From the archive (April 2014): Talking with Charlie Mills of Rippon, New Zealand

Two weeks ago the JamesSuckling.com team (in the form of Senior Editor Nick Stock) was in Central Otago in New Zealand tasting hundreds of wines for our upcoming report. It's a beautiful country and has made a name for itself in recent years for stunning sauvignon blancs and fantastic pinot noirs. The team has been to New Zealand numerous times seeking out the best bottles and discovering what makes each sub-region unique. Here's James talking to Charlie Mills, vineyard manager at Rippon, five years ago.

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From 2014:

Located in Central Otago's Lake Wanaka, Rippon Vineyard is one of the most astonishing vineyard sites in the world. The winery, as you can appreciate in the video, sits right at the front of Lake Wanaka with the spectacular backdrop of the Southern Alps. One of the distinguishing features of Lake Wanaka and Central Otago in the context of New Zealand viticulture is the truly continental climate that dominates the region as a result of the mountainous isolation the region enjoys.

What this means is that in contrast to other New Zealand wine growing regions where temperatures are moderated by the influence of the sea, Central Otago's seasons tend to be more drastic; summers are warmer and drier while winters are equally dry and cold. In terms of viticulture, the region's continentality balances the hot days with cool nights, allowing for a long progressive ripening process that creates the intensity that is characteristic of the region. 

In this video, Charlie Mills, vineyard manager and part owner of Rippon, describes the definitive characteristics of the Lake Wanaka terroir in the context of Central Otago.