Paddy Borthwick Paper Road Pinot Noir

Food, farming and wine – with over a century of experience in it the Borthwick family know a thing or two about it.

Paddy’s great-great grandfather Sir Thomas Borthwick, a butcher by trade, was a pioneer in the English meat trade. Paddy’s grandfather, PJ Borthwick, immigrated to NZ in 1936 and purchased the Te Whanga Station in the Wairarapa, some 100kms north of Wellington. To this day Te Whanga remains one of the country’s most famous cattle and sheep stations with 700 Angus stud cattle and 10,000 sheep grazing the 1600 hectares.

In 1985 Paddy decided it was time to diversify the Borthwick family business and get into the wine game! Leaving the Te Whanga Station in the capable hands of his family, Paddy headed off to Australia to earn his viticulturist and wine maker badges. In 1996 Paddy and his father established the 27 hectare Borthwick Vineyard and Winery nestled on an old stony river terrace.

This is Paddy’s 2023 Paper Road Pinot Noir. The Paper Road was a road that Paddy noticed on survey documents that was meant to be built and run right through the Borthwick Vineyard. The road was never built so instead Paddy named a Pinot after it!

The crew at PaddyB describe say this about their latest release – “This is about the purity of Pinot Noir with spicy savory and bright, juicy red florals and fruits. It is medium bodied with soft velvety tannins, a mix of tart and sweet cherry fruit with a chocolate touch to the lightly oaked finish and a spicy zestiness to the lingering aftertaste.”

Food ya say? Try pairing Paddy’s Paper Road Pinot with a nice cut of NZ beef or lamb!