Pinot Noir Celebration Australia 2023

Every two years, since 2003, the wine world meets in Australia to celebrate one of the world’s most loved and characterful varieties: Pinot Noir. After an extended interruption imposed by the pandemic, the Pinot Noir Celebration Australia is back in February 2023 for a weekend of insightful exploration and joyous discovery.

The two-day event will feature more than 150 Pinot Noir wines, from Australia and beyond, offering a unique overview of the variety’s allure, character, elegance and terroir expressiveness. It will also showcase diverse viticultural and winemaking approaches, fostering an understanding of the variety as an outstanding vehicle of time, place and personality.

Martin Spedding, Chair of Pinot Noir Celebration Australia, said the event represents the depth and breadth of thinking on Australian Pinot Noir and focuses on the innovation developing in vineyards and wineries across Australia. ‘We are thrilled to be hosting this carefully curated program, celebrating Pinot Noir from across Australia,’ Spedding said. ‘We will be looking at how producers are adapting and innovating in response to changes in our climate, technology and consumer attitudes, and implementing new sustainable practices to be better stewards of our land.’

A meeting of minds

A program of talks, presentations and conferences, hosted by renowned wine writer and author Max Allen, will explore these themes in depth, bringing in research and perspectives from around the world.

One of the headline sessions will be ‘Challenging our Philosophy’ presented by Allen with contributions from Carolyn Miller, advertising expert and ABC’s Gruen show regular, and Elaine Chukan Brown, renowned philosopher, wine writer and Unangan-Sugpiaq and Inupiaq woman from Alaska. This opening session will reflect on the philosophical values of Pinot Noir and on what drives cultural adventures through wine.

Overall, the program will focus heavily on climatology and sustainability, exploring the relationship of wine with the natural environment and the challenges, present and future, faced by viticulturalists and winegrowers the world over. Chukan Brown will also curate a special segment dedicated to indigenous perspectives of place and custodianship.

Discovery and celebration

Alongside this intense and insightful plunge into the most topical issues around Pinot Noir cultivation, vinification and appreciation, the Pinot Noir Celebration Australia will, staying true to its name, offer multiple opportunities to enjoy the many wines on show and network with fellow attendees. The event’s two dinners, on Friday and Saturday, will be the highlights of this gathering that celebrates, above all, the joy of sharing wine.

‘The weekend includes a healthy dose of celebration, as we taste through a stunning line-up of Pinot Noir wine, each with their own stories to tell,” said Spedding.

---