Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Central Otago calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Queenstown Events Centre in Queenstown, in the heart of one of New Zealand's most distinctive wine areas. It has been running since 2001, with a long unbroken local tradition behind it.
The Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration is one of the world's most-respected Pinot Noir-focused events, running triennially since 2001 and drawing wine writers, sommeliers, Masters of Wine and Pinot specialists from around the world. The three-day programme combines structured tastings of Central Otago Pinot Noir from 30+ producers with masterclasses by international guest speakers, vertical comparisons, food-pairing dinners, and visits to the leading producers. Felton Road, Rippon, Mt Difficulty, Quartz Reef, Burn Cottage, Carrick and Two Paddocks all participate. Wine festivals across Europe typically combine producer tastings with food pairings, live music, and a strong sense of place. Visitors can expect access to wines from a range of producers in the appellation, alongside food stalls offering regional specialities, masterclasses or vineyard walks for those who want to learn more, and an opportunity to buy directly from producers at cellar prices. Many events run across multiple days or weekends, allowing visitors to sample different parts of the programme according to interest, and combine well with the area's wider tourism offer. The event is organised by Central Otago Pinot Noir Limited, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Central Otago in the southern South Island is the world's southernmost wine region (and one of the few in the southern hemisphere with a continental climate). The region is famous internationally for Pinot Noir of remarkable intensity and structure, with the dry continental climate, dramatic diurnal temperature range, and schistous soils producing wines with distinctive dark fruit, savoury earth, and clove-like spice. The four main sub-regions — Gibbston, Bannockburn, Bendigo and Wanaka/Cromwell Basin — produce subtly different Pinot Noir styles. The region also produces serious Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Producers like Felton Road, Rippon, Mt Difficulty, Quartz Reef, Two Paddocks (owned by actor Sam Neill) and Amisfield set the international quality reference.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for January 2026 (triennial). Cost details: Premium ticketing. Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at https://www.copnc.co.nz/. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date.
Central Otago is reached via Queenstown airport (ZQN), one of the world's most spectacular airports, with the Gibbston Valley wine zone just 30 minutes east of the airport. Cromwell, Bannockburn and Wanaka are the other main wine-tourism bases. Central Otago combines wine tourism with Queenstown itself (NZ's adventure-tourism capital with bungy jumping, jet boating, skiing), the Routeburn Track and Milford Sound, and the dramatic alpine landscape of Mount Aspiring National Park. Cuisine pairs the wines with Central Otago's strong stone-fruit production, the local merino lamb, and the contemporary food scene of Queenstown and Arrowtown.
