I’m trying to teach myself a bit more about Pinot Noir. It’s not always that easy, because it’s hard to try any decent ones at budget (by which I mean, sub-£5) prices. Most wines I buy cost between £4 and £7. Only rarely do I drink wine that normally retails at £10 or above. But that’s where you’ll find the vast majority of decent Burgundy, or PNs from New Zealand or Oregon. Only from Chile can you buy PNs at £5-£6, but on their own they don’t tell you much.
It’s become one of New Zealand’s signature grapes. The other one’s Sauvignon Blanc. Now, I’ve drunk a lot of that. I can normally tell the difference between one from New Zealand and one from France, and tell you why I’ve made my decision. Not so with Pinot Noir.
Anyway, here’s one from the Wairapa region of New Zealand, available at Oddbins for £9.99. What I can tell you is that it’s got all the advertised cherry aromas, a light body but with lovely, high acidity and a long finish for what isn’t a total blockbuster of a wine. Would be excellent with Moroccan food, I’d have thought. A very nice wine, which is probably quite well priced – it’s better than my average purchase, certainly very pleasant, but it’s not mindblowing.
cellarfella.com 
New Zealand Pinot Noir is really coming along in quality. Should be interesting to see when they can really produce some killer stuff. So far the price is following the quality and there some pretty fair values.