Our Wine Style

The overriding style is minimalist - allowing the fruit and terroir to speak for themselves. Any newcomer to Martinborough plants Pinot Noir. That special combination of soil, sun, temperature and management - terroir - demands Pinot. Clonal complexity is also an important ingredient so no less than seven clones go into each bottle of Pizzicato Pinot Noir. With the vines now over 25 years old, the simpler fruitiness of earlier vintages has been replaced by the more subtle character of true Burgundies.

Riesling, that neglected classical variety - versatile enough to produce styles ranging from bone dry to “sticky”- was considered a more attractive candidate than the ubiquitous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We like to consider ourselves specialists in Riesling, primarily because the style goes so well with food. At Coney we make three Rieslings - the dry Rallentando which goes with fish and chicken and is designed to age gracefully for up to 10 years. The Ritz, sprtitzy and refreshing - ideal for weddings as an aperitif or with spicier foods and the off-dry Ragtime for Asian food and sagacious sipping. For those with self-discipline, 5 - 10 years cellaring is recommended and will be rewarded with that elusive whiff of kerosine that characterises lovely dry Rieslings. Other vinous gems available include a Rose, Pinot Gris and Syrah. Their names are equally mellifluous - Ramblin’ Rose, Piccolo Pinot Gris and the inimitable Que Sera Syrah.