It’s not just a celebration of Pinot Noir, this is nation against nation to see who is making the world’s best Pinot Noir. Now in it’s second year the Pinot Smackdown is a concept brought about by Ed Thralls from Wine Tonite in the USA and has evolved to become a global event. More information on http://pinotsmackdown.eventbrite.com/
Did you know Australia had some of the world’s oldest Pinot Noir Vines so it’s an ideal opportunity to get into this smackdown and vote for your favourite Australian Pinot Noir producers. There’s some great examples of Pinot coming out of many Australian Wine regions:Geelong, Adelaide Hills, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania, the Yarra Valley, just to name a few – or for our New Zealand friends, why not get some Central Otago or Marlborough Pinot out and join in the fun. International distributors selling Pinot in Australia are also welcome to submit samples to the tastings and get involved so we can see a true comparison of styles across the world.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
Like all good tweet ups there will be a virtual tasting from 7.30-9pm AEST on 18th August where we’re encouraging people to open some Pinot Noir and taste along with #pinotsmackdown. Send out your tweets with the hashtag as well as the country of origin of the wine and these will be assessed on a global scale.
Key regional tags include:
- #AU – Australia
- #NZ – New Zealand
- #OR – Oregon
- #CA – California
- #WA – Washington
- #NY – New York
- #FR – France
- #IT – Italy
- #DE – Germany (Deutchland)
- #EU – Europe, beyond France, Germany, Italy
- #CN – Canada
- #CH – Chile
- #AR – Argentina
- #SA – South Africa
- #WD – World, as in none previously listed
For example, if you are drinking a Pinot from the Yarra Valley, simply tag the end of your tweets with: #PinotSmackdown #AU. Given how many regions globally are producing great Pinot, we’re keeping it top level but keen to also hear favourites from within Australia.
Within Australia, there are also a number of venues hosting events where you can go along and sample some of our finest Pinot Noir.
Sydney
Where: Coast Roof Top Bar and Restaurant
The Roof Terrace, Cockle Bay Wharf,
Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW 2000
Time: 4- 6.00pm
Wine Dinner will also be held following the tasting – $60 per person – spots limited. Bookings via reservations@coastrestaurant.com.au or (02) 9267 6700 (contact Johnny)
Adelaide
Samples being sent to The Qwoff Boys – see labels below
Brisbane – Organised by The Wine Punter – see details
Wine Experience
150 Baroona Rd,
Rosalie, Brisbane
When: 5pm kick off
Canberra
Lark Hill Winery
Cnr Joe Rocks and Bungendore Road
Bungendore NSW 2621
When – 4-6.00pm
Melbourne
The Botanical
168 Domain Road, South Yarra
5.00pm -8.00pm
$15 per head (with $10 per head going directly to Treasure Chest Charity)
RSVP 03 86444040 or events@winestyleonline.com.au
More information visit the Wine Style Online Website
Tasmania
Bring bottle of Pinot Noir and a glass
From 6pm
WINERIES WANTING TO PARTICIPATE?
We’d love to see as many Australian wineries involved as possible. It’s easy to submit samples by using the Pinot-Smackdown-Address-Labels-11Aug and getting your wines out to venues. Help us spread the word to your own consumers so the Southern Hempishere gets to know this event and also participates! Other things you can do to get involved:
- Spread the word – we’re relying on you to help build momentum. This is a community initiative to spread the word about great Australian/ NZ Pinot Noir so success relies on how well we can leverage and co-promote
- Involve your database – it’s not just those in the wine industry who love Pinot – tell your staff, customers, and
- Raid the Cellar and Open Pinot on 18 August and get involved from home.
Hope you’ll get involved and celebrate some of the fine Pinot Noir being produced. Any questions, please let me know below. I’ll update this blog post and the address labels as more venues come on board.
