2022 Kusuda Wines, Riesling, Martinborough, New Zealand

Riesling's twin peaks are its intense perfume and its piercing crisp acidity which it manages to retain even at high ripeness levels.

Close to the southern tip of North Island, some top-class, aromatic Pinot Noir is being made in the town of Martinborough, with the best rivalling good Burgundy. Just as Cloudy Bay launched a hundred wineries in Marlborough, so Dry River Wines and Ata Rangi provided the spark that lit up Martinborough. Economically the region is suited to Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Tokyo-born Hiroyuki (known as Hiro) Kusuda trained as a lawyer and worked for Fujitsu, then the Consulate General of Japan in Sydney before throwing it all up to pursue his other love, wine and winemaking. He went to Germany, learned the language, enrolled at Geisenheim and then emigrated to New Zealand to pursue both the Riesling and Pinot grapes – to which a third challenge, Syrah, has now been added. The choice of New Zealand in general and Martinborough in particular apparently came about through tasting the 1992 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir. Obviously the main market for Kusuda is Japan, where they have developed a cult following, and indeed whence comes the volunteer labour force at harvest time when every grape is rigorously checked before making the cut. Hiro Kusuda is meticulous to an almost fanatical degree, but it explains the exceptional quality and amazing precision of his wines. The Kusuda Pinot Noir was one of the standout wines at the 2013 Pinot Noir Celebration in Wellington, NZ.