I have the privilege of introducing you to a special wine - the Levi Pinot Noir 2022 – just in time for the festive season.

I am often asked if I have a “favourite” when I show our Gibbston, Bannockburn, Bendigo and Waitaki Pinots together. I always say emphatically “no!” The questioner usually stares at me quizzically and doesn’t seem to believe me.

Whilst it’s true one might sing out to me more soulfully at any given time, I am fond of them all in different ways.

However, as I prepared to write this newsletter, I realised I actually do have a favourite and it is the series of Valli dog charity wines.We started this wine in vintage 2019 as a one-off tribute to my beloved Missy, and it has since grown into a special annual release. Each new vintage has a different canine on the label as depicted by the talented NZ artist, Charles Hannah.

In the winery, these limited edition wines offer the opportunity to experiment in order to create something special to complement our flagship wines. There is tremendous feel-good factor as we proudly donate proceeds to local charities that are doing great work.

Levi Pinot Noir 2022, from a special vineyard in Mt Pisa, is the forth in our series of charity wines. The new vintage celebrates the accomplishments of Levi, NZ’s first bowel cancer medical detection dog. Proceeds of every bottle purchased will go towards K9 Medical Detection – an Otago charity whose focus is training dogs for the early detection of bowel, prostate and ovarian cancer.

Like its namesake, this wine is bold and generous but also amiable and full of joy. By purchasing a bottle of Levi, you are helping K9 Medical Detection and their highly trained dogs do ground-breaking work that can help save human lives. In addition, you also get to enjoy a pretty special Pinot, or perhaps the joy in gifting it to others. It is drinking beautifully now but will also be a great edition to the cellar.

Thank you for being a part of this special initiative. We couldn’t do it without your support.