Paddons Paddock
Estate Pinot Gris 2019 750ml

The wine: A fairly modern New Zealand wine, having only been introduced in the 1990s, it’s now our third most popular white wine. The Paddons Paddock Pinot Gris has lime, quince and melon aromatics, giving a warm textural mouthfeel, showing vibrancy, depth and an off-dry finish.

The story: Our Pinot Gris is the favourite wine of owner Chris’ son, Hayden Paddon. Hayden is New Zealand’s most successful rally driver both nationally and internationally, with more than 40 WRC stage victories. He was the first person in the Southern Hemisphere to ever win a world rally championship and is a 5-time New Zealand Rally Champion. Of course, he learned everything from his dad - Chris won the 1999 Mainland Series (South Island) 2WD and 1600cc Championship, and built Hayden his first go-kart when he was six years old! It took a long time for us to choose a name for our family vineyard, but Paddons Paddock won out. When we bought the place in 2013, it was just empty land with a house and paddocks.

The winemaker: Our Pinot Gris is produced by legendary winemaker Dean Shaw. Dean has been making wine with grapes from more than a dozen different vineyards for 18 years, which probably makes him one of the most experienced winemakers in the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes areas. He started his education in New Zealand before traveling to France where he studied winemaking in Burgundy, Austria and South Africa, and has worked on a number of Central Otago and Queenstown wineries.

The ideal pairing: Our Pinot Gris is well-suited to creamy pastas, poultry and seafood.