Athletes vie for Central Otago’s liquid gold

Athletes vie for Central Otago’s liquid gold

As if gold is not incentive enough, New Zealand’s Olympians have a second rare motivation for achieving greatness at the games.

Every Kiwi medallist in Rio is to receive a limited edition presentation of wine from Otago-based sponsor Mt Difficulty Wines.

The vineyard has produced a first-time Olympic celebration wine, Mt Difficulty Inspiration Cuvée Pinot Noir 2013, inspired by the New Zealand athletes’ dedication to excellence.

Winemaker Matt Dicey says the wine is a blend of four of Mt Difficulty’s oldest vineyards from 2013.

“It’s a very special blend from selected parcels of the highest quality from a pioneering Central Otago winery committed to hard work for success,” Dicey says. “For that reason the vintage entirely befits the achievements of the recipients in being among the best three in the world in their chosen sport.

“In tune with the original quest for gold that Central Otago is famed for, we created the Inspiration Cuvée as a tangible way of celebrating the successes of New Zealand athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”

Sales and marketing manager Fraser Mackenzie says the naming of the wine stemmed from a brainstorming session as to what Mt Difficulty was achieving with its support for the athletes.

“It is the athletes’ quest for gold that inspires us so we decided to go with the word inspiration in the name and use the NZ Olympic Committee’s hash tag #betheinspiration in our social media.”

The gift will enclose four bottles of the Mt Difficulty Inspiration Cuvée Pinot Noir 2013 together with two Riedal ‘Central Otago’ Pinot Noir glasses. For a limited time during the Olympics, bottles of the Inspiration Cuvée will also be available at duty free stores, at the cellar door and online.

About the wine
Mt Difficulty Inspiration Cuvée Pinot Noir 2013 is a selection from four vineyards, some of the oldest in the region, with the aim of allowing the characteristics of Bannockburn to shine in an exceptional vintage. It’s a low volume and distinctive wine that’s an inaugural release. The layered dark Stella cherry and black cherry notes with sweet brown spice reflect the uniqueness of the Bannockburn terroir.

About Mt Difficulty Wines
Established in 1992, Mt Difficulty Wines is home to some of Central Otago’s oldest and most revered vineyards in the famous sub-region of Bannockburn. The Mt Difficulty philosophy combines ethical viticulture with minimal intervention enabling the wine to express its personality and reflect its home. The unique microclimate of the Bannockburn area is partially created by the presence of Mount Difficulty which overlooks the southern Cromwell basin and is the namesake of the company. These factors, along with a mix of clay and gravel soils, make the area ideal for viticulture. Mt Difficulty produces a range of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling styles under the Mt Difficulty and Roaring Meg brands with the former also producing Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer styles. The company’s winery has been designed as a low energy input winery housed in insulated buildings with a barrel hall sunk below ground level to enable even more stable and lower energy inputs. Winemaker and general manager is Matt Dicey, a fourth generation vigneron. Mt Difficulty Wines is an accredited member of the Sustainable Winegrowing NZ initiative (SWNZ) and is a sponsor of the 2016 New Zealand Olympic team to Rio. Visit www.mtdifficulty.co.nz for more.

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