Because many of the growers are small, they tend not to be widely known, but there are many interesting wines to discover.
As always, there were too many wines to taste everything, so this time I concentrated on pinot noir from different locations to see if I could recognise similarities among neighbouring vineyards.
Wines from the Alexandra basin tend to have an underlying minerality compared with those from other Central Otago regions, but it's by no means an exact science, especially as some winemakers tend to impose certain characters on some of the wines rather than letting the fruit express the site, as some of the more sensitive winemakers aim to do.
One area that seems to have a specific character is the plateau along Hillview Rd along from the Alexandra airstrip.
It's higher than many of the other vineyards in the basin, and more exposed.
According to geologist Mark Hesson of Leaning Rock, the oldest vineyard on this hill, the plateau is made up of old glacial outwash gravels and weathered windblown soils with low fertility but some caliche lime.
Besides Leaning Rock, Drumsara, Aravin and 8 Ranges have vineyards on the hill, with Hawkdun Rise and Greylands Ridge close by in Letts Gully.
The wines seemed to have a common characteristic: floral aromas, red fruits, underlying minerality, delicacy, intensity and charm with crisp finishes.
One or two of the producers had older vintages to compare.
It seems the pinot noirs from this area need time to come together, and can develop for several years, as Leaning Rock's charming, floral pinot noir 2002 showed.
Another area that seems to produce wine with a particular characteristic is Earnscleugh Rd, between Alexandra and Conroy's Rd.
The slopes face north across the Clutha River and are among some of the warmest sites in the region.
Here the main vineyards are Grasshopper Rock, Dry Gully, Rock and Pillar and Two Paddocks' Last Chance, with smaller vineyards Como Villa and Kenley.
The wines from these vineyards I tried tended to have lush, rich, mouth-filling fruit but still with the minerality characteristic of the Alexandra basin.
Annie Winmill, of Dry Gully, had some older pinots to taste which were harmonious and mellowed.
The 2003 was a standout for its intensity, savoury mineral undertones, still lush fruit and long finish.
Several new labels made their debut at this event.
Two were vineyards from the defunct McArthur Ridge development: Schist Hills had a floral, dusty pinot noir and Hilock a fragrant, spicy one.
The Weaver family were showing the first wine from their vineyard near Clyde, a fragrant, darkly flavoured 2009 pinot noir.
One of the most interesting wines at the event was Judge Rock's new St Laurent, a variety related to pinot noir originally from Austria .
This first vintage from Paul and Angela Jacobson's Alexandra vineyard oozes cherries and darker flavours with a hint of spice and a clean crisp finish.
Compared with Judge Rock's mouth-filling 2009 pinot noir, it lacked complexity and texture, but that may come with more vine age and experience with the variety.
However, it's certainly a point of difference.
