Known in the wine lover's slang as '45 degrees South' - the Central Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand is a secret gem in the world of wines.
The Pinot Noir wine is widely known to wine growers and tasters as one of the most difficult and sensitive grapes to grow and harvest. With only a few places in the world that manage it well - it becomes a bit of a jewel amongst collections when you find one that is really stunning.
Though it's only a recent addition to the world wine growing regions (the COPNL - Central Otago Pinot Noir Limited - was only founded in 2003 to promote the Central Otago regional brand of wine) - it is very distinct in it's growing capabilities, and is in fact the southern most wine growing region in the world.
The local region is also known for growing some of New Zealand's best fruits - something that contributes to both the soil and the wines, and the flavours of apricots and cherries often make their way into the delicate flavour of local wines.
Made up of largely boutique wines, the area around Cromwell is an excellent place to get to stop in and try some of these new wines. At the moment you can still get an excellent local Pinot Noir for a very reasonable price (Wooing Tree winery offers some very nice Pinot for around $35NZ per bottle (about £12 per bottle) though some of their reserves do go up to $85NZ. ) though this is highly likely to change in the coming years as the wines are discovered by the larger wine community.
These wines alone make for an excellent reason to visit this stunning area in the convenient location on the main road through the South Island towards Queenstown.
For any real wine lover - this area should go high up on your list of places to visit.