Pinot Noir Programme

The Pinot Noir programme is a multi-year research programme with the objective of breaking the yield-quality seesaw associated with Pinot Noir production. This programme aimed to help diversify the New Zealand wine industry by focusing on the production of its second-largest varietal, growing returns through tools to enable high-quality Pinot Noir production at higher yields.

The programme began in 2017 and ran to September 2022. BRI is now planning extension activities over the next three years to communicate our learnings on defining quality, management practices for reaching desired quality parameters and breaking the yield/quality seesaw.

Research Areas

The Pinot Noir research programme had 3 objectives:

• Identify what consumers/experts consider to be sensorial quality descriptors in NZ Pinot noir

• Identify chemical markers associated with those descriptors

• Identify what viticultural/oenological practices are responsible for bringing about said chemical markers

Funding and Research Providers

The Pinot Noir Programme was led by Bragato Research Institute and co-funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) through its Endeavour Programme. The Endeavour Funds are for long-term, scientific excellence-derived research programmes and are aimed at increasing the competitiveness of New Zealand industries.

The main research providers were Plant & Food Research, the University of Auckland, and Lincoln University. Other collaborations included Wine Intelligence and Hills Laboratories.