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.... so by now, you've seen the film Sideways, tasted Pinot Noir, and count yourself as one of the varietal's many fans. Yet do you like Pinot Noir from around the world, or just certain locations? Have you taught yourself to tell the difference between a Pinot from New Zealand and Burgundy?

The folks at Craggy Range in New Zealand put several wine journalists to the challenge recently by creating a blind tasting of twelve Pinot Noir wines from California, Oregon, Burgundy, and New Zealand. Guests were given time to write tasting notes on each wine, rate them from one to twelve, and guess its origin. Among the many familiar faces were writers such as Howard Goldberg of Decanter and the New York Times, and Andrew Dorenberg, who with his wife Karen Page is the author of many award winning books on food and wine.

Speaking for myself, I could tell the difference between the "new world" wines and the "old world" wines, yet the youthful 2007/2006 vintage meant that the Burgundies weren't showing as well as they would in a decade's time. I also discovered that from a pure sensory point of view, I really instinctively liked the what turned out to be the New Zealand wines, all from Craggy Range individual vineyards (Te Muna, Zebra, Aroha, Calvert, and Sluicings). These wines range from $39 to $85, and reflect the individual soil, as well as the percentage of new French Oak they are aged in. To my palate, they were lighter and fresher than the Burgundies and the Oregon producers, and had a signature ripeness of red berry fruit I associate with New Zealand.

At my table for lunch was winemaker Rod Easthope, who is passionate about Pinot Noir and all the other wines they make. from this vineyard. The property looks gorgeous - if you go to http://www.craggyrange.com you will see the famed mist near the mountains, and can even arrange to stay on property and taste through the wines.

Yes, it takes time, but it is possible to train your palate to detect the subtle differences between new and old world PNs first, and then differentiate between California and Oregon and New Zealand. A very dramatic effort on behalf of Craggy Range which underscored that the time is right for those who love Pinot to try quality wine from New Zealand as opposed from considering Burgundy the benchmark of good wine.

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