Wines and wine regions of New Zealand
It was not that long ago that sheep, butter and being a long way away was all that New Zealand was famed for. There had been a wine industry of sorts here since the time of the first settlers, many of whom came from the Balkans. With this connection, the Müller Thürgau grape took hold and by the early 1970s the Kiwi government decided that they should be the world's finest producer of this grape. Having set their sights so spectacularly low it was a mercy that some more experimental winemakers had started growing Sauvignon Blanc in the Marlborough region. Homeopathic quantities of these first productions found their way to the UK who's collective wine tasting jaw dropped - the rest is history (Cloudy Bay is still the world’s most famous producer of Sauvignon Blanc). In twenty years New Zealand went from non-entity to star player on the world wine stage, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc swept all before it and now we see seriously good Pinot Noir emerging from many of its wine producing regions. The story has not finished, and we look forward to some top notch Kiwi Syrah to rival old world Rhône wines, which in our opinion, will be the next big thing.
View a full list of our New Zealand white wine and New Zealand red wine.
Marlborough
Here on the north-eastern edge of the South Island the words Marlborough and Sauvignon are inseparable! It was the grassy, elderflower and asparagus aromas combined with the tropical fruit flavours of Marlborough Sauvignon that awakened the wine world to what New Zealand was capable of. Backed by consistent quality and clever marketing this region soon established itself as the powerhouse of Kiwi wine production. Sauvignon Blanc may be king but it is by no means alone, as a whole raft of other grape varieties are also grown here. Try a dry Riesling or light Pinot Noir - there is plenty of interest to be had here.
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Hawke's Bay
On the east coast of New Zealand's north Island is the art-deco city of Napier and behind this, comprising some 4000 hectares of vines, is the wine growing region known as Hawke's Bay. This is one of the oldest established regions in the country with viticulture dating back to 1850. Today it is a thriving and expanding region with large well-established vineyards of principally Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay and new and growing plantings of Syrah.
