Dicey brothers break new ground with Pinot Noir
Unpredictable and potentially risky is one dictionary's definition of the words dicey, which is apt, say two brothers bearing this as their surname. Matt and James Dicey are the co-founders and owners of Dicey Wines, which is our winery of the month of May this year.
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James is the grape grower and Matt the caretaker of them as he makes the wines. They were born in South Africa but most of their lives have been lived in Bannockburn, Central Otago, where their parents were among the key founders of Mt Difficulty Wines.
Now, the second generation is forging its own path with the creation of Dicey Wines, which was established as a brand in 2020.
Their key focus is on Pinot Noir and sustainability but they also make a trio of off beat wines with their Chenin Blanc, Gamay and Riesling. This year they also launched Dice by Dicey, a high quality Pinot Noir packaged in a two litre bag-in-box, which reduces the resources used to package wine.
"A staggering 27% of the carbon that is emitted from the craft of wine making comes not from the farming or running of tractors and other farm machinery but rather the production of the glass bottle with a further 13% being attributed to the shipping," says Matt Dicey.
This led to their quest to find the best alternative packaging and three years into their new Dicey wine brand, they have taken the plunge.
"Until now, wine delivered in bag-in-box packaging has rightly earned the reputation of being a lower quality, cheaper wine but this doesn’t need to be the case," says Matt. “A better way to buy wine shouldn’t mean you compromise on quality because it is a fact that bag-in-box packaging is a far better proposition for the environment as it drastically reduces the carbon footprint associated with glass bottle production."
He says they will make improvements to all aspects of their packaging as the technology improves.
“The wine in the two litre Dice box has been made with the same care and focus as all Dicey wines. Grapes harvested from a combination of vineyards that are organically certified and are currently in conversion to organic certification with BioGro NZ or sustainable certification. The wine was fermented in small format open top tanks, with 16% whole bunches followed by ageing in French oak barrels with 16% new wood. It was unfined but filtered, as with all of the Dicey wines, which means it is vegan friendly.
"This is not a cheap offering of wine that is to be smashed willy-nilly. It’s the opposite. You’ll be paying for premium Pinot that you can enjoy that one lovely glass with dinner and perhaps not have another one until later that week or the next.”
Both Matt and James suggest the new Dicey Pinot Noir in the two litre bag-in-box can stay fresh when opened for three to four weeks so that buyers can take their time to savour it.
* Pop in to Regional Wines in May to taste Dicey wines and learn more