The sold-out event includes a line-up of thirty speakers from Japan, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, who are tasked with sparking thought-provoking discussions among 600 Pinot Noir lovers from 20 different countries.

Spearheading the line-up are the world’s most influential wine writer Jancis Robinson OBE, MW, the world’s only Master of Wine and Sake Ken Ohashi, and Tool frontman and winery owner Maynard James Keenan.

The event will champion diverse communicators and innovative thought. Wine writer and sonic artist Jo Burzynska will consider how wine can be enjoyed in a multi-sensory environment; renowned American writer Elaine Chukan Brown will explore the overall concept of future communication, and award-winning Australian Andrea Frost will discuss new styles of engagement and communication with wine lovers.

These global wine gurus will be accompanied by a strong kiwi contingent to tell the New Zealand Pinot Noir story to the world. National treasures include New Zealander of the Year, Dame Anne Salmond, awarded for her contribution to New Zealand cultural history, and Rachel Taulelei, CEO of Kono NZ, one of the New Zealand’s food industry champions. Together they will talk about what binds us to our land and our connection to it over time.

Joining them will be four New Zealand Masters of Wine; Jane Skilton, Emma Jenkins and Michael Brajkovich, along with New Zealand’s newest MW, Stephen Wong.

The event will be peppered with NZ’s own great Pinot Noir creators, including Larry McKenna, Blair Walter and winemaker/actor Sam Neill. They will evoke a homegrown yet international perspective of New Zealand’s place in the world of wine, through the eyes of the Pinot Noir grape.

Pinot Noir NZ is held every four years, and will take place on the Wellington waterfront from 31 January to 2 February. The organisers say that it has fast become one of the best Pinot Noir events on the planet, showcasing 115 wineries, with over 600 wines to 600 visionaries, industry leaders, influencers and pure lovers of Pinot Noir.