July 1, 2025
At Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 earlier this year, Steve moderated a panel named "Caring for our place, Kaitiakitanga – Kiwi stories and case studies" which sparked much-needed discussions about moving beyond sustainability to truly regenerative practices.
In this issue of Pleasure ▪ Culture ▪ Craft, we've shared his panel introduction, that asks us – as wine industry professionals, growers, makers and sellers – to consider what we can do to design businesses that rejuvenate our environment and sustain our communities. What does a vision of New Zealand Pinot Noir as "a Direct Path to the Wonders of Nature" look like?
One of the panel's most compelling voices was Nigel Greening from Felton Road, whose presentation was recently published on Jamie Goode's wine blog and is also shared here.
This month brings exciting recognition with Master of Wine Bob Campbell featuring our Chardonnay project in Kia Ora Magazine, Steve's wide-ranging conversation with Ed Merrison for the Vininspo! podcast, and Nick Ryan's feature in The Weekend Australian Magazine on the Smith & Sheth wines that triumphed over Cyclone Gabrielle and Pyramid Valley's Earth Smoke which prevailed over a late spring frost in Waikari. As Nick beautifully observes: "Every wine that reaches your glass has stared down fickle fate to get there. Every wine is its own little miracle. Some are more miraculous than others."
We also share a slew of great reviews from these features plus the latest from Christina Pickard for Wine Enthusiast. Click here for the full issue.
Steve Smith MW Natalie Grace
Editor at Large Chief Editor