Perhaps best known as a Grammy award-winning vocalist, Keenan is the man behind Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards in Northern Arizona, where he now lives.

Keenan says for him this visit to New Zealand, the first in a wine capacity, is as much about education as sharing his own journey. “A major drawcard for visiting Pinot Noir NZ 2017 is hearing and learning about how New Zealand winemakers use Pinot Noir to express their own individual sites, styles and persona.”

“I feel like there is a huge range of expression in New Zealand Pinot Noir, compared to Pinot Noir in other countries,” he added.

Keenan is intrigued to see how a relatively young New Zealand wine industry is able to move collectively to produce and promote a first-class, world-renowned product.

A vibrant injection into an already stellar line up, Keenan joins keynote speakers Jancis Robinson OBE MW and Ken Ohashi MW at the Pinot 2017 celebration.

Pinot Noir NZ chairman, Ben Glover, said, “Adding the artistic talents of MJK, who is initially from another expressive medium, to our event is a real point of difference and allows to really challenge our boundaries. We’re keen to explore how personal experiences add richness to the industry’s evolution, which MJK’s story of music and wine emulates.”

As the biggest event of its kind on the planet, Pinot Noir NZ 2017 runs for three days from 31 January 2017 on the Wellington waterfront. Attendees will be immersed in an aspirational and thought-provoking three-day programme, which explores and embraces New Zealand Pinot Noir, its people and its underlying sense of place.

Held every four years, 117 producers from New Zealand’s diverse Pinot Noir producing regions will come together to showcase over 300 wines, attracting some of the greatest international minds on the subject of Pinot Noir. It will provide an unparalleled insight into the New Zealand wine scene.

Registrations for Pinot Noir NZ 2017 open on 1 March 2016, and are limited. They can be booked via the website: www.pinotnz.co.nz