New Zealand Pinot Noir

Peregrine Wines of New Zealand: Awards-Winning Wines, Architecture, Philanthropy

What is this? And where is it?

Actually, it is not a secret defense weapon in the US Air Force arsenal, but upon approaching it, it does look numinous and otherworldly. It is actually the Peregrine Winery, situated in Gibbstown, New Zealand, on the famous Central Otago Wine Road, a road that takes the oenophile 20 minutes outside Queenstown, NZ on a great tasting trip, beginning with Peregrine.

Before discussing the wine, it is important to mention this architecture's many awards, the most recent being the
New Zealand Supreme Architectural Award. Judges from UK magazine The Architectural Review like it too, placing it, in 2004, in the top five of its annual emerging architecture awards. The jury described the Winery as "an elegant blade of light [that] contrasts with the rugged and sublime natural landscape. But Chris Kelly, the architect, described the building in a more avian manner: "It was recognized early on that the building would be important in reinforcing the Peregrine wine brand, so the changing roof gradient was inspired by old images freezing the kinetic rotation of a bird in flight. The roof is evocative of the majesty the Peregrine or native falcon has as it glides on the thermal uplifts off the heated land." However it is interpreted, it is also on DesignCrave's 2009 list of the Ten Architectural Wonders Of The Wine World, for among other things, its inventive handling of space and light.

Tags: Chris Kelly Architect, New Zealand Peregrine Winery Pinot Noir, New Zealand Pinot Noir, New Zealand wines, Peregrine Winery, Peregrine Winery awards winning architecture, Peregrine Wines, Philanthropy Peregrine Winery, Wingspan