industry members in the Nelson region of New Zealand. This was a great opportunity to show and tell wines among colleagues. I, of course, was excited to debut Villa Bellezza's 2017 Cotes du Pepin White. I specifically brought this bottle from home to get the opinion of winemakers who specialize in aromatic whites. Kiwis are pros at creating beautiful Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and more. So, I placed the Villa Bellezza bottle on the table among many others, and I waited to see who would pick it up and discover more.

It didn't take long until I heard the curiosity of a wine consultant, "Upper Mississippi River Valley, what is this?." I elbowed my way over to the gentleman to introduce myself and the bottle I brought to share. As I began describing the hybrid varietals, growing location, and style of the wine, three others stuck their glass out for a taste. The feedback started pouring in. "Beautifully perfumed" "Such intense aromas" "Wow, what a nose!" The intrigue of the wine was not surpassed by the quality behind it. These aroamtic wine professionals were thrilled to discover a new wine with the characteristics that they adore so much. A woman reached across the table and beckonded her friend, "Pour me something interesting." He responded, "You have to try this! Its like nothing you've ever had before." Before I knew it, my elevator pitch had exasperated the bottle and there was no more left to try.

The evening carried on with discussions of winemaking techniques, the harvest season thus far, and the friendly gossip of who was working at which winery this season. The sense of community was strongly apparent, and I was happy to be apart of the 2019 celebration. Even more so, I was happy to include Cotes du Pepin White with New Zealand winemakers.