Waipara regional tasting

This tasting, designed to give me an introductory overview of Waipara wines and a chance to taste wines from producers I would not be able to visit, was kindly set up by Jess Hishon of Mountford Estate, with Mountford winemaker CP Lin and cousins Ben and Theo Coles of Crater Rim on hand to answer questions and provide a running commentary – informative, entertaining, mildly competitive and only occasionally distracting. The photo above left shows the glorious view that greeted me at Mountford.

The Pinot Noirs, which were in...