Don’t call it a rose. The Akitu Pinot Noir Blanc is so much more. Akitu is one of the few wine producers located in the distant North of Central Otago in the subregion of Wanaka. They only grow Pinot Noir at Akitu, but the Pinot Noir Blanc is the most refreshing and exciting wine in their line up. Picked in the middle of the night and pressed immediately to minimize skin contact and color extraction, the Akitu Pinot Noir Blanc is then made completely as a white wine. This has more in common with the non-sparkling vin-natural from Champagne than it has to do with rose, but even then its distinctive. On the palate this is full and rich. There’s slight touches of lychee, peach and red cherry–almost decadently fruit while still retaining a razor’s edge of acidity and crisp snap. It is one of the absolute best wine pairings for sushi. Rich and substantive enough to hold its own against fattier fish like tuna, its clean and pretty enough to be an excellent foil for halibut and other more delicate fish. A truly singular wine that you won’t find anywhere else.