Puckleworth Pugilist Pinot Noir

Puckleworth Pugilist Pinot Noir

The 2023 Puckleworth Pugilist Pinot Noir is a boutique New Zealand Pinot Noir made from Marlborough-grown fruit.

This classic Marlborough Pinot Noir is all about purity and drinkability. Elegant and aromatic, with bright cherry, plum and raspberry fruit, layered with dried herbs, spice, subtle oak and fine savoury complexity. Medium-bodied, silky, fresh and polished on the palate with fresh, appetising, acidity and a long, refined finish. A fine red wine with both immediate charm and serious structure.

What's the story behind the label?

Ah, it's a bit of a long one. Here we go...

I am a big Stephen Fry fan. The man is a genius. I first came across him when I was a child watching A Bit of Fry & Laurie.

When I got into P.G. Wodehouse, I soon discovered there was a TV series based on the Jeeves stories called Jeeves and Wooster. Well worth a watch. Jeeves was, of course, played by Fry, and Wooster by Laurie. Then, of course, there was Blackadder, and QI was another personal favourite from Fry’s long list of credits.

A Marlborough Pinot Noir with a slightly mistaken name

I ended up reading Stephen Fry’s memoirs. The young Fry, it turns out, went a bit off the rails in his late teens and found himself in prison — Pucklechurch Prison, to be exact.

Something about the name tickled me. Years later, when some delicious Marlborough Pinot Noir grapes came my way, I thought the name of the prison Stephen Fry went to could be the perfect moniker for the final wine.

What was it called again? Puckle-something ... Puckleworth, that’s it!

The Puckleworth Pugilist label

When designing the label, I decided on this retro image of two bare-knuckle boxers because, firstly, I liked the image and, secondly, I liked the name: Puckleworth Pugilist Pinot Noir.

It wasn’t until the wine was bottled and labelled that I told the story behind the name to a fellow Stephen Fry fan.

“I thought he went to Pucklechurch Prison?” was their response.

“Bugger!” was mine.