After weeks of exhaustive elimination tasting The Fine Wine Delivery Company (FWDC) narrowed it down to the top 90 Pinot Noir from the exciting 2007 vintage and showcased these to 700 Pinot lovers over 3-weeks in a series of select tastings throughout New Zealand.

The great names of NZ Pinot were there and they lived up to their reputation but it was a quartet lesser known Pinot that claimed the coveted Regional Champion Trophy's.

Passion for Pinot - Regional Champion Pinot Noir Central Otago 2007 Vintage Drumsara - Ventifacts Block Pinot Noir 2007

Passion for Pinot - Regional Champion Pinot Noir Canterbury 2007 Vintage Omihi Road Pinot Noir 2007

Passion for Pinot - Regional Champion Pinot Noir Marlborough/Nelson 2007 Vintage Allan Scott The Hounds Pinot Noir 2007

Passion for Pinot - Regional Champion Pinot Noir Martinborough/Wairarapa 2007 Vintage Martinborough Vineyards Te Tera Pinot Noir 2007

Passion for Pinot - Overall Champion Pinot Noir 2007 Vintage Martinborough Vineyards Te Tera Pinot Noir 2007

Steve Smith Master of Wine, 'CEO of Craggy Range Winery' and last year selected in Decanter Magazines 'Top 50 Most Influential Wine People in the world' chaired the august judging panel that included Jane Skilton Master of Wine also 'Head of the NZ arm of the international WSET Wine Diploma qualification' and Alastair Maling Master of Wine and 'Chief Winemaker for The Villa Maria Group'. Passion for Pinot Chair judge Steve Smith declared the panel was unanimous in their final choice of Champion Regional and Overall Trophy winners. He agreed with FWDC proprietor Jeff Poole and his team that there was plenty to like about the 2007 vintage of New Zealand Pinot Noir particularly from the Central Otago and Martinborough/Wairarapa regions.

Smith and Poole agreed there were many exciting relative newcomers and the overall standard was higher than it has ever been reflecting the improving vine age and growing experience of our winemakers with this fickle but exciting grape variety. Poole says "FWDC have been the biggest supporter of NZ Pinot Noir since our initial sponsorship of the International Pinot Noir Conference in Wellington in 2001 and introduction of the annual FWDC same vintage Pinot Noir tasting road show six years ago. In that time the excitement factor, complexity and regional, sub regional differentiation in our Pinot Noir has been marked, it surely is destined to be our next Sauvignon Blanc in terms of export success."

The incredibly popular 'Consumers Choice Pinot Noir Awards' results will be announced live on the Sunrise Breakfast show at 8.35am Friday October 31. The Consumers Choice Regional and Overall Champions will be tasted blind alongside their Passion for Pinot counterparts by Poole and Sunrise presenters and avid wine consumers Carly Flynn and Oliver Driver. "In the final analysis we won't be critiquing the judges or consumers, it will be fun just to compare them in a blind tasting environment" said Poole.