Alexandra is the most southerly sub-region of Otago which itself is the most southerly region on New Zealand’s south island. The first vineyards were planted here in 1864 by John Desire Feraud, a Frenchman who arrived during the Dunstan gold rush of 1862, and whose stone winery still stands. He planted the first wine grapes in Central Otago in 1864. The landscape is schistous. The climate is dry and runs to extremes in both summer and winter. The marked daily climatic variations right up to harvest give vividly varietal, aromatic, finely structured wines.

Bibliography

Wines of New Zealand.