I’m in Waipara as a guest of North Canterbury Wine Growers who have asked me to host a Masterclass for invited international and local guests. We’ll be exploring the relationship between soil, site and vine through the lens of chardonnay and pinot noir.

Nicholas Brown (Black Estate) spent this afternoon driving me around the region so I could see at first hand the amazingly varied landscape. We started out in 33C temperatures and blazing sun but by the time we returned a few hours later, a fierce storm had dropped the temperature to 20C and winds were gusting 105km/h. Let’s hope for calmer conditions tomorrow.