Pinot Picnic returning to the Lower South West in April for second year

The Lower South West is set to become a wine lover’s paradise in April with wineries gearing up to showcase the region’s finest premium pinot noir and produce. The three-day celebration of the Southern Forests’ most versatile and well-loved grape variety will commence on April 28 with several satellite events across Manjimup and Pemberton, including sparkling soirees, tasting masterclasses, vineyard experiences, wine-matching brunches, lunches and dinners. The weekend-long celebration will kick-off at Mountford Wines with the Paddle Around The World With Organic Pinot event — a taste tour of pinot history including old and new world wines — and will close with Woodgate Wines’ The Colour Of Pinot, an afternoon of wine, nibbles and guided art-making. Event ambassador Andrew Mountford said the event was an incredible opportunity to showcase what the Lower South West had to offer. “It’s very important for our region because it does differentiate us from the other regions around Western Australia,” he said. “There aren’t many that are doing pinot noir as predominately as we are. “All the pinot producers that are in the region, in one form or another, are doing their own thing, kind of like a moving feast ... you can go from one thing to another and enjoy it the whole weekend. “It really showcases our region.” The owner of Mountford Wines said he had been making wine in the region for more than 35 years and was pleased to see the area attaching itself to a great variety like pinot noir. “It’s great to see so many wineries and other businesses getting behind it,” he said. “When I researched the South West to find out what to get into, what to plant, the local agricultural department had done a lot of the research and even then pinot stood out as a really good grape for this region. “In fact I got most of my clones that I have got from them and most of the people in this region did.” Mr Mountford, who is also president of The Southern Forests Wine Regions, said pinot noir was an incredibly versatile grape. “Pinot grows really well in this region and it’s got many facets to it,” he said. “You can make — as we are and I know a few around the region are right at this moment — sparkling wine styles with it. It’s also really good for making great rose as well and for producing a Burgundian style of pinot, your heavier red wine that is well-known around the area.” The Southern Forests region is an emerging wine region leading pinot production in WA and is known for quality, expressive wines which develop as a result of the combinated of southern latitude with high altitude and a relatively cool climate. “A lot of the fruit from this region goes to Margaret River, especially pinot ... they know this region is great for producing pinot for sparkling wine,” Mr Mountford said. “Pinot has become very popular with people. “It’s becoming more and more popular as time goes by as people are trying to get away from the really heavy red wines that you find and into a lighter, more complex style of red wine.”