Wineries get chance to show off

 Sustainability, ageability and pricing are the hot topics as Central Otago wineries prepare to head to the national pinot noir conference next month.

Held during four days in Wellington, the conference will bring together leading pinot producers and critics from New Zealand and around the world and will be officially opened by Prime Minister John Key.

The Central Otago region has built up a reputation as one of the country's leading producers of pinot noir and winery owners are excited to show their peers just how well they are doing.

Mount Edward Wines owner Duncan Forsyth said the conference was a great opportunity to talk to some of the top wine and food media in the world and to show off his wines.

Organics and sustainability in the industry would be a hot topic, with many people interested in if it really makes a difference.

There were many wineries who boasted they were following sustainable practices but it was debatable just how committed some of them were, Mr Forsyth said.

"It's whether people are actually walking the walk (as well as) talking the talk about it," he said.

The longevity of New Zealand wines and how they aged compared to other regions in the world was also something he hoped to discuss at the conference, he said.

Grasshopper Rock owner Phil Handford said it was exciting for the new winery to be able to display its wines to an international audience and he predicted everyone would be watching to see if Central Otago's reputation was justified.

Larger wineries were discounting their product in order to move stock during the recession, which drove down prices for everyone, so that would also be discussed between growers, he said.

New Zealand winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan agreed last year had been tough for the industry.

"There's no denying it's a very tough market place so it will be interesting to see what they have to say," he said.