Wine: Main Divide: Pinot Noir

South Island

Main Divide

Main Divide is another label of the Donaldson family of Pegasus Bay. Main Divide, the range of mighty Alps which form the backbone of New Zealand’s picturesque South Island, are a symbol of its unique freshness, purity and vigor. In keeping with this ideal, the grapes are sourced only from selected top vineyards and growers in many of the South Island’s viticultural areas. It is produced by the same winemaking team that makes the world-class wines of Pegasus Bay. Their aim is to produce harmonious, well-integrated wines, which reflect the uniqueness and diversity of the vineyards. Emphasis is on lively fruit flavors, complexity and drinkability. Natural methods and minimal intervention from vine to bottle typify their approach. Main Divide’s philosophy encompases sustainable viticultural management, organic techniques, low crop levels, minimal handling of fruit during processing and gentle pressing. Wines go through natural malolactic fermentation and clarify by settling. The value for money ratio of these wines is perhaps the best in New Zealand.

Hand harvested fruit was manually sorted, destemmed and kept cool for several days prior to fermentation. Using traditional Burgundian techniques of small open vats and hand plunging of the cap of fermenting skins to keep them moist, the fruit is held for a short period of post-fermentation maceration prior
to the pressing. After pressing, the wine was matured in French oak barriques and allowed to go through spontaneous natural malo-lactic fermentation in the spring following harvest.

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