For Haysley MacDonald, founder and owner of te Pā Wines in Marlborough, New Zealand, relaxing after the harvest doesn’t mean a glass of wine in the vineyard.

It means donning his flippers and heading into the ocean to grab some kina (sea urchins).

‘I’ve been freediving and collecting kaimoana [seafood] my whole life, but sea urchin has always been my favourite. I swim over everything else to get that,’ he says.

‘You eat it straight out of the shell,’ he continues. ‘I stick a knife through the centre then use a spoon to scoop out the orange roe, and just slurp it back. Kina is one of the most nutritious foods out there, with heaps of vitamins and minerals.’

If there are no urchins around, he’ll settle for abalone, red rock lobster, scallops and oysters – as well as spearing fish. ‘You name it, we’ll get it,’ he says.

Keeping culture alive

MacDonald’s vineyard is probably the closest one to the ocean in Marlborough – just 100 or so metres away – so it’s no surprise he spends almost as much time in the water as out of it.

Some of his earliest memories are of learning to freedive with his father. ‘We never had proper gear back then,’ he recalls. ‘Dad would just give us each a screwdriver and we’d use them to prise the abalone off the rocks. Nowadays people have fancy dive knives.’

Freediving and gathering kaimoana is a central part of Māori culture, MacDonald explains. He’s a descendent of some of the earliest Māori arrivals to New Zealand – some 800 years ago – and the skills involved have reached him via many generations.

Now he’s teaching his five children those same skills. ‘I like it even more these days because they’re catching the food for me,’ he jokes. ‘The joy on someone’s face when they grab their first lobster is cool. Those are special moments.’

Of course, freediving isn’t without risk. Just last year, Frédéric Panaïotis, chef de cave at Ruinart, died in a freediving accident.

MacDonald’s scariest moment in the water was realising a dark shadow was a big shark swimming towards him. ‘Luckily a cousin, who was in a boat, got between us,’ he says. ‘I managed to get out pretty quickly… That was definitely a nervous moment.'

But, he adds: ‘I’m too hungry diving to worry about the risks normally. We’ve done it our whole lives. We just instinctively know what to do. But yes, if you don’t respect the ocean, you’re going to get in trouble. You’ve got to adapt to the conditions you’re in – know the tides, know the weather.’

Dwindling resource

While the skills required are the same as those his ancestors would have needed, freediving for seafood is very different today due to overfishing.

‘We’ve got to go further and deeper to get the same seafood they would have gone just ankle-deep to get,’ MacDonald says. ‘I’ve been diving for nearly 40 years and I’ve seen massive changes. It’s a big worry.’

His greatest frustration is with commercial fishing: ‘It’s painful to watch. People don’t seem to care what they’re depleting.’ MacDonald sits on the board of his iwi (local tribe) and has been leading its work calling for downsizing the local fishery to preserve ocean life for generations to come.

While winemaking and freediving may seem like separate worlds, there is some overlap. ‘With both, you must work with the elements and adapt,’ he says.

And luckily MacDonald’s wines just happen to go superbly with freshly caught seafood. ‘If we’re cooking food on the boat trip back, we’ll often have a glass of wine,’ he says.

‘Fresh, raw sea urchin is quite an intense, salty flavour so it needs a richer style. It goes really well with our barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.'

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For New Zealand’s aromatic whites ‘small but mighty’ could become the catchphrase – excluding Sauvignon Blanc, which obviously needs no introduction.

Making up just a tiny fraction of New Zealand’s total production, and often representing a labour of love for those who champion them, these aromatic varieties are nevertheless behind some of the country’s most thrilling and distinctive white wines.

Collectively, they make up less than 8% of New Zealand’s total planted area (including reds), bolstered considerably by the rise of Pinot Gris, whose plantings are nearly five times that of Riesling (see box), which in turn dwarfs Gewurztraminer. Albariño, generating real excitement in recent years, still boasts just 65ha, while semi-aromatic Chenin Blanc has dwindled to a mere 22ha, albeit in dedicated hands.

There aren’t a lot of these wines around, but they offer exceptional quality and remarkable value for drinkers willing to seek them out.

Paul Pujol, winemaker and general manager at Prophet’s Rock in Central Otago – and formerly the winemaker at Alsace’s Kuentz-Bas, the first non-family member to hold the position in the domaine’s 200-year history – is a passionate producer of Pinot Gris and Riesling (alongside a soon-to-be-released four-variety blend including Gewurztraminer and Muscat).

‘Outside Europe, there aren’t many places you can achieve the vibrancy, purity, intensity and freshness, and the true cool-climate expression of aromatic whites that we get in New Zealand,’ he says.

He feels that the varieties have been overshadowed by Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

Perfect conditions

The quality and distinctiveness of these varieties stem from New Zealand’s southerly, largely maritime-influenced growing conditions.

These create long, cool, generally sunny seasons, often combined with significant diurnal temperature shifts, that intensify varietal expression while enabling a wide range of styles, from bone dry to botrytis-affected.

Most wines are made with at least a few grams of residual sugar, offset by vibrant natural acidity that gives the best examples appealingly clean finishes.

Winemaking is largely centred around the use of stainless steel containers to preserve fruit purity, though producers are increasingly turning to older oak, concrete and clay amphorae, with ageing on the fine lees adding texture and complexity.

At Framingham in Marlborough – renowned for producing half a dozen (or more) Riesling styles each season – winemaker Andrew Brown notes that the commercial realities remain challenging.

These wines largely depend on cellar door and retailer hand-selling to find their audience.

‘We are passionate about making the best examples of Riesling we can; the scope may be restricted if we didn’t have the cellar door as a sales channel,’ he says.

But he sees heads increasingly turning.

‘There are some really great examples coming out of NZ at the moment – more textural, restrained and ageworthy.’

Anna Flowerday (pictured, above) of Te Whare Ra, whose Riesling and Gewurztraminer vines are among Marlborough’s oldest, puts it simply: ‘We truly believe that aromatic whites are the unsung heroes. Overseas visitors are constantly blown away by the quality.’

New Zealand's finest non-Sauvignon aromatics

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Remembering Sam Neill, 1947 – 2026

The actor and winemaker Sam Neill passed away on 13 July in Sydney, Australia.

Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill grew up in New Zealand and became a passionate ambassador for the country's wines. He bought his first vineyard in Central Otago in 1991 and established Two Paddocks winery in 1993, which is now one of New Zealand's most respected wine brands.

Earlier this month, he was recognised as a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers for promoting New Zealand wine. He was due to be inducted at a celebration dinner at the end of August.

The organisation commented: 'As an internationally acclaimed actor and tireless advocate for the industry over many years, Sam has generously used his profile, talents, and distinctive voice to promote New Zealand wine, bringing authenticity, warmth and global attention to the people, places, and stories behind the industry.'

Neill was known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films, as well as numerous other film and TV appearances including The Piano, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October and Peaky Blinders.

Decanter magazine published this interview with him in its July 2026 edition, where he discussed his wine lineage, his fondness for big Aussie reds, and how a producer once tried to woo him with two bottles of Latour 1964.

On the rack: Sam Neill on his love of wine

Interview by Lucy Shaw. As featured in Decanter magazine's July 2026 issue.

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When Ulster immigrant John Martin stopped at the Ruamāhanga River in 1875, near the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, it was wilderness.

Using gold-rush earnings, he laid out the streets of a village in the pattern of the union flag, naming it after himself: Martinborough.

Not much had changed in the region’s economy a century later, when in 1980 sheep and dairy farmer Clive Paton of Ata Rangi and three other growers first planted vines, at the suggestion of a government agronomist.

‘You’re basically on the road to nowhere here,’ says John Kavanagh, chief winemaker at Te Kairanga. It is cooler than across the Cook Strait in Marlborough, with very few days over 30℃ and big diurnal temperature swings. Rainfall is low.

Yet cold southerlies blow straight up from the Antarctic: grape yields are low, with the wind adversely affecting flowering and fruit set.

‘This has its pros and cons,’ says local wine writer and author Joelle Thomson. ‘Smaller crops and bunches reduce production but the Pinots from here seem to strut a deliciously savoury taste as a result.’

And so, in the space of 40 years, Martinborough has established itself as one of the world’s top sources of Pinot Noir.

Down to earth

The 1980s pioneers planted on the Martinborough terrace. This uplifted river terrace of alluvial gravels and clays, five kilometres long and a kilometre wide, remains the heart of the wine district.

‘The corporates never really got involved because there weren’t big enough tracts of land,’ says Guy McMaster, winemaker at Palliser Estate.

Then in 1999 Larry McKenna, founder of pioneer Martinborough Vineyard, planted on Te Muna Road, a few kilometres southeast of the town, an area of free-draining gravels.

The same year, Craggy Range planted 100ha of land there, a project of Australian-American millionaire Terry Peabody.

Since then, Martinborough’s scene has exploded, with wine tourism an important component. Today there are more than 20 cellar doors and an annual wine festival.

Clones and varieties

Given the relative lack of soil variation, clonal selection is especially important.

The first Pinot Noir plantings used the Abel clone, named for the customs officer said to have confiscated cuttings purloined from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche vineyard.

It remains popular for Pinot Noir, though Dijon clones have since gained ground.

There is also excellent Chardonnay: ‘Martinborough Chardonnays have natural balance,’ says Martinborough Vineyard winemaker Tom Turner.

More recently, Sauvignon Blanc has inevitably made major inroads.

Perfect for Pinot

But Pinot Noir remains Martinborough’s speciality. ‘I definitely think there’s been the evolution of a style,’ says Ata Rangi winemaker Helen Masters.

‘Back [in the 1990s] the benchmark was Burgundy – high-toast new oak, three to five punch-downs a day – so a lot of the wines were monsters.’

Now, she says, they pick earlier, at 23 Brix, punch down much less, and use less new oak: ‘For me it’s a distraction from the place. The wines are more expressive, less extracted, lighter on their feet.’

While the best Martinborough Pinot Noirs can age well, they tend to be made ready to be enjoyed younger.

But while Martinborough has become a benchmark for New World Pinot Noir, it remains a challenging environment.

As Te Kairanga’s Kavanagh says: ‘To produce wine here, you need to be passionate about what you do.’

Six Martinborough names to know

Ata Rangi

Pioneer Clive Paton has retired now but Helen Masters, one of the few female New Zealand winemakers, has been in the cellar since 2003; she also grows some of the fruit on her own property.

Her trademark is elegant, structured and savoury Pinot Noirs. Despite Masters’ long experience here, her favourite vintage is 2024. ‘The wines were easy to make,’ she says. Certified organic.

Craggy Range

When Craggy Range first planted in the late 1990s, it doubled the size of Martinborough’s vineyards.

It remains the biggest producer, having added 132ha since then. Steve Smith MW, who established it, has moved on; today winemaker Ben Tombs vinifies this fruit at Craggy Range’s main base in Hawke’s Bay. Silky, elegant Pinot Noirs; a lot of Sauvignon Blanc too.

In organic conversion.

Dry River

One of the first group of pioneer wineries, Dry River was planted in 1979 by Neil McCallum.

It has always been a boutique producer, now producing an average of just 17,000 bottles a year.

Winemaker Ben McNab works with obsessive detail, washing the fruit before selecting berry by berry. These are fine, expressive Pinot Noirs, made to age.

Part certified organic.

Oraterra

Wilco Lam was a respected winemaker at Dry River before moving with the whole winemaking team to start Oraterra four years ago.

The operation still has the buzz of a start-up. They have 10ha planted – Pinot Noir plus Chardonnay and Pinot Gris – and an innovative approach.

‘It’s liberating if there’s no preconception of how the wine should be,’ says Lam.

Certified biodynamic.

Palliser

Palliser began in 1984 but now has 74ha of vineyards, making it one of the area’s largest producers.

Complex, elegant Pinot Noirs are its trademark, though it are also one of the few local wineries to make sparkling wines.

Chief winemaker Guy McMaster (ex-Escarpment) did a stage in Champagne in 2019. Impressive Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc too.

Certified organic.

Te Kairanga

Now owned by California’s Foley wines, Te Kairanga was first planted in 1984 on a bluff at the eastern edge of the Martinborough terrace.

With 95ha of vineyards, they are one of the larger producers at over 350,000 bottles a year. Slightly plusher Pinot Noirs.

They host one of the area’s biggest cellar door operations, including an impressive restaurant.

Top Martinborough wines

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While it takes an astute sense of smell and taste to make a great winemaker, there’s no question that Samantha (Sam) Connew has an excellent nose, both literally and metaphorically.

Soon to celebrate the 15th vintage of her wine label Stargazer, the New Zealand-born, Tasmania-based winemaker tells me that her career has been founded on instinct and passion.

‘I’ve just followed my nose, I suppose,’ she says. ‘A lot of it has been going in the direction of what popped up at the time.’

But there’s more to her career than good timing, with a list of achievements that highlight an unshakeable work ethic and a streak of gritty resilience.

During her decade at Wirra Wirra in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, she was named the 2007 International Red Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Challenge and most recently, she was named the 2025 ASVO (Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology) Winemaker of the Year.

Back in 2014, she became the youngest judge to serve as chair of judges at the Sydney Royal Wine Show, and the first woman to hold the position, helping to pioneer change in the Australian wine show system.

Finding her path

Connew grew up in Christchurch and wine wasn’t the obvious career path. For most New Zealand students in the 1990s, a job in hospitality supplemented their meagre student allowance, which, in Connew’s case, was for a degree in arts and law.

‘Even back then, I was living beyond my means,’ she says with a laugh.

She worked at the now-shuttered Annies Wine Bar & Restaurant, which served a whopping 70 wines by the glass and introduced her to the joys and diversity of wine.

‘It was the early ’90s, right when the New Zealand wine industry was really starting to go ballistic, not just for Sauvignon Blanc, but also for the smaller producers,’ she recalls.

‘Wineries like Ata Rangi and Felton Road were becoming established around that time.’

She wasn’t actually that keen on practising law, but it wasn’t clear what the alternative would be until a post-degree trip to Adelaide.

‘I had access to the incredible wine regions there,’ she says, ‘which convinced me to study wine back in Christchurch.’

On completion, she jumped at an invitation to work her first vintage in Oregon.

‘I just loved the physical part of it, dragging hoses, doing punchdowns, and the vineyard,’ she recalls. ‘It was great. That was it. I thought, “Yes, this is what I want.” And the rest is history.’

After stints in McLaren Vale and the Hunter Valley, it was while working vintage at Bay of Fires in 2012 that a half-joke of ‘you should start your own label’ from Peter Dredge (profiled in the Decanter January 2026 issue) turned into a reality.

Connew bought some Huon Valley Pinot Noir grapes, heralding Stargazer’s first vintage in Tasmania.

Branching out

Fast-forward to 2016 and increasing problems with gaining access to fruit led to a vineyard purchase in the Coal River Valley.

‘I moved down here at the beginning of the year and started picking at the beginning of March 2016,’ Connew says. ‘It was boots on the ground and let’s get cracking.’

The vineyard checked all the boxes: not too far from Hobart, not too large, and with water security – essential in a region where 600mm of rain is a good year.

The tasting room opened late last year, hosting a 10-year retrospective tasting of the Palisander Riesling and Pinot Noir that revealed a through-line of expression.

‘I think we’ve got a pretty special piece of dirt that we’re taking care of in Tea Tree [sub-region] in the Coal River Valley,’ Connew says.

‘The joy of having my own label is that it can reflect that site, but also reflect that year as well.

‘We’re not trying to do what Australia is renowned for, which is consistency and uniformity from vintage to vintage.

We’re aiming for the wines to honestly and transparently reflect the site and the vintage, and to be able to celebrate the differences each year. We’re trying to be nonconformist and anti-uniformity in a way.’

Stargazer might have been intended as a side project, but it has already cemented its place among the best wineries in the state.

Stargazer Wines

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If one vintage could make the case for drinking Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, 2024 would be it.

An exceptional season that delivered perfect fruit ripeness without sacrificing the region’s signature natural acidity, 2024 will already be in the cellars of those who know – and for those who don’t, the quality-to-price ratio alone should be temptation enough…

Though best be quick.

‘It was an incredible harvest from a quality point of view,’ says viticulture consultant Ollie Powrie, ‘but tempered by the fact that yields were so low.’

This was a legacy of disrupted flowering and, many suspect, a delayed vine response to the extreme conditions of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.

Matt Kirby, chief winemaker at Clearview Estate, draws a comparison that will please collectors.

‘2024 reminded me of 2021 – smaller crops, but great brightness and intensity,’ he says. Phil Brodie, senior winemaker at Te Mata Estate, concurs, placing 2024 alongside the excellent 2021, 2014 and 2007 vintages.

‘All rich wines with focusing acidity that gives tension, energy and the ability to age gracefully,’ he explains.

With two further excellent vintages following immediately on its heels, there has rarely been a better time for wine drinkers to pay attention.

Evolving quality

The 2024 successes are really the culmination of a longer story. Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay quickly shed its early opulent, golden, heavily oaked incarnations to establish itself as a region capable of consistently delivering fresh, texturally complex, ageworthy wines.

The shift reflects both evolving winemaking philosophies and deeper understanding of the region’s remarkably diverse terroir; the legacy of four major river systems that criss-cross its subregions.

Given its relatively compact size, Hawke’s Bay’s terroir and climatic variations are notable, elongating the Chardonnay harvest across a couple of months. The variety accounts for 1,034ha of the region’s 4,574ha of vineyards.

Subregional styles

Of the main subregions, the Gimblett Gravels’ free-draining, heat-retaining riverbed soils tend to produce weightier, structured styles with yellow-flesh stone fruit generosity.

The nearby Bridge Pa Triangle, with heavier red clay-loam and slightly cooler conditions tends to be more textural, restrained and mineral.

Closer to the coast, the limestone/clay soils around Havelock North and Te Awanga provide chalky grip and savoury complexity, while cooler inland sites such as Mangatahi promote white-flesh stone fruit, citrus and silky textures.

Further south and inland, the cool, limestone hills of Central Hawke's Bay are just starting to be explored.

Many wines draw fruit from across the region but there are substantial, and increasing, numbers of single subregion and single vineyard bottlings.

If there is a common regional thread, it's a dense core of ripe peachy fruit and defined, juicy natural acidity.

Owning the Chardonnay story

In many ways Hawke's Bay is something of an anomaly in the New Zealand wine landscape, producing relatively little Sauvignon Blanc and only small amounts of Pinot Noir.

The sunny, dry maritime climate suits an impressively wide array of varieties, and is one of the few New Zealand regions that reliably delivers impressive Syrah and Bordeaux reds.

But Chardonnay is increasingly what the region is hanging its hat on, now hosting a semi-annual symposium dedicated to the grape.

Viticulturist and AONZ co-owner Steve Smith MW observes that the variety has always been a significant part of the story for most Hawkes Bay producers, where other varieties have come and gone.

But he adds: ‘Hawke’s Bay has not owned its Chardonnay story until now. I think it has taken a while for producers to realise that being able to do lots of things well is not a value proposition and Chardonnay can be something that we can do really well.’

Tony Bish, who has made Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay for over 40 years, and now makes only Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay at his eponymous urban winery, points out a further advantage.

‘You can consistently make really good Chardonnay; even in difficult years such as 2023, the wines still looked great, whereas the trickier years can really punish the reds.’

In the winery

Winemaking is typically hands-off, largely centred around whole-bunch pressing, high solids and indigenous yeasts, fermented and matured in French oak.

Increasingly older and larger formats of oak are being used, while concrete, clay and tank also abound.

Malolactic fermentation is a common temper for the region’s bright acidity, though it’s generally used with restraint.

It’s not often you see ‘buttery’ in a tasting note anymore. Even the strong reductive characters that were briefly fashionable have settled into a happier place of struck match and flint.

Chris Scott, chief winemaker of Church Road, believes: ‘Chardonnay, more so than any other variety in Hawke’s Bay, makes itself as long as you look after it in the vineyard.’

Delivering great value

The top wines have a proven track record for cellaring, with a sweet spot around a decade or so, where the primary citrus and stonefruit gives way to toasty, savoury complexity.

They remain considerably underpriced for the quality, particularly when compared to their white Burgundy peers, and top Chardonnays from the US and Australia.

As Brodie notes somewhat ruefully: ‘The best wines are so undervalued – great as a wine drinker, but tough as a producer.’

Despite growing positive critical attention, Hawke’s Bay is yet to enjoy the breakout moment that, say, Central Otago Pinot Noir has enjoyed.

But the 2024 vintage may just be the year that changes things…

Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay: 12 brilliant bottles to try

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Marlborough might get the column inches and Central Otago the glamour, but if you want to find New Zealand’s most intellectually compelling wines right now, look to a cluster of wineries tucked into the rolling hill country north of Christchurch.

North Canterbury – or more specifically the Waipara Valley and its inland reaches around Waikari and Weka Pass – is producing wines of genuine complexity and age-worthiness.

They’re driven by an intricate tapestry of gravel, clay and limestone soils; a climate that is as demanding as it is beneficial; and a community of producers whose innovative mindsets are rooted in a deep commitment to their place.

Getting started

The North Canterbury wine-growing region spans nearly 200km of the South Island’s eastern coastline, from the Canterbury Plains surrounding Christchurch northward to the Waipara Valley.

The region’s earliest vines were planted by French settlers at Banks Peninsula in the 1840s but there was little real progress until the modern industry took shape from the 1970s onwards.

This was largely driven by Czech immigrant and vigneron Danny Schuster and Dr David Jackson of Lincoln University.

Early commercial vineyards clustered around Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains.

St Helena, established near Christchurch in 1978, was the first commercial winery. It won gold medals for its Pinot Noir in 1982 and 1984.

But the centre of gravity shifted north as the Canterbury Plains’ flat, free-draining alluvial gravels gave way to the sloping, complex terrains of Waipara, whose foothills provide protection from incoming Southern Ocean-driven weather systems.

Today, Waipara and its surrounds account for the overwhelming majority of the region’s 1,501ha under vine.

Down to earth

Inland and westward of Waipara, around Waikari and Weka Pass, are where things get especially interesting; though the higher elevation, cooler, more marginal farming conditions mean thus far just a handful of vineyards have been established.

Here, amid the rolling hill country are seams of limestone, a rare commodity in New Zealand viticulture, where greywacke sandstone dominates.

Bell Hill, established in 1997 on an old limestone quarry, and Pyramid Valley, planted in 2000 on a limestone-clay natural amphitheatre nearby, were among the first to exploit this geology.

Both remain reference points for what the region can achieve.

Pyramid Valley’s winemaker Huw Kinch notes: ‘We generally pick one to two weeks later up here. Waipara wines are generally a little richer due to the comparatively warmer climate, whereas Waikari are a little finer-boned with a higher acidity and more tension.’

That spine of bright acidity running through the wines regardless of variety, is one of the region’s most consistent calling cards.

In Waipara, James Opie, who started Bryterlater Wines in 2019, focusing on pét-nat and natural wine styles, observes: ‘We see the nuances of the soils are expressed in very different ways in our wines. On the alluvial gravels there’s soulful darker tones, while on the clays you achieve bright, mouth-filling silkiness.’

Unique character

North Canterbury’s climate is cool, sunny and dry with a long, slow ripening season and typically warm, settled autumns, which allow extended hang time.

Yet it’s not always a benign environment. Late spring and autumn frosts, plus frequent strong winds can test both vines and growers, and significantly affect yields.

Dom Maxwell of Forager Wines explains that Waipara, ‘gets lots of fruit but not fruitiness as such. There’s a characteristic savoury, herbal thread and an earthy minerality that comes through regardless of who produced the wine.’

Vic Tutton of The Boneline thinks Waipara Pinot Noirs are most comparable to Martinborough: ‘Full, lush, deep fruit while savoury and structured.’

Black Estate’s Pen Naish agrees. ‘The Pinot Noir is often more earthy and structured than other regions and the Chardonnay has wonderful focus and texture from such cool nights and low yields.’

These are wines with genuine cellaring potential, though almost all drink beautifully young.

Variety show

There are 24 varieties planted throughout the region, though Pinot Noir and Chardonnay attract the most attention.

Riesling has long been a strength, producing styles from steely to dessert sweetness with equal authority and age-worthiness.

The possibilities across the myriad microclimate and soil combinations means you can also be surprised with excellent examples of Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chenin Blanc or pét-nat.

Perhaps more surprisingly, given how few examples grace retailers’ shelves, North Canterbury’s most planted variety is Sauvignon Blanc, a statistic that slightly misrepresents the region's character.

Much of that fruit, along with significant volumes of Pinot Gris and Riesling, is sold to larger Marlborough-based companies and travels north to be blended away.

What is typically seen under a North Canterbury label then is the output of its small, intensely focused independent estates.

Creative wines

Ed Donaldson of Pegasus Bay – which has just harvested its 35th vintage – notes that North Canterbury ‘is not a region for producing large volumes of inexpensive wine’, and that this constraint ‘fosters a certain level of creativity rather than a more generic product’.

That creativity is visible everywhere. From Greystone’s pioneering high-trellising systems and vineyard-fermented Pinot Noirs, to the recent proliferation of younger natural-wine focused labels buying fruit and making small batches.

Waipara’s proximity to Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, means there is a vibrant cellar door scene, including Black Estate, home to one of the country’s best winery restaurants.

Meanwhile, at Bell Hill, Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen farm their tiny, isolated limestone quarry vineyard with almost monastic devotion.

A chorus of approval

Each makes a distinct case for what North Canterbury is capable of.

Tutton believes: ‘Waipara has really found its voice over the last 10 years and it’s a choir – many individual expressions of site, soil, microclimates, wine-growing philosophy, varieties, clones, own-rooted, grafted, aged and gnarly to just-planted vineyards, let alone what happens in the wineries – just a huge range of philosophy and practice.’

It is Giesen, perhaps, who best articulates the particular calling of making wine here.

His family were among the earliest to establish vines in Canterbury, and after nearly three decades at Bell Hill’s singular site, he says: ‘How close to the edge do you go, to see how deep the abyss is, and what is down there? We have found a great spot, right on the edge, looking down. It is not for everyone but it is compelling… An energy, and a commitment.’

That commitment – to sometimes difficult sites and unpredictable weather, to tiny yields, to minimal intervention – has created a long view that unites an otherwise eclectic community.

This is, ultimately, a region that rewards curiosity over convenience, for these are not wines that arrived at quality accidentally. Seek them out.

North Canterbury: 15 great wines to try

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Central Otago travel guide

The soaring mountains, dry highlands and glacial-blue braided rivers of New Zealand’s Central Otago region have long made it a favourite destination for adventure-seekers and filmmakers (most notably the lord of the rings himself, Sir Peter Jackson).

But the region’s celebrated wines have become a draw in their own right. Wine arrived here during the 19th-century gold rush, French immigrant Jean Désiré Féraud planting the first vines in 1864, but it wasn’t until the late 20th century that a commercial wine industry appeared in Gibbston Valley.

Today, the Central Otago wine region encompasses six sub-regions, all within 50km of the old gold-mining town of Cromwell. Pinot Noir dominates, but Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer are well represented, too.

A world-class hospitality industry has sprung up to cater to Otago’s visitors. Queenstown is the central hub of activity, with Wānaka (at the southern tip of the eponymous lake) providing a gentler alternative, but Cromwell is probably the best place to base yourself if you’re there for the wine.

Accommodation ranges from budget hostels to luxury lodges, while excellent restaurants serve innovative menus based on local produce.

Activities on offer include everything from skydives to wine tours, and Ngāi Tahu, the South Island’s principal Māori iwi, or tribe, is involved in much of the region’s tourism, giving visitors the chance to learn about indigenous history and culture along the way.

How to get there

The nearest major international airport is in Christchurch (a five-hour drive from Cromwell), but you can fly direct to Queenstown airport (40 minutes from Cromwell) from New Zealand’s three largest cities and Australia’s main east coast centres.

Around the vineyards

Greg Hay founded Wet Jacket Wines in 2015, having already established Chard Farm (1987) and Peregrine Wines (1998). ‘None of us knew what we were doing when we started,’ he says. ‘We all encouraged each other, swapping ideas about what worked. It’s that spirit that makes this region so special.

Greg founded Wet Jacket as a ‘bit of fun’ after the success of his two larger ventures. The original cellar door was a wool shed near Arrowtown (complete with a sheep-shearing room), but they’ve since opened one on the lakeside in Queenstown. Half of the revenue from wine tastings funds conservation projects, which Greg oversees himself.

Mountains and lakes

Rippon Vineyard is the northernmost of the region, overlooking lake Wānaka with a view of the glacier-topped peaks of Mt Aspiring national park (see map).

‘The mountains are key,’ says Hazel Nasta, the estate’s cellar door manager. ‘They’re a wall to weather from the west, giving us a dry, stable, continental climate with hot days and cold nights.

'Central Otago sits on free-draining schists, so the vines put all their energy into the fruit, producing intense, vibrant grapes.

'There’s no appellation control in New Zealand,’ Hazel continues. ‘So winemakers can experiment more freely. Our older vines are starting to express the terroir very clearly, so our Sauvignon Blanc is flintier than the lemongrass and tropical flavours of Marlborough.'

Just north of Cromwell, on a hill overlooking lake Dunstan, is Domaine Thomson Wines , the winery buildings clad and roofed with rustic, acid-washed, corrugated galvanised steel, to echo the region’s gold rush past.

Owners David and PM Hall-Jones also have vineyards in Burgundy, the spiritual home of Pinot Noir. ‘It’s a wonderful contrast,’ says PM. ‘We have a millennium of tradition in France, but decades of innovation in Otago, which is changing the way we think of that grape.’

Going for gold

Situated near the old gold sluicings in Bannockburn, Felton Road is probably the region’s most internationally renowned winery, having won awards from around the globe.

‘We were part of that second generation of Otago winemakers,’ says Nigel Greening, who took over the estate in 2000. ‘We’re biodynamic, which is a fancy way of saying we use the ecosystem, such as falcons chasing birds from the vines. But we do play music to the wines in the cellars!’

Felton Road’s cellar door is open on weekdays. You need to make an appointment, but it’s worth it for a place that’s considered one of New Zealand’s top producers, as the visit includes a detailed tour of the vines and winery, as well as samples of their wines.

The spectacular cellar door at nearby Te Kano (‘the seed’ in Māori) thrusts over the valley with views up Kawarau gorge. You can pick up snacks from the deli to accompany wines on the terrace or pack them up as a picnic to enjoy on the estate (60% of which is reserved for native vegetation).

Your Central Otago address book

Accommodation

Gibbston Valley Lodge

Gibbston Valley was the first commercial winery in the region, and its lodge and spa are gorgeous. Rooms from NZ$674, including spa and restaurant.

Lime Tree Lodge

This luxury boutique lodge, with beautiful gardens and a pool, sits just outside Wānaka. Rooms from NZ$395.

Marsden Lake Resort

In Cromwell, the Marsden Lake Resort has self-contained villas opposite the entrance to Domaine Thomson. Studios from NZ$291.

Restaurants

Cardrona Hotel

Don’t miss this hotel located on the pass between Wānaka and Queenstown, to enjoy a perfect lamb shoulder in one of New Zealand’s true institutions.

Kika

In Wānaka, Kika blends excellent fine dining with modern sharing plates – its crayfish mole and roasted brassicas are remarkable.

Mora

Just outside Arrowtown, the winery at Mora has a fabulous terrace and excellent, colourful food. Great for lunch.

Activities

Hike to a glacier

The walk from Raspberry Flat to Rob Roy glacier in Mt Aspiring national park is one of the best short walks in the world. You can do it yourself, or alternatively Eco Wānaka provides transport, lunch and an excellent guided hike for NZ$420 per adult.

Lakes District Museum & Gallery

Located in Arrowtown and filled with dioramas and artefacts, the museum offers a fantastic insight into the region’s history, with a particular focus on European and Chinese gold miners (NZ$14).

Scenic flight & cruise

Southern Alps Air offers a spectacular four-hour day tour from Wānaka that crosses the Southern Alps for a scenic cruise along the 16-kilometre length of Milford Sound (pictured, p88; NZ$749 per adult). It’s a remarkable way to get a sense of the geography that influences Otago’s wines.

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Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, Eugenio Egorov and Roger Jones tasted 112 wines, with 10 Outstanding and 64 Highly recommended

Southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc: Panel tasting scores

112 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 10

Highly recommended 64

Recommended 37

Commended 1

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, minimum 85% Cabernet Franc wines from single, designated vineyard sites anywhere in the southern hemisphere

Scroll down to see the top-scoring wines from our southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc panel tasting

Expectations exceeded

There’s so much history associated with Cabernet Franc. The monks at Bourgueil abbey in the Loire valley began cultivating the grape in the 11th century. By the 18th century, it was renowned for producing exceptional wines in Bordeaux.

Fast forward to today and, following our tasting of 112 examples from the southern hemisphere, Eugenio Egorov could hardly contain his enthusiasm: ‘This tasting was a revelation; there were so many great wines.’

The statistics support his excitement. Ten wines were rated Outstanding and 64 wines Highly recommended – an impressive performance, especially for a variety that historically often played a supporting role in blends.

Roger Jones concurred: ‘In the past, Cabernet Franc was herbaceous, rustic and challenging. However, this new wave of styles from the southern hemisphere is exciting.’

Latin American renaissance

As illustrated by the number of submissions, South America has enthusiastically embraced the variety, with Argentina leading the way. In a country dominated by and best known for Malbec, Cabernet Franc is increasingly prized for its perfume, harmony and freshness.

‘Producers should follow the lead of those in New Zealand and South Africa, who travel frequently in search of knowledge,’ said Jones.

The results for the latter underline his point: of 13 entries, four were rated Outstanding and seven Highly recommended.

Cabernet Franc’s journey across the southern hemisphere has revealed its adaptability in the vineyard, versatility in the cellar and ability to make delicious, refreshing wines with complex, distinctive aromatic profiles.

The results of this tasting reveal that there has never been a better time to explore Cabernet Franc, a variety with a strong heritage and so much to offer.

What to eat with southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc, by Fiona Beckett

When it comes to southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc, it’s best to put out of your mind the idea that it’s a variety that produces light, crunchy, herbaceous reds.

Examples from countries such as South Africa and Argentina are far more typically full-bodied, Bordeaux-style wines to drink with classic red meat dishes – from grilled butterflied lamb to beef or venison Wellington. (The latter not least because mushrooms are a good match with it, particularly with older vintages.) They should also be able to handle a touch of spice, even a lamb curry.

Drink them when you’ve bought a beautiful piece of beef, save it for friends who enjoy a generous red, treat the family to a bottle when you’re cooking a classic Sunday roast or a homemade steak or ox cheek pie – the joy of these Cab Francs is just how enjoyable they are, and how affordable.

With their ripe fruit and supple tannins, they’re also good wines to bring out with a cheeseboard, even taking washed rind cheeses and blue cheeses in their stride. They’re definitely food-friendly.

See all notes and scores from the southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc tasting

The judges

Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, educator and consultant working around the world. Based in the UK since 1989, he was a director at some of the UK’s top distributors, qualifying in 2008 as the first Master of Wine from Brazil

Eugenio Egorov is wine director at Six Senses London hotel & spa. Born in Ukraine, he began his hospitality career in restaurants in Italy and Florida, USA, before moving to London in 2014

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. He is now a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular interest in the hospitality trade. He is a DWWA judge, with a focus on New World regions

Southern hemisphere Cabernet Franc panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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If Sauvignon Blanc built New Zealand’s reputation, Pinot Noir is where it intends to cement its fine wine credentials. That much was clear at the industry’s flagship event, Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 (PN25), held in Christchurch earlier this year – the first since 2017 after a pandemic-related hiatus.

Over three days, producers presented their wares for debate, tasting and scrutiny by local and international critics and trade. The verdict? The wines are more exciting than ever, but the category faces a defining moment: push harder for global recognition or risk fading into the background of the fine wine conversation.

Many international attendees were struck by the stylistic shift. The glossy, oak-sweetened Pinots of the early days are largely gone, replaced by wines of greater finesse, freshness and site transparency.

‘There’s a real sense of confidence now,’ noted consultant and DWWA judge Madeleine Stenwreth MW. ‘Producers don’t feel the need to push so hard to prove themselves. They are showing much more place, much more vineyard.’

‘The interplay of site and clone is clearer, inspiring a wave of single-vineyard wines’

Emma Jenkins MW

Winds of change

New Zealand’s hallmark has long been vibrant fruit purity and consistency, with Pinots typically marrying aromatic, juicy red and black fruits with savoury depth and natural freshness. While wine drinkers have enjoyed that consistency, some critics wonder whether it has limited the country’s evolution.

Burgundy expert and author Jasper Morris MW, visiting in late 2024, observed: ‘Not a lot has really changed between my various visits. Certainly people are more competent and the understanding of locations is better, but have there really been that many new people? You can’t keep saying the same story, as the unfortunate reality is this will not capture the world’s interest.’

With more than 5,600ha under vine, Pinot Noir is New Zealand’s second most planted grape, the key red variety from Wairarapa south. Central Otago, despite having just 4.9% of the nation’s vineyards, produces nearly 30% of its Pinot Noir.

Few countries boast such a range of cool-climate terroirs and when tasted side-by-side, the regional and sub-regional differences are increasingly distinct. The challenge – and opportunity – is how to communicate this diversity in markets where Burgundy, Oregon and increasingly Germany dominate the conversation. Internationally, New Zealand is no longer a newcomer.

Consumers may recognise established names but often fail to explore beyond them. While exports have been falling, after reaching a peak in 2018, and global market visibility remains a challenge, those closer to home know that styles have indeed broadened. Winemakers are embracing differences rather than smoothing them away.

The past decade has brought a burst of natural and ‘nouveau’ wines, small-batch experiments and even the occasional blend. A more nuanced, site-responsive approach has emerged, prioritising terroir over winemaking showmanship. As vines have matured, the interplay of site and clone is clearer, inspiring a wave of single-vineyard wines.

Whether these are genuinely superior or simply distinct is still open to debate, but this shift from technical ambition to authentic site expression marks an evolution.

‘New Zealand Pinot now seems to be more nuanced, freer of the technical obsession that once led many wines into the same flavour space,’ said UK critic Jamie Goode at PN25.

Generational change is also reshaping the landscape. Young winemakers and new entrants, often running side hustles or small projects, are pushing boundaries with an increasing focus on organic and biodynamic farming and low intervention styles.

Many rely on fruit from premium growers or shared production spaces, reflecting both the high capital costs and collaborative spirit of the new wave.

Decanter New Zealand Pinot Noir vintage rating

New Zealand’s geography can make vintage generalisations difficult. Some vintages – 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 – have had more uniform conditions, but it always pays to check by individual region.

2024: *****

Lower yields this year but exceptional quality; warm, dry conditions and cool nights. Balanced, ageworthy wines.

2023: ****

Cyclone Gabrielle challenged the northeastern coast. Tricky year for many, though some good wines, if unlikely to be long-cellaring. Much more solid across the South Island. Decent yields.

2022: ***

Solid yields. For most, a very humid February was aided by a drier autumn: look for fastidious producers. An excellent year for Central Otago.

2021: *****

Early, very dry season. Low yields but very good quality across both islands.

2020: *****

The ‘lockdown’ vintage; fortunately, Mother Nature was smiling. Excellent quality, low yields.

New Zealand’s defining wine?

Yet despite the quality and diversity, Pinot Noir hasn’t achieved the global breakthrough enjoyed by Sauvignon Blanc. Plantings have fallen by almost 200ha in the past decade, exports and overall domestic wine consumption are both falling, and Pinot Gris now outsells Pinot Noir overseas.

Rising production costs add further challenges. Visibility is a perennial hurdle and limited quantities of the best wines make them difficult to f ind in key markets such as the US and UK.

As PN25 keynote speaker Eric Asimov cautioned: ‘Potential and possibility don’t create awareness. You need people on the ground – importers, distributors – championing these wines.’

Still, there’s energy in the air and a sense of momentum. Both 2024 and 2025 delivered high-quality vintages across the regions, and most producers are driven by site and purpose rather than scale. Their wines increasingly reflect that authenticity.

At 89, Central Otago pioneer Alan Brady (who first planted grapes in Gibbston valley in 1981 and has just built his third winery, Wild Irishman), remains upbeat.

‘It’s Pinot Noir that’s shown us where to go,’ he says. ‘If we’re wise, we won’t let the marketplace dictate style but continue to develop our empathy and understanding of our vineyards.’

That balance of humility and dedication is serving New Zealand well. Great Pinot Noir takes time, and within little more than a generation, the country has established an impressive degree of quality with the promise of more to come.

For drinkers around the world, the message is simple: New Zealand Pinot Noir has never been more compelling – it’s nuanced, diverse, deeply rooted in place and increasingly ageworthy. If producers maintain their quality focus, tell their stories with conviction and build allies in key markets, Pinot Noir could yet become New Zealand’s defining wine.

Around New Zealand’s Pinot Noir regions

Wairarapa

Small but significant region, home to pioneering, world-class wineries. Three sub-regions: Martinborough, Gladstone and Masterton. Pinot accounts for roughly half of plantings (slightly more in Martinborough). Devigorating wind and deep gravelly soils produce low yields and thicker skins; wines are aromatic and structured, with savoury complexity. Key area for Abel, the ‘gumboot clone’ said to have been propagated from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche vineyard.

Marlborough

The shift from stony valley floor sites to the rolling, clay-based hillsides of the Southern Valleys, alongside clonal refinement, has led to major quality gains. Exciting wines are emerging from the cooler, drier, more exposed Awatere. While many archetypal wines remain, there’s also good value via the larger producers. Wines are typically fragrant, red-fruited and midweight with fine tannins. Key area for sparkling and rosé.

Nelson

Enjoys similar sunshine hours to Marlborough but with more sheltering hills, producing perfumed, expressively fruity wines. The Moutere’s clay soils lend silky tannins and supple texture.

North Canterbury

Early vineyards were planted near South Island’s biggest city Christchurch, but recent decades have seen a northward shift to the drier, more sheltered rolling hills of Waipara and the inland limestone soils of Waikari. Wines are perfumed and spicy with red/black fruits, and supple, textural structure.

Central Otago

Pinot Noir is the region’s flagship variety, just exceeding 80% of plantings. Six distinct sub-regions – Alexandra, Bannockburn, Bendigo, Gibbston, Lowburn/Pisa and Wanaka – sit on quartz/schist/granite and glacial soils. Aromatic, supple wines with vivid red or black fruits, spice and dried herbs, supported by notable acid/tannin spines.

See Emma’s pick from the latest New Zealand Pinot Noir releases

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You’ve just got to care,’ says vineyard manager Tereza Byrne, adding with a laugh, ‘I know all the vines individually.’ This meticulousness is a large part of why The Landing’s wines are turning heads.

When US-based Kiwi Peter Cooper bought a spectacular 400ha coastal farm on Northland’s Purerua peninsula in the north of New Zealand’s North Island in 1999, the plan was simply to create house sites for family and friends.

Twenty-six years later, The Landing has become something far more, with its 13ha vineyard and winery shifting the quality paradigm of Northland wine, underpinned by a deep commitment to land, history and sustainability.

The site itself is extraordinary. Overlooking the Bay of Islands, it includes six private beaches, sweeping hill country and layers of human history, including pā sites (historical Māori fortified settlements) and former Māori gardens.

And nearby Rangihoua Bay is where English-born missionary Samuel Marsden first came ashore in 1814 (the source of the winery’s name), marking some of the earliest encounters between local Māori and European settlers.

Luxurious hideaway

Today, guests might arrive by helicopter or by superyacht, or wind their way along the peninsula’s gravel roads. Those with (very) deep pockets may stay in one of four striking residences. Fabulously private and ultra-luxurious, they’ve hosted the likes of former US president Barack Obama and singer Dua Lipa.

The service is understated rather than starstruck – many staff have been with the property since its inception – offering laidback warmth and phenomenal attention to detail. Activities include heritage tours, boat trips, nocturnal kiwi walks, or simply enjoying a glass of wine on the cellar door lawn in front of the stylish winery.

Sustainability is a strong focus. More than a million native trees and other plants have been propagated in an on-site nursery and planted across the estate, creating wetlands and forest corridors that now shelter more than 250 kiwi, while little blue penguins nest in areas adjacent to the beaches.

The Landing achieved carbon-zero certification in 2021 and donates thousands of young trees annually to Auckland residents through the Coopers’ Greening the City project. The vineyard is also trialling posts made from recycled plastic milk bottles, and low-impact farming remains a guiding ethos.

Chardonnay and Syrah were first planted in 2007. Over time, the vineyard has grown from 2ha to 13ha, with a smorgasbord of varieties.

A steer towards freshness

Tereza, who joined in 2014 to help oversee one expansion, ticks through the blocks and clones, noting one offers ‘spikier acid’, another ‘rich ripeness’, and yet another unfolds with savoury, vanilla length. These observations reflect the detailed mapping Tereza and her husband, winemaker Ben Byrne, have undertaken.

Ben had already been working with The Landing’s fruit at Marsden Estate, where its early wines were made. ‘I could always see the potential,’ he recalls, ‘but at Marsden we couldn’t separate out blocks.’

That changed in 2019 when The Landing opened its own winery and cellar door, and Ben became its winemaker. Blocks and clones could then be vinified individually; Chardonnay and Syrah quickly emerged as standouts.

Ben has steered the wines towards freshness and elegance. Chardonnay sees less oak, lees and malolactic influence, with wild ferments, large wooden fermenters and puncheons adding texture and savouriness.

Syrah, previously picked later, now reflects the lift that the coastal fruit can deliver. ‘Working to numbers was counterproductive for us,’ Tereza explains. ‘An observational approach has been far better.’

A tricky place to make wine

The range comprises three tiers: Boathouse, The Landing and the flagship Madre wines, first released in 2020 and named for matriarch Sue Cooper. Chardonnay accounts for about half of production, followed by Syrah, with smaller volumes of rosé, Pinot Gris, a red blend called Vino Rosso, plus occasional experimental bottlings.

Exports are growing strongly in the US, where Cooper’s son Adam manages distribution. Recognition has also followed, with multiple accolades, including Gold at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards (for the 2021 Chardonnay in The Landing tier of the range).

Two centuries ago, New Zealand’s first vines were planted in Northland (by Samual Marsden); today, a handful of commercial wineries remain. Conditions can be demanding: plentiful rainfall, salt-laden winds, deep (clay and volcanic) soils and increasingly unpredictable seasons, but these challenges energise the Byrnes.

The Landing offers a model of measured ambition, and thanks to Tereza’s observant viticulture and Ben’s thoughtful, quietly confident winemaking, this corner of Northland is now showing just how fine its wines can be.

North stars: the estate’s flagship wines

The Landing, Madre Chardonnay, Northland, New Zealand 2021 – 95-points

Aromas of ripe lemon, melon and yellow peach, a touch of orange blossom and struck match. This has a stylish, layered palate with good flow, lively acidity and fine, toasty oak, plus a long, dry, savoury finish. Citrus-rich and mouthfilling, but for all its richness, this is a very harmonious, well-made wine with good balance and freshness.

Drink: 2025-2035 / Alcohol: 14%

The Landing, Madre Syrah, Northland, New Zealand 2022 – 93-points

Generous, spicy fruit underpinned by an earthy richness and savoury bay leaf notes. The plush, supple palate shows plenty of brambly, plummy fruit depth and good concentration, as well as firm but fine, sandy tannins. Somewhat brooding to start with, but unfolds very nicely in the glass with a bit of air.

Drink: 2025-2032 / Alcohol: 14%

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With his laconic wit and no-nonsense style, English-born Kevin Judd could easily be taken for a Kiwi. After decades in New Zealand, he has their straight talk down to a tee.

Judd, founder and winemaker of Greywacke in Marlborough, New Zealand, was in London with his wife and business partner Kimberley Judd to present the first-ever vertical tasting of Chardonnay wines to take place outside their winery.

From zero to world fame

The Judds are usually associated with Sauvignon Blanc, for good reason. It is their chief grape variety at Greywacke and made Kevin’s name. As the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, established in 1985 by David Hohnen, Kevin is a central figure in New Zealand’s wine history.

He helped inaugurate the country’s stellar ascent as a winemaking nation with Cloudy Bay’s pioneering style of Sauvignon Blanc in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

After 25 years at Cloudy Bay, Kevin founded Greywacke in 2009. ‘When I left Cloudy Bay, I had no money, no vineyard and no winery,’ he says. ‘But I turned 50 and I had some experience. A guy called Ivan Sutherland tapped me on the shoulder.’

Sutherland, who had been the viticulturist at Cloudy Bay, owned farmland and had established Dog Point Wines. ‘In 2009, there was the global financial crisis and there were spare grapes,’ Kevin continues.

‘Sutherland had heard we were thinking of starting our own thing, so we set up a business partnership. They also provided space in their winery. We still buy 70% of our fruit from the Sutherland family. We went from zero to exporting wine to 55 countries in the world. 95% of our production is exported.’

Chardonnay in the spotlight

Six Chardonnays, from the vintages 2010, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021 and the current release, 2023, were lined up. ‘Chardonnay is quite a small part of our production,’ says Kevin.

‘We believe that Chardonnay in Marlborough can make fantastic wine, but it lives in the humongous shadow of Sauvignon Blanc.’

Most of the wines are made from the Mendoza clone of Chardonnay. ‘It has big berries and tiny berries in the same bunch, about as small as match heads; it is what the French call millerandage and we call hen-and-chicken. It is a clone that gives us immense concentration and natural acidity,” he adds.

Even when the fruit is fully ripe, the acidity is strident, which explains the alcohol level, the full citrus expression and the concentration of the wines. The wines also contain some clone 95 and a far smaller portion of the newer 548 clone.

High in the sky

‘We are at the latitude of 41.5° South,’ Kevin explains. Transposed to the northern hemisphere, he exlpains, this latitude ‘runs right through Italy and Spain’. In fact, it runs right between Rome and Naples in Italy and just a little north of Barcelona in Spain.

‘The sun is very high in the sky, but because we are surrounded by ocean, completely maritime, it very rarely goes above 30°C. On a really hot day, it goes to 32°C, but the night temperatures then are usually around 15°C. We get this incredible natural acidity and really intense fruit flavours,’ he says.

‘We get young winemakers from Chile and South Africa coming to discover how to make Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but it is our climate that is so unique.’ He’s right: the sunshine and briskness of Marlborough is on full display in the wines.

Consistent style

The climate is indeed key to the style. All the wines are luminous, bright and punchy, with potent alcohols of 14% and above. In terms of winemaking, Kevin outlines his core elements for Chardonnay.

All fruit is hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. If there is sedimentation at all, it is light. Most juice goes straight to barrel.

‘All of these wines had fairly heavy solid contents,’ he notes. All the ferments are spontaneous. ‘The great thing about wild fermentation is that it is a microbiological zoo,’ he explains, believing that the diverse yeast population at the beginning of the ferment lends complexity to his wines, which all go through full malolactic conversion.

All the wines are fermented in small French, ‘quite heavily toasted’ barrels made by the Tonnellerie de Mercurey.

‘I like Chardonnay, I like oak, it’s just like tomatoes and basil, a match made in heaven,’ Kevin quips, but notes that there never was more than 20% new oak.

Ageing gracefully

Throughout the years, he has held onto these principles and made no stylistic changes to the winemaking. The only change was in 2019 when he decided to age the wines for 11 rather than 18 months. He emphasises that this was a purely logistical decision, so barrels would not be empty for half a year.

The only reason the Judds did not show their initial 2009 Chardonnay vintage is due to its rarity. Kimberley explains that they kept fewer reserves at the beginning.

But the 2010, a favourite of the Judds, just shone. Having tasted these pristine mature vintages, the new wines, impressive in their own right, cried out for bottle age.

And while two debates were settled a long time ago, this splendid vertical reinforced without a doubt that New World wines evolve and mature beautifully – and do so under screwcap.

Greywacke Chardonnay: Six to try

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New Zealand’s wine scene is too often defined by its established styles and names.

One of the frustrations of living here is recognising the gap between what’s happening on the ground and what consumers abroad actually see.

While tiny volumes and the tyranny of distance are perennial challenges, a fresh wave of winemakers and producers is injecting new energy, ideas and diversity, pushing boundaries and reshaping perceptions of what New Zealand wine can be.

Some are familiar names in new settings, others are newcomers to the scene.

Many embrace low-intervention or regenerative practices, offer fresh perspectives, or draw inspiration from working vintages around the globe, returning home to craft wines that expand the sense of what’s possible.

Below we highlight six such producers, but there are many more worth seeking out – Atípico, Cambridge Road, Forager, Huntress, Mélange, Three Fates, Vita and Vilaura, to name just a handful.

Together, they’re inviting wine lovers to reconsider what the label ‘New Zealand wine’ really means.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for six wines from a clutch of New Zealand trailblazers

Oraterra

Martinborough

When longstanding Martinborough winery Dry River changed hands in 2022, passing from the estate of the late US billionaire Julian Robertson to Wellington-based businessman Charlie Zheng, also owner of nearby Luna Estate, Dry River’s core team saw a chance to create something new together.

Led by chief winemaker Wilco Lam and backed by a wine-loving European family, they purchased what was previously the On Giants’ Shoulders winery and vineyards, and launched Oraterra, dedicating themselves to making the sort of wines that Lam hopes ‘touch a sense of wonder in people’.

Oraterra, which means ‘golden earth’ in Esperanto, is a nod to the team’s love of geology and the local soils.

‘We wanted something that resonated with all of us,’ says general manager and co-founder Sarah Bartlett.

She says starting from scratch and the team being involved at every stage – from naming to making their first wines – has been one of the best parts of creating Oraterra, helping to counter one of its hardest, which was ‘walking away from the previous relationships, and the people who invested and believed in what we were trying to achieve’.

She adds, though: ‘Luckily, these relationships were strong, and many stayed with us.’

Embrace the chaos

Having secured one of the region’s oldest vineyards, on the northern edge of Martinborough town – a 4ha block previously known as Pahi, and before that McCreanor vineyard, after the man who planted it in 1986.

They’ve since added further parcels from across the Martinborough Terrace, whose free-draining gravel soils and climatic conditions have brought it great renown, especially for high-quality Pinot Noir.

Everything is farmed organically and regeneratively with biodynamic treatments, and that same philosophy flows into the cellar.

‘Our approach is about embracing the chaos and life that make wine interesting,’ says Lam. ‘We don’t tame things too much or stand in the wine’s way.’

Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are handmade in tiny volumes and offered primarily through their wine club, The Fold.

For Lam, the project is about connection. ‘Wine is a beautiful social product – from its roots in agriculture to the conviviality of sharing a glass. Growing wine is a slow process and we only have that one opportunity per year to do something special.’

Nous

Marlborough

In a well-known region famed for scale, Nous proves that good things can come in the smallest of packages.

Rachael and Murray Cook farm just half a hectare on a steep clay hillside in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys – 0.29ha of Chardonnay and a newly planted 0.21ha of Pinot Noir – making them New Zealand’s smallest Biogro-certified organic vineyard.

The name Nous (rhymes with ‘house’) has layers of meaning: practical intelligence, philosophical perception and, in French, ‘we’, ‘us’ – very apt for a two-person operation where every vine is tended by hand.

‘It’s the culmination of over 20 years in wine,’ says Murray. ‘We wanted skin in the game, to create a legacy of our own making.’

Taking the plunge meant overcoming fear of failure, keeping day jobs to fund the vineyard (Murray is Dog Point’s winemaker, while Rachael is its marketing manager) and balancing family life.

From day one the vineyard has been organic and biodynamic, with high-density planting and a slope so steep that every task, from planting to hoeing, is physically demanding. ‘It’s not the easy way,’ Rachael admits, ‘but we want to challenge norms and pursue quality.’

Minimal rules

Minimalism rules: no synthetic pesticides in the vineyard; in the cellar, no additions beyond a little sulphur and no filtration.

‘Quality over quantity always,’ Murray says, noting: ‘[Biodynamics pioneer] Rudolph Steiner’s view on the farm as a living organism with minimal inputs and outputs makes us consider how we look after the soil, the plants, animals and our family home.’

They hope that knowledgeable drinkers might guess that their wine, tasted blind, hails from Marlborough (and Wairau specifically), but more importantly, that they’d find ‘a classic Old World ideology’ with an emerging style that’s all their own.

Nous Chardonnay is released annually on 1 September; the 2023 vintage is next up, while the first bottles of Pinot Noir are still about five years away.

It’s a slow burn but rewarding labour of love for its makers, who say ‘the joy we get from people enjoying the wine that we’ve created is far greater than we ever imagined’.

A Thousand Gods

Marlborough

The name A Thousand Gods comes from the Occitan word ‘miladiou‘ – an exclamation of surprise or astonishment heard in the vineyards of southern France.

For the label’s founders, Simon Sharpe and Lauren Keenan, it’s a tribute to the ‘salt of the earth characters’ they worked alongside in Cahors, especially Pierrot Jouves, father of Fabien of Mas del Périé, who at 85 years old is still out in the vineyard and on the tractor every day.

‘To work alongside people like this has been an invaluable experience,’ they told me.

After years making wine for others, the pair reached a turning point: keep working to someone else’s brief, or strike out on their own. The choice was obvious.

Certified-organic, biodynamically farmed fruit is sourced from Churton vineyard in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley.

Production is tiny, the wines made without a single additive, including sulphur dioxide; no filtration, no fining – just meticulous, minimalist winemaking.

Going against the grain

The approach is inspired by producers like Overnoy et Houillon, Ganevat and Richard Leroy, whose work Simon and Lauren believe shows that no-additive wines can be precise, cellarworthy and profound.

‘This went against everything we learnt at uni,’ Lauren admits, ‘and rekindled a fascination with wine in a new way.’

A Thousand Gods delights in challenging wine’s received wisdom, championing grapes and styles often maligned or pigeon-holed, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and rosé. ‘We hope our wines reflect a freedom from paradigm and show that anything is possible,’ says Simon.

They’re not concerned about whether people can pinpoint their wines’ origins – connection matters more than provenance.

And when it comes to the future, ‘every year is a chance to learn and improve’, says Lauren.

‘We decided not to push to grow or scale our production – keep it small and make the wines we want to make. We’ll keep going only if we can make wines we’re truly happy with.’

In a country where wines are often made with a priority on consistency rather than curiosity, A Thousand Gods is providing a salutary reminder that exciting things can start by asking ‘Why?’ and ‘Why not?’

Ashleigh Barrowman

Marlborough

Ashleigh Barrowman’s wines are as arresting as their labels.

Her company Siren Wine gives a nod to her favourite track, Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil, to Marlborough’s maritime climate and to the allure of wine itself.

‘Wine can captivate like a siren’s song,’ she says, ‘but it also demands respect – it can be destructive if abused.’

Barrowman embarked on the path towards starting her own label in 2020. A travelling winemaker splitting her time between Marlborough, Sicily, Burgundy, Jura and Gippsland, Australia, she had her wings clipped by the pandemic.

‘I started pruning at the Wrekin vineyard [in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys],’ she explains. ‘I instantly fell in love with the site and the people… it felt like it was meant to be. Timing is everything, and it was time to start my own wine.’

Her first vintage was in 2021 and she hasn’t looked back. Her ethos is simple: work only with biodynamically farmed, hand-harvested fruit and let the wine lead in the cellar.

‘I’m not a helicopter winemaker,’ she says. ‘I step in only if there’s real risk of fault. It’s harder to do less, but ultimately more rewarding.’

Staying motivated

Ashleigh’s range spans distinctive iterations of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir, with a flair for sous voile (flor) wines.

‘I’m working on wines that won’t be released until 2035, all going to plan: more sous voile and a 2024 blanc de noirs aged on lees for 10 years.’

Working solo can be isolating. ‘It’s easy to doubt yourself and [hard to] stay motivated at times,’ she says. ‘Juggling everything from production and logistics to distribution, sales and marketing can be overwhelming. At least I have a great accountant!’

Still, sharing her wines with friends, mentors and, especially, vignerons she’s worked alongside makes it worthwhile.

Her message to drinkers blends joy and advocacy: ‘Support small, independent producers who respect the land. Vote with your wallet. But also – have fun and don’t take it too seriously.’

Kahiwi

Central Otago

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pisa range, Kahiwi is farmed biodynamically, integrating native plants and regenerative practices.

Co-founders Olivia Ross and Mike Wolfenden set out to prove that working with nature rather than dominating it can produce profound results.

Veterans of Burn Cottage and Felton Road, respectively, they found a like-minded partner in investor Yew Lin Goh, who shared their belief that Central Otago Pinot is too often released too early.

‘Our Mount Pisa vineyard rewards patience,’ Olivia says, ‘and has the potential to produce ageworthy Pinot Noir.’ Their debut 2021 wines have just been released.

Having the licence to work according to their convictions has been liberating. Their 70/20/10 philosophy – 70% conservative practices, 20% informed experimentation, 10% leftfield experimentation – allows for innovation while honouring tradition.

Manual viticulture, no cultivation (ie, no tilling of the soil between the vine rows) and the absence of synthetic inputs are non-negotiables. In the cellar, the only addition is sulphur dioxide.

Two distinct Pinot Noir cuvées articulate the site: Madeline, from schist and quartz soils, is fine-boned and mineral; Stella, from clay-loam, is deeper, darker and more brooding.

Under their Scordatura label, they conduct small-batch experiments, such as five wines in 2021 inspired by the Platonic solids (five unique geometric shapes associated with Plato’s theories about the nature of the cosmos).

Launching a new brand while building a winery has been daunting, but Olivia says that the satisfaction of working at their own pace – ‘living in a synthesis of farming, philosophy and winemaking’ – is highly rewarding.

Natural goals

They give deep consideration to ‘the triangle of terroir: place, time and process’, and draw inspiration from philosophical and practical sources such as Platonism, the wu-wei concept of ‘effortless action’ in Taoism, Japanese artisanship (notably the influential thinking of the late Masanobu Fukuoka) and Amish-American farmer-agronomist John Kempf.

Goals include reaching 10% soil organic matter, achieving energy self-sufficiency and expanding plant life in and around the vineyard.

And at Clos Miki – a close-planted Bannockburn site they’ve stewarded since 2022 – they’re applying their thoughtful, innovative approach to newly planted Chardonnay vines.

‘Looking ahead 10 years,’ Mike says in conclusion, ‘we envision Kahiwi as a demonstration of what’s possible when fastidious winemaking and gentle land stewardship work together in harmony.

‘If we can show that this approach not only preserves but actively improves the land while producing wines of genuine distinction, perhaps we’ll have made a meaningful contribution to the future of Central Otago, and beyond.’

Moko Hills

Central Otago

For Donald van der Westhuizen of Moko Hills in Bendigo, Central Otago, winemaking is the ‘easiest’ part of the job. ‘The saying that wines are made in the vineyard is a little cliché, but still very true,’ he says.

The hardest part? ‘Communicating Moko Hills beyond a bottle or glass of wine… each bottle truly is a small glimpse into this very personal journey between people and place.’

Moko Hills, named for the small lizards (mokomoko in Māori) found in the area, is a 40ha family-owned estate farmed with organic and regenerative practices, growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Production is deliberately small – fewer than 300 cases – and is guided by Donald’s ‘less is more’ philosophy. Every vineyard and cellar decision is questioned: why do it – and is it needed?

An academic background in ecology shapes his approach. Once a purist aiming to return land to an ‘original’ state, he now focuses on ‘breaking the barriers between the “natural” world and farming systems’.

Central Otago’s famously collaborative spirit has been vital. ‘Many of the legends I looked up to when I first entered the industry have become mentors, peers and close friends,’ he explains.

‘Their support and the culture they’ve helped create is a big reason why I’ve put down roots here.’

A wider tapestry

His comfort lies in the challenges of, ‘countless hours under the summer sun, blown around in the spring winds and keeping warm during the frosty winter mornings’.

Living on-site means, ‘experiencing first-hand the seasonal flux and daily rhythms, invaluable for piecing together the knowledge of a place’.

Wine is just one thread in the broader Moko Hills tapestry: orchards for fruit and nuts, vegetable gardens, a flock of chickens (all called Lucy) and a landscape where native trees, birds and insects all thrive.

‘Wine is a conduit,’ Donald believes, ‘a way of understanding the nuances of place and creating social connection.’

Six wines from six new New Zealand producers

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New Zealand has built its reputation on wines defined by clarity, balance and purity. From the savoury Pinot Noirs of Wairarapa and Central Otago to the lively Sauvignon Blancs of Marlborough, precision and character run through every glass.

At Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025, the hallmark shone brightly across a wide range of varieties. When awarding top medals, judges looked for typicity and regional identity – and New Zealand delivered in abundance.

Sauvignon Blanc remains the country’s calling card for whites, and Pinot Noir for reds. Yet with near-perfect growing conditions and increasingly refined winemaking, other varieties are also excelling – and often presenting exceptional value.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring wines from New Zealand

At the 2025 competition, elegant Pinot Noirs, vibrant Sauvignon Blancs, silky Chardonnays and refined Syrahs all stood out, underpinning the country’s breadth of talent and the influence of its diverse climates and soils. Whether red, white or something in between, New Zealand’s award-winning wines continue to set the standard for purity and poise.

See this year’s DWWA 2025 results and discover the world’s best wines at awards.decanter.com

Best in Show

Craggy Range, Pinot Noir, Martinborough, Wairarapa 2024

Best in Show, 97 points

£26.95-£32.50 All About Wine, Corking Wines, Strictly Wine, Wine Republic

Of the six Pinot Noirs from New Zealand to feature in our Top 50 selections since 2018, this is the third to come from Wairarapa’s Martinborough (the other three, unsurprisingly, have been Central Otago wines). This is an uncompromisingly dark wine that plays to New Zealand’s strengths in terms of purity and vivacity of fruit: raspberry, cherry and plum come streaming from the glass, and the fine meshing of fruit and oak adds to its lustre and appeal. It’s both long and broad, but not in any way clumsy, and the fruit flavours (raspberry to the fore again) are hypnotic. Svelte tannins are barely palpable, so there’s no textural barrier to entry. Alcohol 13.5%

Auckland

Mudbrick Vineyard, Velvet, Waiheke Island 2022

Gold, 96 points

mudbrick.co.nz

A commanding presence, with youth and potential. Violets, dark berries, plums and blackcurrants nestle into the graphite tannins. Lifted cherry acidity with a lengthy coffee finish. Alc 14.8%

Central Otago

McArthur Ridge, Southern Tor Pinot Noir, Alexandra Basin 2023

Platinum, 97 points

mcarthurridge.com

Layers of crushed raspberry, plum, cherry, dried herbs, vanilla and baking spice. Stately and plush, with juicy acidity and firm but balanced tannins laying a foundation for ageing. Alc 14%

Te Kano, Northburn Pinot Noir 2022

Gold, 96 points

£32.80 Davy’s

A melange of black cherries, plums, violets and dried herbs set in a frame of graphite tannins and silky structure, with a disarming spice note to end. Alc 13%

Hawke’s Bay

Church Road, 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Syrah, Bridge Pa Triangle 2021

Gold, 95 points

church-road.com

Blackberry and mulberry jam with pink peppercorn and dried kalamata olive. Bright and poised with a sheen of plush tannin and a delicate acid line. Alc 13.5%

Marlborough

Rapaura Springs, Rohe Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Gold, 96 points

£19.50 Waitrose

A passion fruit, lime flower, angelica and basil fragrance wafts liberally over the nose and sinks into the steely, mineral palate. Long and mouthwatering. Alc 13.5%

Babich, Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Value Gold, 95 points

£13.50-£15.29 All About Wine, Sainsbury’s, Tesco

White peach, nettle, guava and lychee perfume with an undercurrent of fresh herbs. Assertive and persistent with a backbone of vibrant lemon acidity. Alc 13%

Delta Estate, Hatters Hill Chardonnay 2022

Gold, 95 points

£22.50 Hennings

Peach and pineapple fruit with a lick of chervil energy. Weighty on the palate with a buttery, satin texture and a slick acid line. Long and nutty. Alc 13%

Jackson Estate, Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Gold, 95 points

£15-£16 Booths, Waitrose

Kiwi juice, passion fruit, lime and mango flavours are offset by a glistening sea spray freshness and savoury line of samphire and green capsicum. Deliciously crunchy. Alc 13%

Lake Chalice, The Falcon Sauvignon Blanc, Dillons Point 2024

Value Gold, 95 points

£14.99 Hallgarten Wines

Stylish white nectarine, passion fruit and orange blossom enriched by a saline, savoury concentration and an alluring herbal focus. Fresh, citrussy and long. Alc 13.5%

Marisco Vineyards, Craft Series The Pioneer Chardonnay 2023

Gold, 95 points

marisco.co.nz

Stone fruit, quince and apple aromas intermingle with toasty vanilla and cedar oak. Weighty and broad with citrus acidity and a nutty finish. Alc 14%

Saint Clair Family Estate, Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Value Gold, 95 points

POA £ Hallgarten Wines

Lively greengage, plum and white blossom aromas with hints of vanilla cream. Fleshy and lush, kept in line by taut acidity and a lemon peel finish. Alc 13%

Stoneleigh, Rapaura Series Chardonnay 2023

Gold, 95 points

stoneleigh.com

Full of ripe yellow apple, peach and melon, supported by a slick, satiny texture and pristine oak definition. Flinty and linear. Alc 13%

Villa Maria, Private Bin Riesling 2024

Value Gold, 95 points

£11-£14.14 Booths, Ocado, Three Pillars, Waitrose

Bright apple, lime blossom and fresh dandelion aromas bloom over delightfully spindly acidity and a citrus drive that propels towards a mineral finish. Varietally spot-on. Alc 11.5%

Tohu, Pinot Noir, Awatere Valley 2022

Gold, 95 points

£19.95-£21.95 Booths, Love Wine, Ocado, Old Chapel Cellars, The Dorset Wine Co

Compelling notes of red cherry, raspberry, plum and clove with an intriguing, savoury nuance of chicory and radicchio to balance. Tense, compact and tightly wound. Alc 13%

Search all DWWA 2025 award-winning wines

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Despite their deep connection to the land and food production, New Zealand’s indigenous Māori have historically had little presence in one of its highest-value modern-day agricultural products: wine.

Vines were first planted in New Zealand in 1819 by missionary Samuel Marsden and were well established by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

But for much of the 20th century, Māori participation was largely limited to vineyard labour.

Meanwhile, many NZ European-owned brands freely borrowed Māori words, motifs and place names for marketing – often without consultation or understanding.

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Seeds of change

That picture is shifting. A small but growing cohort of Māori winemakers and wine businesses are now asserting a distinctly indigenous voice.

From individual talents like Jannine Rickards (Huntress), Richelle Tyney (Greywacke), Ben Trinick (Ata Rangi), Kelly Thomas (Rippon) and Barry Riwai (Alpha Domus), to established companies such as Tohu and the TUKU Collective, through to tiny newcomers such as Tawhiti and Tūāpae, Māori involvement is steadily broadening.

Their rise is not only about representation, it is also bringing new ideas and frameworks for sustainability, authenticity, identity and cultural respect to an increasingly receptive sector.

What’s in a name?

Māori culture has long been visible on New Zealand wine labels, but too often at surface-level appropriation. Evocative names, stylised symbols or te reo Māori language are used as a veneer of place.

As Haysley MacDonald, owner and founder of Marlborough’s te Pā Wines, has pointed out: ‘There are a lot of foreign companies that want to be Māori. They get a wine brand with a Māori name, whack a label on a bottle and sell it around the world. That’s a tough one when you are Māori; you see your names and places being ripped off.’

The rise of genuine Māori-owned producers offers a counterbalance, but cultural sensitivity remains paramount. Certain concepts, particularly those tied to tapu (sacred) traditions, risk being trivialised if used casually in association with alcohol.

Greywacke winemaker Tyney explains: ‘Wineries would just grab some concept out of the air and stick it on their bottle, without thinking about the consequences.’

The Māori Advisory Committees of the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand now help assess trademarks or branding proposals to prevent such misuse.

Reclaiming agency

The relationship between Māori culture and alcohol is complex. Alcohol was not traditionally part of Māori life, and the legacy of colonialism means Māori communities today – as with other indigenous communities worldwide – are overrepresented in statistics on addiction and poverty.

The tension of whether wine is an appropriate pathway for Māori development is acknowledged. The goal is not to romanticise alcohol, but to reclaim agency, create opportunities for Māori, and embed cultural values in a significant industry.

As Matua Murupaenga, co-founder with partner Imogen Weir of Tawhiti Wines (above), puts it: ‘A lot of the reasoning behind doing this was because I was moaning about all these wines with Māori names on the labels where nothing else about it is Māori. You can only moan for so long, then you’ve got to do something about it.’

Protecting the land

What increasingly distinguishes Māori producers is not only cultural representation, but how they approach the land.

Central to this is kaitiakitanga, a principle that loosely translates as guardianship. It is both practical and spiritual – farming not just for profit today but also for the well-being of future generations.

This perspective resonates strongly with the global shift towards regenerative agriculture.

Long before the term ‘regen’ became a buzzword, Māori farming was guided by maramataka (the lunar and astronomical calendars that directed planting, hunting and fishing), which emphasised cyclical balance, soil health and community well-being.

Marlborough-based Wakatū, which owns Tohu Wines – the first Māori-owned winery, founded in 1998 – operates under a 500-year business plan. That horizon speaks volumes about the Māori worldview, where stewardship extends well beyond the present.

Past, present and future

‘For us, Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview) is fundamentally who we are. It is our identity, guides how we work, and continually reminds us of our purpose,’ says Joe Hanita, tumu whakarae (CEO) of Wakatū.

‘Our story began with our tūpuna (ancestors) who will always be our biggest influence. The legacy that they have entrusted to us gives us the opportunity to tell our story, grow our interests, and connect people with place,’ he adds.

Veteran winemaker and consultant, Jeff Sinnott, frames this connection through tūrangawaewae – ‘the place where you stand’ – a concept akin to terroir.

‘To me there is great alignment between Kaupapa (principles) Māori and the principles of sustainable winegrowing. The unique multi-generational perspective that exists in Te Ao Māori, the idea of the interconnectedness of everything, brings a lot of principles into one place,’ he says.

Holistic approach

As Hanita explains: ‘For us at Tohu, this is not just about viticulture and winemaking. It’s about ensuring the whenua (land) thrives, so our people and communities thrive too.’

This alignment is increasingly visible in frameworks such as Te Waka Kai Ora, the National Māori Organics Authority.

Its Hua Parakore verification system validates food and other products, not only through soil and plant health but also whakapapa (genealogy), tikanga (protocol) and wairua (spirituality).

For Māori-led producers, it offers a uniquely indigenous lens on regenerative practices.

Deeper understanding

Much of the current energy is grassroots. In Wairarapa, Rickards of Huntress and Ata Rangi’s Trinick helped develop a te reo Māori booklet for local growers. While the Wairarapa Winegrowers Association hosted a hākari (feast) and noho (overnight stay) at the local community Hau Ariki Marae to educate visitors.

It was, says Rickards, ‘a starting point’ towards deeper integration between winemakers and iwi (the Māori people, tribe or nation).

‘We have ambitions to grow and further this initial project to encompass more learning that can be shared within the region,’ she adds.

These small initiatives matter. Wakatū’s Hanita notes: ‘As an export business, we often work with partners who are unfamiliar with our culture and practices, which can bring challenges – especially around understanding tikanga (customs), storytelling and decision-making processes.’

Connection and collaboration

Collaboration is also building through larger-scale initiatives such as the TUKU Collective. This network – which includes te Pā Wines, Tiki Wine & Vineyards, Steve Bird Wines, Kuru Kuru Wines and others – positions itself on shared values of kaitiakitanga, rangatiratanga (self-determination), manaakitanga (hospitality), and particularly, whanaungatanga (creating a sense of belonging, embracing people).

By presenting as a collective, these producers strengthen their own voices in the marketplace while signalling a move towards Māori-centric industry structures.

Globally, wine-drinkers are demanding more authenticity and connection. Younger consumers especially are drawn to producers who can offer more than marketing gloss; they want heritage, story, and values embedded in actual practices.

By bringing cultural depth, regenerative vision and authenticity, Māori winemakers are not just diversifying New Zealand wine, they are reshaping how the industry understands itself.

Visitors to recent flagship wine events such as Pinot Noir 2025 will have noticed how much more visible Māori culture and values have become within New Zealand wine.

Looking ahead

As the wider New Zealand wine industry seeks to distinguish itself on the global stage, Māori perspectives may prove pivotal. Kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, tūrangawaewae: these are not borrowed slogans but increasingly lived frameworks for New Zealanders of all ancestries.

For some, such as Rickards, whose career began within European wine traditions, the journey has been personally transformative.

‘With the revitalisation of Māori culture it is very fulfilling and tika (right). I now “feel” Māori. My tīpuna are within me and support me in my journey.’

Sinnott, too, is optimistic. ‘I’m incredibly positive about the role Māori wine professionals will play in the future. Coming from a position of genuine connection to whenua, iwi, hapū and whānau (land, tribal and family connections), the next generation will hopefully have things a little better defined. I see a great future for them.’

Māori winemaking: Eight wines to try

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As we wade through the sticky, sultry dog days of summer, the allure of cool and refreshing drinks becomes not just more tantalising, but necessary.

And perhaps you’re currently feeling a little jaded by just the one style of wine you’ve been drinking over the past few weeks, too hot and bothered to muster up the brain power to try anything else.

A long, hot summer can be an awfully long time to constantly drink just the one rosé after all.

So if you’re stuck in a summer rut, here are three top tips to find something else to shake up your summer evenings and languid days by the pool.

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1. Wines made by the sea

It sounds obvious or perhaps rather silly, but wines made from coastal regions really do seem to have the juice when it comes to the best styles of wines for summer sipping.

Is it the varieties’ intrinsic nature? Does proximity to the sea really give them a salty tang?

Are winemakers in these areas just more clued-in to the style of wines that work best with your feet in the sand and the roar of the surf in your ears?

Maybe a mix of it all?

Either way, there’s no doubt that if you want a great wine for the summer, think of places beside the sea as a good starting place.

There are loads of wines which just scream summer and beach holidays, accompanied by fresh seafood.

There’s Vinho Verde from northern Portugal, Txakoli from Spain’s Basque country, Muscadet from the Loire.

Heading into the Mediterranean we have the refreshing salty lick of Manzanilla Sherry, the herbal freshness of Xarel-lo in Catalonia, brisk Picpoul de Pinet and pale rosé from the southern French coast, stony Vermentino from Sardinia and Tuscany and the kaleidoscope of varieties from the Greek islands.

2. The faraway Mediterranean

And that’s just Europe we’ve been talking about. But don’t forget that much of the winemaking world operates on the same principals and proximity to the ocean in the warmer climes of the Americas, Africa and Antipodes is often essential to help moderate the temperature.

As such, a great many non-European regions are also seaside wines par excellence.

This is particularly true when many of these Mediterranean-esque regions are also producing wines made from grape varieties you’d expect to find in Europe, such as Albariño – which has seen an increase in worldwide plantings in recent years.

Large chunks of California, the Chilean littoral, the Cape in South Africa, Western and South Australia and the islands of New Zealand are great places for crisp and refreshing whites made from Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Semillon and so forth.

3. Beyond Provence

Finally, a word on rosé. Provence set the bar years ago with its brilliantly pale and limpid pinks.

These boosted rosé from being one of the has-been afterthoughts of global viticulture to a runaway hype-train of luxury labels and copycats.

But popularity comes at a price and Provence is now at a premium. However, you don’t have to look far to find wines that are essentially identical.

Both the nearby Languedoc and Roussillon produce extremely delicious rosés in much the same style as Provence and with the same grapes but for a fraction of the price.

Indeed, such has been the impact of pale Provence rosé, that around Europe and the world, you can now find your desire for chillable pink fulfilled by pretty much every country and region mentioned above.

Remember that Liz Gabay MW gives us a rundown each year not only of her pick of the latest Provence rosé releases, but her selection of the best rosés from around the world.

Below is a selection perfect summer white and rosé wines that have been tasted recently by the Decanter team or one of our esteemed experts.

With any luck it’ll give you some extra inspiration for something new to put in the fridge before the summer is through.

Decanter Cellar: 25 white and rosé wines for summer

Wines are listed white then rosé in score order

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Australian Securities Exchange-listed Santana Minerals said in June that it was pressing ahead with its NZ$4.4bn Bendigo-Ophir gold mine project, and would lodge an application under the New Zealand government’s new Fast Track Approvals Act.

The proposed site lies within an ‘outstanding natural landscape’, a designation intended to protect the unique environment and scenery that underpins one of the country’s flagship wine regions and tourism destinations.

The 2024 act allows ‘nationally significant’ projects to be fast-tracked through an expert panel, with final decisions made by ministers.

Critics of the fast-track law argue the new process could weaken scrutiny, sideline local voices and remove broader public input, potentially increasing environmental risks.

Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) has written to New Zealand’s prime minister, Christopher Luxon, requesting it be included in the process as an affected party.

‘Central Otago has built a globally respected brand founded on premium wine production, authentic visitor experiences and environmental stewardship,’ said COWA.

‘These industries are long-term, value-generating investments. The risk of environmental degradation, reputational harm and disruption to this workforce must be weighed seriously.

‘The expected returns from the mine… stand in stark contrast to the enduring, compounding economic value provided by wine and tourism. This imbalance raises serious questions about the strategic benefit to New Zealand.’

The gold mine project’s scale is significant – an open pit nearly a kilometre wide and 200 metres deep, with additional pits and a tailings dam.

Santana insisted environmental safeguards will be robust. It said in June that several key ecological reports were in progress, and that environmental considerations and community engagement are central to its planning.

However, there has been local public opposition to the new gold mine project, led by groups such as Sustainable Tarras. Concerns range from possible contamination of water and long-term ecological harm to the impact on regional tourism and damage to the area’s fine wine identity.

The Central Otago District Council said in June that it would be challenging to adequately review the proposed project under the fast-track act’s compressed timeframes, reported local media outlet Wānaka App. It said the council had also warned Santana subsidiary Matakanui Gold over breaches to the district plan, although it added the firm was working with authorities to address the issues.

Santana said its Bendigo-Ophir gold mine plans will generate ‘an average of 364 direct jobs and about 500 indirect jobs during operations’, plus NZ$900m in taxes and royalties.

The group recently acquired 2,880 hectares (ha) of land for the project for NZ$25m, subject to Overseas Investment Office approval, with gold production targeted by late 2026.

Despite local concerns, Damian Spring, CEO of Santana Minerals, said in June, ‘For many of our team this is our home too, and our focus is on listening, refining and working together to build a project that Central Otago can be proud of for generations to come.’

Winegrowers have warned of the need for proper oversight and said they are determined to ensure the voices of Central Otago’s wine and wider community are not ignored. 

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• Exploring the terroir and stylistic evolution of Central Otago Pinot Noir
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• The Central Otago Burgundy Exchange: Co-fermenting cultures, transforming viticulture

Sweeping beaches gleam with pristine waves gently rolling over the shores of this calm island festooned with vineyards, off the coast of Auckland. On arrival, the slow pace leads to instant decompression, with nature unfurling widescreen splendour across cosy corners and epic vistas that never seem too busy, even in peak summertime.

Waiheke, whose original Māori name, Te Motu Arai Roa, means ‘the long sheltering island’, feels like a place of refuge – and at less than 20km long, it’s delightfully simple to navigate. For winery visits, there’s enough variety to fill a whole week or a weekend, depending on your schedule.

Either way, don’t miss Man O’ War, a cellar door with a jaw-dropping setting by the beach in Man O’ War Bay and vertiginous vineyards redolent of Alsace-by-the-sea. You can drive there, take the hop-on-hop-off bus or go by boat (tickets via explore group, depart from Auckland’s Viaduct harbour). The beach is one that Captain Cook once eyed for kauri trees from which to make masts for his ships. The atmosphere on arrival is high-quality and informal.

Man O’ War is known for its Bordeaux blends, such as top-level Tytti (‘too-tee’) 2019. But for me, the wine of the tasting, for both value and deliciousness, was the Dreadnought Syrah 2021.

The Forest Flight ziplining experience through the forest gives sublime views and is marshalled impeccably. It’s easy to book in advance through the winery’s website. Flying over the trees back down to the coast was the highlight of my visit to the island.

DJs and zero dosage

More centrally located and easily accessible from the main Onetangi Road is Soho Family Vineyards. This boutique cellar door is all about fun, reflected in its strikingly cool wine labels. For walk-ins of up to six people there’s no need to book. With great tunes in the afternoons, the coolest t-shirts in the trade, Asian fusion food and wines named after pop culture icons (think Jagger Pinot Gris) its informality is a delight. Look out for owner Rachael Carter’s delightful sheepadoodle Dusty, sometimes to be found in the DJ booth.

This is a place to soak up some sunshine, revel in the ‘entertain not explain’ ethos and sip scrumptious rosé. Wine highlights include the zero dosage Mara Méthode Rosé Brut 2022 and Westwood 2024 – the latter a joyful rosé to match the vibe.

For a complete contrast, a few moments up the hill is Te Motu, famed for holding back its wines until they’re fully mature – some for 25 years – before serving them in its stunningly beautiful restaurant garden overlooking the vineyards of Onetangi valley. Vertical tastings are available seven days a week and the quality in the glass is magical.

Founder Paul Dunleavy bought the vineyard site when he was just 31, leaving corporate life in his 50s to focus on Te Motu. Working together with his son Rory, the sense of treating wine as legacy is palpable – not just in holding back vintages to mature before release (all under cork) – but in their sense of mutual devotion to the craft of wine. ‘To make wines like this, we take risks,’ says Paul as I sip his Kuikui 2019, sourced from low-yielding Syrah vines. Its spicy finesse, fragrance of inky violets and vivacity made it one of the most compelling wines of my trip.

Lees lover

If there’s one wine name that’s worth memorising to seek out in Waiheke it’s Kelly Washington. Husband-and wife duo Tamra Kelly-Washington and Simon Kelly set out to produce wines using grapes from fastidious growers on Waiheke. They aim only to deal with single-plot sites with old vines at high altitude and high-density planting. All must be sustainably and organically or biodynamically farmed.

I’ve long been a fan of their Waiheke Syrah, which I source from The Wine Society in the UK. They don’t have a cellar door, but Waiheke is their home and you’ll come across their wines on a whole stack of the local lists.

Stylistically, Tamra’s wines are linked by her love of lees. She told me: ‘I never get rid of them until the last point.’ This leads to a silkiness across her red, white and rosé range that delivers elegant and enchanting wines.

Passage Rock is a dreamy setting for lovers of fine wood and high-quality cooking. With a sea view surrounded by vines, the restaurant is welcoming and relaxing, while dishes are next-level. Chef Alexander Blee tells me he cooks ‘clean, honest, pure dishes with quality ingredients from Waiheke. The whole idea is to support David’s wine; wine needs to be the star.’

That David is winemaker David Evans, who tends to pick a few weeks later than everyone else on the island. This gives his wines opulence as well as balance. ‘I trust my land,’ he told me. ‘You can’t rush nature.’ His Sauvignon Blanc is pitch-perfect with a platter of local Pacific oysters, but don’t miss his world-class Viognier. As for reds, his selection of Syrah is worth the plane ticket to New Zealand alone – and offers categoric proof that reds can mature under screwcap. Although my heart was lost to David’s Syrah, his Cabernets are top level, too. As he puts it: ‘Syrah is reliable every year; in the great years Cabernet pisses all over it.’

What I love most about Waiheke is encapsulated right there: world-class wines in the most relaxed, informal settings; new friends easily made; and beaches and landscapes to make your eyes glow in their sockets. It’s this simple: book your flight.

My perfect day on Waiheke Island

Morning

Start the day with a visit to Man O’ War, for a wine tasting by the beach, then lunch. I highly recommend the Forest Flight zipline experience – truly incredible views over the island’s coastline stretching for miles on a clear day. The flora and fauna, from ferns to giant kauri trees – even the odd stick insect – are also awe-inspiring.

Afternoon

After lunch, take a taxi or hop on a bus to Passage Rock for an afternoon tasting. Better still, you can walk the 9.4km from Man O’War to Passage Rock as part of the Te Ara Hura trail, a 100km walking adventure around Waiheke. For all the details on this walk and others, visit Walk Waiheke. I’d go so far as to say that Passage Rock should be dubbed ‘Condrieu-on-Sea’ for the plushness and lavish quality of the local Viogner. The reds, too, are fulsome and ripe – the Reserve Syrah is a must-taste. The food is spectacular if you’re up for snacks or even an early dinner, but booking is essential.

Evening

For more tasting, pre-book a taxi and head to Te Motu for a feast overlooking the vines alongside magical mature Waiheke wines. For a lighter bite, head to The Oyster Inn overlooking Oneroa Bay, for some of the island’s best seafood. Pair outrageously fresh local oysters and vibrant kingfish crudo with a glass of Kelly Washington Rosé 2024. Stay the night at Cable Bay Views and wake up to some of the most gorgeous vistas on the island.

How to get there

From Auckland’s Downtown Ferry Terminal, the crossing to Waiheke takes 40 minutes with Fullers 360 as a foot passenger. There are 21 sailings daily. To travel with a vehicle, Sealink Ferries takes an hour and there are seven sailings every day. Tickets and information can be found at Fullers and Sealink.

Your Waiheke address book

Accommodation

Cable Bay Views, Oneroa

Spotless modern studios with gorgeous floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over Waiheke’s wonderful landscape.

The Boatshed, Oneroa

A boutique, chic and luxurious hotel just above the beach at Oneroa.

Waiheke Waterfront Lodge, Oneroa

A five-star modern hotel that enjoys beautiful views over Huruhi Bay.

Restaurants

Casita Miro, Onetangi

Stylish cellar door restaurant specialising in locally sourced tapas dishes.

The Heke, Onetangi

A family-friendly option where you can also enjoy drinks from Waiheke Brewery Co and Waiheke Whisky.

Three Seven Two, Onetangi

Multi-award-winning, right across from Onetangi beach with a huge spread of dishes (named for the first three digits of the Waiheke phone number).

Activities

EcoZip Adventures, near Onetangi

If you don’t do the zipline activity at Man O’ War, this three-hour experience takes you over native forests and vineyards.

Waiheke Community Art Gallery

Always has a range of exhibitions and programs from around New Zealand.

Waiheke Distilling Co, Cowes Bay

Its signature Spirit of Waiheke gin is famed throughout the island. Tour the distillery then settle in for a tasting and food.

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If strangers with wildly different histories and paradigms set out to complete a task together, what would happen?

This abstract thought experiment has been formally conducted in France and New Zealand since 2006.

France, and Burgundy specifically, has been producing some of the world’s most sought-after wine for two millennia. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were born in Burgundy, and Cistercian monks created and refined the concept of terroir there.

New Zealand, meanwhile, is the youngest major wine-producing country in the world. Winemakers there are hailed for modernising the concept of terroir by infusing it with Māori values such as kaitiakitanga and tūrangawaewae, which links sustainability, and a deep human connection to place.

And we all know what they did with Savvy B…

Despite the stark differences, the global wine community is intimate, and Burgundy and New Zealand have been connected for decades.

How it started

‘In 2006, Sophie Confuron of Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron came down to Central Otago for the first time,’ says Nick Mills (below), winemaker and general manager at his family estate, Rippon Vineyard, recalling the start of this co-fermentation of viticultures.

He knew Confuron well and had spent years in Burgundy himself studying viticulture in Beaune and working as a cellar rat at Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron, Nicolas Potel, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and others.

‘We’d asked her to come down and present at the 2006 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration, on how the Cistercians’ beliefs and practices had advanced the notion of terroir,’ he explains.

The journey inspired Confuron to propose a student exchange between Central Otago and Burgundy.

The first official Central Otago Burgundy Exchange (COBEX) occurred in 2007, with a growers association and college in each region coordinating logistics.

Every year, wineries in each region agree to host stagiaires (interns) from abroad, providing them with the opportunity to experience a harvest and become immersed in the hosting region’s approach to farming, wine and culture.

The COBEX experience has had ripple effects on each region’s approach to viticulture and human culture.

Influence on viticulture

Stagiaires from Central Otago head to Burgundy to, ‘gain insight from the centuries of attention to specific vineyard sites, and the enormous history and respect for tradition there that a person from a very young country like New Zealand cannot fully appreciate until being fully immersed in it,’ says Carolyn Murray (below), general manager of the Central Otago Winegrowers Association.

Conversely, Burgundians arrive in Otago to discover what it’s like to work in a region devoted to fine wine, but without ‘detailed geographical and political overlays, and therefore free of the sort of constraints they have grown used to,’ Murray explains.

For Ben Leen, winemaker at Amisfield Winery, one of the stagiaires who descended on Burgundy in 2022, the experience was a revelation.

Feet on soil

‘Walking the vineyards with the owners, and being in places I’d only ever heard of discussed in hushed tones, like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, gave me a deep understanding of the tapestry and layers of terroir,’ he says.

‘We would open wines from the parcel that we had just walked for context, and I understood everything at a much more micro level. It helped me approach terroir very differently when I returned,’ he adds.

Leen’s method shifted, and he began seeing a season in its totality, while allowing different sections of the vineyard to ‘speak’ to him.

‘I began to see how every square metre has a different personality, and a different way of responding and performing,’ Leen says.

‘No-one in Burgundy talks about pH or residual sugar. That was so revelatory. The knowledge and devotion to science is there, but the understanding of wine seemed deeper.’

Influence on human terroir

While Burgundy’s effect on Central Otago’s approach to physical terroir is arguably more pronounced, the opposite is true for human culture.

‘We are just floating in this vast ocean in New Zealand,’ says Mills. ‘There’s an incredible freedom of spirit. You can imagine almost anything happening. In Burgundy, it’s much more insular, with centuries of history.’

Cistercians built walls, created hierarchies and codified degrees, essentially, of holiness from site to site.

In Otago, the physical remoteness of the country imbues the people with a deep connection to their own personal plot of land, Mills argues, but also with the freedom to farm, cultivate and perceive it as they want to.

‘Central Otago is so free and youthful in comparison to Burgundy, and the stagiaires who come here to experience it return home with a new sense of openness,’ Mills says.

Close connections

The regions have also found opportunities to support each other emotionally and financially through their close-knit exchange.

‘Central Otago Winegrowers made a donation of €5,000 to the Association for the Restoration of the Abbaye de St-Vivant, where the very notion of terroir was seeded,’ says Murray.

‘And after the Christchurch earthquake, our friends in Burgundy sent rare, old and large format bottles of their wine to New Zealand, which we offered at auction and raised over NZ$40,000 for earthquake appeal.’

In practice, the thought experiment has yielded arguably better wine through a more precise approach to viticulture, and a more open approach to human culture.

It also fermented a long and unexpectedly symbiotic friendship, with impacts that ripple well beyond the world of wine.

The Central Otago Burgundy Exchange: the facts

The concept for the exchange was born in 2006.

It has been conducted every year since, with a two-year pause during Covid-19.

More than 100 stagiaires have travelled on the exchange.

COBEX is run by a grower association and an agricultural college on each side.

In Burgundy: Mosaïque Bourgogne International and the CFPPA de Beaune.

In New Zealand: Central Otago Winegrowers Association and the Otago Polytechnic Central Campus.

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Thirty years on, its influence has been profound, shaping New Zealand wine’s internal identity while helping to establish its international reputation for quality and integrity. A recent ambitious commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century marks a shift from sustainability to climate action, one that could again see New Zealand blazing a global trail.

From its outset, SWNZ was to be more than just a marketing tool – it was an industry-led, science-backed initiative. Initially focused on vineyard practices, SWNZ expanded in 2002 to include winery operations, enabling producers to assess and manage their entire production footprint.

NZ sustainability snapshot

Data from New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainability Report 2025

98% of all vineyard area is certified by SWNZ

More than 90% of wine is processed in SWNZ-certified facilities

68% of wineries and 56% of vineyards are actively minimising their carbon footprint

40% of wineries have energy efficiency initiatives and 15% have installed solar energy sources

127 vineyards and 30 wineries are measuring GHG emissions via verified certification programmes – of which 30 vineyards and 12 wineries through Toitu Carbon Zero

81% of wineries have waste reduction initiatives

100% of wineries and 92% of vineyards are optimising water use through conservation and reduction

99% of vineyards use non-chemical methods for managing pests and diseases

63% of wineries use lightweight glass bottles

NZ-produced glass has a 75% recovery rate, the highest globally

2,267ha of land has been contributed to biodiversity protection initiatives

‘A shared baseline’

Rosie Finn of Nelson’s Neudorf Vineyards, one of the founding wineries, says that it ‘helped build a system that gave structure to the values many of New Zealand’s early wine-growers already held. It created a shared baseline – something practical, measurable, and genuinely world-leading.’

Today, more than 98% of New Zealand’s vineyard area is covered and around 90% of its wine is produced in SWNZ-certified facilities. As SWNZ programme manager Meagan Littlejohn comments, ‘The buy-in from the New Zealand wine industry definitely exceeded expectations. Our large membership base has allowed key sustainability practices and initiatives to be implemented throughout the industry.’

SWNZ’s development has brought together growers, winemakers, researchers and government and community partners. Independent audits assess compliance across a wide spectrum: from soil and water management to pest control, biodiversity and energy use. The standards are updated regularly to reflect emerging science, and benchmarking tools now allow wineries to compare performance with their peers, an effective nudge toward continual improvement.

With almost 90% of New Zealand wine exported, in a climate where environmental credentials increasingly influence buying decisions, SWNZ has strengthened the country’s global standing, especially in markets such as Scandinavia, the UK and North America. For many New Zealand producers though, sustainability has evolved into something deeper than compliance – it’s become a matter of identity.

David Peabody, executive director of Craggy Range says, ‘SWNZ was far ahead of its time… and more importantly, it embedded sustainability in practice. When Craggy Range began in 1998, the SWNZ programme was already operational. That has meant it’s been part of our DNA from the beginning.’ Craggy Range is currently transitioning its vineyards to organic, regenerative and biodynamic practices. ‘We are a family-owned business that wants our land to be in a better place for future generations… Farming in this way also forms a deep relationship with land.’

Supporting wineries

SWNZ also provides a foundation for further sustainability programmes. Marlborough’s Lawson’s Dry Hills joined in 2008, and is now one of New Zealand’s growing number of certified B-Corp wineries.

Sales and marketing manager Belinda Jackson says, ‘SWNZ was a brilliant starting place for us. We knew we could do more, and ISO 14001 was perfect – an internationally recognised system focused on a holistic, whole-business approach as well as continuous improvement.

‘Having achieved so much with 14001, we became ISO 14064 Toitu Net Carbon Zero-certified in record time.’

General manager Sion Barnsley agrees. ‘Our own internal sustainability journey started with the belief we could do a whole lot better than what was required by SWNZ at the time,’ he says. ‘But forward to today and that thinking no longer applies. SWNZ in a relatively short timeframe has made huge and necessary strides in creating a robust and meaningful sustainability programme.’

Jackson adds: ‘They provide an amazing resource for wineries to develop their own sustainability journeys.’

A matter of balance

Still, the programme isn’t without critics. With such widespread adoption, some worry that it risks becoming a minimum standard rather than a mark of excellence. Others argue that while SWNZ encourages reductions in synthetic inputs, it stops short of advocating for organic, regenerative or biodynamic farming – approaches that are gaining traction globally (16% of New Zealand’s wineries hold organic certification, according to SWNZ). Others point to social equity metrics, an area of comparatively slow evolution.

Littlejohn acknowledges the challenge of balancing ambition with inclusivity. ‘Having such a large membership base means that SWNZ members are very diverse – from small family-owned operations to larger multi-national wine corporations. That means we can’t move as quickly as some niche programmes, because we need to bring everyone along with us.’ But she sees this as a reflection of the wider process, stating, ‘The goal is to be better than you were yesterday. Year by year, bit by bit, multiple positive actions across our industry ensure our industry, our world and our wine are better for it.’

Roadmap to Net Zero 2050

Despite New Zealand’s distance from major markets, SWNZ helped demonstrate that a small, export-focused country can have a low-impact wine footprint. But until recently, there was no unified plan for decarbonisation. That changed in 2024 when New Zealand

Winegrowers launched the Roadmap to Net Zero 2050, committing the industry to net-zero carbon emissions. It sets concrete targets: halving Scope 1 emissions by 2040, scaling up renewable energy, transitioning to low-emission transport, and boosting carbon sequestration through vineyard and native plantings. Data gathered through SWNZ enables certified vineyards and wineries to receive personalised annual greenhouse has (GHG) emissions benchmarking reports, essential for tracking progress.

Implementation will be the real test. Many wineries face steep barriers, from limited capital to lack of technical expertise. Bridging that gap will require coordinated investment, policy alignment and supply chain support, all while navigating evolving international carbon accounting standards. But as Littlejohn notes, ‘Sustainability is no longer a “nice-to-have” for many retailers and consumers – it has become a critical element of the wine industry’s social licence to operate.

‘Our producers’ commitment to sustainable practices over the last three decades means that consumers can trust that their bottle of New Zealand wine has been made with respect for our natural world and for our people.’

In a wine world increasingly shaped by climate uncertainty and consumer scrutiny, SWNZ is more than a success story – it’s a case study in what’s possible when an industry takes ownership of its impact.

Sustainability expert Dr Irina Santiago-Brown once remarked: ‘Being sustainable is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, that continually recedes from us the closer we get to it.’ For New Zealand wine, the pursuit itself has become the point – and the payoff.

Central Otago reaches 30% organics

Central Otago recently celebrated a milestone, with 30% of its vineyard area now certified organic – and has an ambitious target of 50% by 2030 in its sights. Carolyn Murray, general manager of Central Otago Winegrowers (COWA), says, ‘Central Otago has earned its international reputation for consistently delivering beyond what you’d expect from a region of our size… this is a true testament to the passion and dedication of our growers.’

Having exceeded its target of 20% by 2020 (reaching 23%), COWA partnered with Lincoln University to explore how to reach its next goal. The study highlighted the region’s innovative spirit, strong peer network and international appeal as key drivers. Rippon’s Nick Mills, whose family estate was an early adopter of organic farming in the mid-1990s, thinks that high-profile producers ‘who went early’ helped lead the way. He also believes the region’s focus on Pinot Noir and its expression of place fosters a conducive mindset, commenting, ‘Enough people in the region have thought, “how do I get my wine to taste like my place?” That question alone led many to organics.’

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Built in conjunction with local geospatial experts MapHQ, and based upon AMW’s original Wine Map of Marlborough, the freely available digital platform overlays topography, temperature, rainfall and soil data onto high-resolution photography, accompanied by commentary from winemakers and viticulturists. The result is a fascinating exploration of how terroir shapes style and variety across the region’s sprawling patchwork of subregions, providing professionals and enthusiasts alike with an entirely new way to engage with the region.

Users can toggle between individual layers, tracing how cool night temperatures snake up the Awatere, comparing rainfall totals, and discovering why Sauvignon Blanc from Seaview differs from that of Dillon’s Point, or how Omaka’s Pinot Noir contrasts with that of its neighbour, Brancott. It’s equal parts atlas, climatology lesson and wine guide.

The map also deepens understanding of Marlborough’s growing subregional identities. Once simply divided into three main zones – Wairau, Southern Valleys and Awatere – it has become increasingly evident that this neat segmentation no longer reflects the complexity on the ground. AMW’s cartography uses water catchment areas, climate data and soils to define three macro regions and eight subregions, allowing users to drill down into the vineyard-level detail that is increasingly referenced on premium labels.

AMW chair Sophie Parker-Thomson MW called the map ‘a quantum leap in communicating Marlborough’s diverse wine story.

‘For the first time, we are offering a dynamic, visual exploration of how our distinctive subregions and microclimates stylistically contribute to our wines. It’s an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of what makes the Marlborough wine region, and the AMW certified wines produced here, so exceptional,’ she added.

Beyond its marketing potential, the map – now freely accessible on the AMW website – arms consumers with a user-friendly tool to explore the region’s quality-focused producers. It helps distinguish those telling the subregional story from the more generic, brand-driven offerings, and is expected to evolve as new data layers and vintage overlays are added, rewarding repeat visits driven by curious wine lovers.

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David Hohnen calls it the ‘eyebrow effect’. ‘You watch them shoot up as soon as they put their nose in a glass,’ he says, chuckling.

Back in 1985, the Cloudy Bay founder leveraged that instant reaction to gain a foothold in UK independent retail for his inaugural vintage.

As savvy a storyteller as he is a winemaker, Hohnen also sent samples abroad with a jar of Marlborough green-lipped mussels, telling recipients to get a corkscrew and some fresh, crusty bread.

The UK market took off and soon eyebrows were lifting worldwide.

Scroll down to see notes and scores of six brilliant Cloudy Bay wines

Cloudy Bay’s story began in 1983, when Hohnen, an Australian winemaker at Cape Mentelle in Margaret River, encountered the eyebrow effect himself.

Visiting New Zealand, winemakers left him a bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that ‘blew my socks off’. The following year, he sought out its source.

Flying into Marlborough, he recalls looking across the summer-brown hillsides and thinking, ‘Yes, this is the place.’ His initial plan was a fly-in, fly-out winemaking venture but that quickly changed.

A Marlborough legend

Convincing his Cape Mentelle backers – his brother Mark and business partner Simon Fraser – to borrow NZ$1 million at an eyewatering 23.5% interest rate, Hohnen purchased land on Jacksons Road, built a winery and hired a young Australian winemaker named Kevin Judd to oversee production.

The first vintage, in 1985, was made with 40 tonnes of purchased fruit trucked to Selaks’ Gisborne winery, where Judd was working.

From the start, Cloudy Bay set a benchmark for its Sauvignon Blanc, defined by vibrant tropical fruit, racy acidity and a signature pungency.

‘We produced wine without compromising on quality,’ Judd explains. ‘There were never any questions about that. We also delivered consistency across those early years. David had also just won two Jimmy Watson trophies, and the wine world trusted him.’

As demand surged, Champagne house Veuve Clicquot took an interest, investing in Cloudy Bay in 1990 after purchasing a nearby vineyard that became known as the Widow’s Block (a tribute to Madame Clicquot), now a key source of fruit.

This partnership ultimately led to full ownership by the LVMH group in 2003, unlocking investment and global reach while maintaining Cloudy Bay’s hands-off, quality-first approach. In 2014, the winery expanded into Central Otago, home of its flagship Pinot Noir, Te Wāhi.

Cloudy Bay: A timeline

1985: Cloudy Bay established

1990: Veuve Clicquot takes a stake

1992: First Pelorus méthode traditionnelle release

1994: First Marlborough Pinot Noir release

2000: First Te Koko release (1996 vintage)

2003: LVMH purchases Cloudy Bay outright

2009: Cloudy Bay begins to explore Central Otago

2014: Purchase of the Northburn vineyard and leasing of the Calvert vineyard, both in Central Otago

2016: First release of Te Wāhi Pinot Noir (2014 vintage)

‘Change but no change’

Four decades on, much remains as it was.

Sauvignon Blanc is still Cloudy Bay’s cornerstone – both the classic bottling and the wild-fermented Te Koko – alongside Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and the Pelorus sparkling range.

Winemaking director Nikolai St George (pictured, above) leads a passionate, focused team, with technical and sustainable development senior director Jim White observing that ‘the winemaking approach is bigger than one person; any change happens in incremental steps’.

The evolution of Te Koko exemplifies this ethos – once a bold, funky, barrel-driven experiment, it has been slowly refined with the addition of concrete tulip tanks, foudres and shorter ferments, bringing greater precision to its wild-ferment profile.

St George believes that ‘New Zealand is good at understanding something and then making it our own’, echoing Hohnen’s view that Cloudy Bay blends Old and New World influences.

‘I’ve always felt grateful to have the Old World’s knowledge and the New World’s ability to discard traditions that didn’t work,’ he says.

‘At Cloudy Bay, there’s change, but no change. The winemaking remains hands-off, the place still feels right. But LVMH has brought investment that we could never have imagined back then.’

Sustainability is now a key focus, including a winery rooftop solar system, a carbon-reducing autonomous tractor and, thus far, 190ha of vineyards farmed without herbicides.

A social initiative supports Pacific Islander seasonal workers with entrepreneurship mentoring and interest-free loans, reflecting a deeper commitment to the people behind the wine.

Looking forward, Cloudy Bay’s focus is refining its Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, expanding Chardonnay plantings and maintaining the quality-driven ethos that has defined it for 40 years.

Cloudy Bay’s Marlborough vineyards

702ha in the Wairau and Southern valleys: 524ha of Sauvignon Blanc, 102ha of Pinot Noir and 76ha of Chardonnay. There are also about 550ha of Cloudy Bay-owned or directly managed/leased grower blocks and about 150ha of grower blocks managed to Cloudy Bay guidelines.

Style pioneer

Cloudy Bay’s trailblazing success in the UK in the late 1980s undoubtedly helped propel the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc category forward, paving the way for greater investment and increased global recognition.

‘Cloudy Bay benefited from its reputation coming from winemakers, not marketers,’ says Judd. ‘David’s credibility certainly drove international interest.’ Today, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc accounts for more than 70% of New Zealand’s wine exports.

Hohnen, now 75, first revisited Cloudy Bay in 2022 after almost 20 years away. ‘I almost felt a sense of vertigo,’ he admits. ‘I was so surprised by the degree of emotion I felt.’

Reflecting on the early days, he muses: ‘I had a three-year plan, driven by my methodical nature. Never would I have thought to look 40 years ahead.’

Few wines have shaped a country’s global reputation like Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc did for New Zealand.

As the winery celebrates its 40th anniversary, it’s a moment to reflect upon an extraordinary journey, and perhaps to wonder what the next 40 years will bring.

Celebrating 40 years in style 

At the end of February, Cloudy Bay celebrated its 40th anniversary with a three-day event for 40 international guests, who were treated to a series of tastings, vineyard and winery activities, and long lunches and dinners that showcased Cloudy Bay’s current and library releases, alongside a fabulous array of local produce. 

The finale was a 40th birthday celebration for 200 on the winery lawn, at which founder David Hohnen gave a moving and amusing speech before guests danced the night away under the A Pelorus rosé tower Marlborough stars.

The Jenkins pick: Cloudy Bay across the decades

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Back in January 2024, I took part in a three-day Decanter panel tasting of NZ Sauvignons that highlighted stark contrasts in craftsmanship and style. It left me pondering: has the magic of New Zealand, and especially Marlborough, faded?

It’s a fair question. The success of NZ Sauvignon Blanc on a global scale mirrors the rise – and subsequent fall – of Australian Chardonnay in the early 2000s. Back then, the market was flooded with cheap, overly oaked examples that sullied the reputation of Australian Chardonnay. In New Zealand’s case, mass production and homogenised flavours threaten to undermine the hard work of artisanal producers.

This year, I visited New Zealand to explore this divide – the tale of two Sauvignons – for myself. On one hand, you have the high-volume supermarket labels; on the other, you find small-scale winemakers pouring passion and precision into their craft.

Richard Ellis, winemaker at The Marlborist, offered some insight. ‘We’re on a journey,’ he said. ‘Last year, I worked in Sancerre to refine our approach. By focusing on the best sites, soil types and canopy management, we’re evolving the style – handpicking and selecting golden bunches to move away from the overly green, herbal profiles that people associate with Marlborough. The heavier soils of the Southern Valleys have been a revelation.’

His words resonated with what I found, especially in Marlborough – that clear divide between mass production and quality craftsmanship. Poor practices risk creating a wave of negativity around NZ Sauvignon Blanc – a cautionary tale for producers aiming to uphold its proud heritage.

Winemakers are exploring new horizons, embracing techniques such as barrel fermentation, oak ageing and wild yeast to elevate their wines, bringing texture, complexity and a richer flavour profile that appeals to more discerning palates.

This evolution has been shaped by both global inspiration and local innovation, as Sam Bennett, chief winemaker at te Pā Family Vineyards, explains: ‘We like wine, and we like good Sauvignon Blanc, so we have of course admired some of the great examples coming out of the Loire. We share their belief that Sauvignon Blanc as a variety can make great wines with purity and drive, while possessing layers and texture – and most of all improve with age.

‘At te Pā, we’ve always tried to make wines that express our vineyard sites – and we’re confident enough in the quality of these sites that the wines don’t always have to be the loudest or most aromatic in the room,’ he continues. ‘We get so much fruit expression that dialling that back a bit to focus on elegance and texture results in wines that are more balanced, more enjoyable to drink and age more gracefully.’

Winemakers remain justifiably concerned about the reputational risks posed by low-quality, mass-produced examples. As one put it:

‘The bad eggs risk putting drinkers off, embarrassing those who dare to serve New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.’ This underlines the need to champion the producers fighting to preserve the style’s integrity.

Haysley MacDonald, founder and owner at te Pā, takes it further, bemoaning the number of large, overseas-owned wine corporations taking and using New Zealand – specifically Māori – names and icons, even on wine that isn’t from New Zealand. This doesn’t help to assure consumers of the quality, provenance and authenticity of what they’re buying.

Despite my initial scepticism, my recent experiences have reignited my optimism for NZ Sauvignon Blanc. The dedication of small-scale

winemakers to quality and creativity is inspiring. The gulf between the mass-market and boutique producers is evident, but the latter’s efforts are proving that Marlborough – and New Zealand as a whole – still has plenty of magic left.

In my glass this month

While travelling the length of New Zealand, I soon realised that Sauvignon Blanc also thrives outside Marlborough. Te Kano, Land Northburn Sauvignon Blanc, Central Otago 2022 is textured, with a burst of wild herbs and passion fruit, saline, mineral, fresh citrus and mandarin notes, gentle stone fruit, a touch of brioche. Real class. Drink now or age for up to five years.

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There are many tall tales around the origins of Syrah – also known as Shiraz.

One claimed that it was Rome’s legions that brought the grape to southern France. The soldiers had been in Sicily before and brought with them vines from the city of Syracuse.

But then Pliny the Elder claimed that it was a variety called Vitis syriaca that came from Syria.

Later still a legend emerged that its origins lay further to the east, around the ancient Persian city of Shiraz.

But the truth is that Syrah is a Rhône grape through and through. In 1998, DNA testing showed its parents were Mondeuse Blanche and a (now little-used) black variety called Dureza.

It’s a telling irony that while Syrah’s origin stories talk of it coming from overseas when it’s actually a Rhône Valley native, its modern story has been all about finding new homes around the world.

Let’s take a look at where Syrah has ended up, as well as delicious examples tasted recently by both the Decanter team and our expert contributors.

Scroll down for 16 must-try Syrah/Shiraz

Rhône Valley and southern France

Syrah’s home is along the banks of the long, drifting Rhône that wends its way from the Alps to the Mediterranean.

The northern half of the valley in particular is pure Syrah territory (occasionally mixed with a smidgen of Viognier).

It’s here, in the vineyards of Côte-Rôtie, Cornas and Hermitage that Syrah achieves what many see as its smoky, spicy, peppery majesty.

In the southern half of the valley Syrah tends to play a supporting role to Grenache and other varieties, and this also true of the numerous wines produced across the appellations of the Languedoc.

If you want the Syrah experience without a price tag as steep as some of the best vineyard sites, however, then look to St-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage for some increasingly delicious examples.

Australia

After the Rhône, say Syrah to a wine fan and they’ll probably mention Australia.

While on his travels finding cuttings to send back to Australia, James Busby remarked on this tale in his notes. Syrah was first known in Australia as ‘Hermitage’ or the older toponym ‘Scyras’.

But after EU protections were put in place a change of name was needed and ‘Scyras’ got a new ‘Strine’ inflection which, coupled with the old Shiraz legend, might be how the name has stuck the way it has Down Under.

Either way, the reference for Australian Shiraz is Barossa Valley, which the likes of Henschke, Torbreck and Yalumba call home.

Aussie Shiraz has a reputation for being bigger in every sense than its French cousins and while that holds true to a point, as with most varieties the current trend is for freshness and greater nuance.

And Shiraz is grown right across the country’s wine regions, with McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills among those with both the cool sites and old vines that make for a truly winning combination.

It’s also frequently blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as appearing in the classic southern European-inspired ‘GSM’ blends (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre).

Click here to see notes and scores for nearly 5,000 Syrah tasted by Decanter

Syrah around the world

There are few places where Syrah dominates in quite the way it does in the Rhône and Australia but its presence is felt globally – especially anywhere with a warm, Mediterranean-style climate.

Looking elsewhere in Europe, one surprising source of Syrah is Switzerland. This landlocked country is where the source of the Rhône rises and there’s a pocket of the Valais where it thrives in the sheltered mountain valleys.

It crops up in southern Portugal and Italy though usually as a blending partner. Across the Mediterranean in Israel and Lebanon there’s some strong Syrah and Syrah-led blends emerging with plenty of potential.

A land where Syrah is rising fast is South Africa. Since the end of Apartheid, its been one of the country’s fastest-growing red varieties.

It’s the backbone of the incredibly popular The Chocolate Block label and the pure-Syrah Porseleinberg, as well as the Mullineux-made trio of Schist, Granite and Iron which shows off some serious terroir flex.

Not to be out-done by their neighbours, New Zealand has a good line in tightly-grained, very elegant Syrah. Look out for wines from the north of the islands, especially Hawke’s Bay.

In the US, Syrah has never had the clout of Cabernet or Pinot but it has a strong, almost cultish following among its fans.

In California, it crops up frequently in Sine Qua Non’s eclectic range of wines and it has pockets of vines throughout the state.

It’s true US foothold though is Washington State, especially the Walla Walla AVA. Up in Canada, the southern half of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia also allows for Syrah to thrive.

And finally, in the southern half of the Americas it is Chile that flies Syrah’s banner highest in both its coastal and mountain sites.

16 must-try Syrah

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A warm, dry spring set the season up well, though a cooler, wetter December and January period tested nerves before settling into a classic Indian summer. While perhaps not as straightforward as the outstanding 2024 vintage, 2025 looks set to produce wines of finesse and charm across the regions and varieties, with the first releases just months away.

Auckland

Michael Brajkovich MW of Kumeu River expressed relief at a ‘normal’ sized vintage after two seasons down by 35-40%. Auckland experienced the driest summer since 1958, with consistent warmth but no heat spikes.

‘The fruit ripened evenly and with gradual aroma and flavour development,’ Brajkovich said. Chardonnay was once again the star, arriving early and in pristine condition.

Gisborne

Described as a ‘magnificent vintage’ by Kirsten Searle of Matawhero, 2025 brought full physiological ripeness and a return to normal yields after two lighter years. Chardonnay excelled, providing excellent fruit for both table wines and sparkling bases.

Searle also highlighted the Gewürztraminer from Matawhero’s Riverpoint vineyard as particularly impressive – a fitting celebration for the winery’s 50th anniversary.

Hawke’s Bay

There is genuine excitement in Hawke’s Bay, with some suggesting that 2025 may rival the renowned 2013 vintage. Ben Tombs noted Craggy Range’s earliest-ever harvest, with Chardonnay off the Gimblett Gravels picked on 8 February.

Whites show ‘electric flavour profiles with moderate alcohol’ while Syrah, despite late-summer humidity challenges, enjoyed extended hang time without excessive sugar accumulation, promising finely structured, vibrant reds.

Wairarapa

After four small vintages, Martinborough celebrated a strong yield. A relatively calm spring and lighter winds led to strong shoot growth and abundant flowering. Intensive canopy management paid off with Pinot Noir showing a savoury, charming profile.

Tombs commented on lower acidity and softer tannins compared to the more firmly structured recent vintages at Craggy Range’s Te Muna vineyard.

Nelson

Todd Stevens of Neudorf reflected positively on the vintage: ‘It’s still early but the whites appear beautifully balanced, while the Pinots show poise and should present very well.’ Initial signs point to good consistency across this smaller but significant region.

Marlborough

Murray Cook of Dog Point summed up 2025 as ‘a season of patience’. ‘With generous yields, the fruit took some time to ripen fully. Thankfully, we were blessed with classic dry and warm conditions which kept fruit quality high over what was our longest harvest period (46 days) in 24 years,’ he added.

However, with global inventories still high amid flat consumption and geopolitical uncertainties, many producers opted to leave fruit on the vines. The upside: only the best fruit was picked and consumers can look forward to excellent quality from this key region.

North Canterbury

A rollercoaster year, with Greystone’s Dom Maxwell describing it as one that ‘challenged us, then offered a lot, then challenged us again, and finally delivered in the end’.

Pure fruit flavours and clean fermentations made it a worthwhile ride. ‘We’re excited about the quality we have in the winery,’ Maxwell added.

Central Otago / Waitaki

Valli’s Jen Parr described an unusually compressed harvest of around half the usual span. Despite spring frosts affecting yields, she was thrilled with the ‘tremendous concentration’ and ‘crazy colour’, particularly in Gibbston and Bendigo.

Small berries and clean fruit were common themes with Parr commenting that wines possess richness and an appealing ‘joyful’ quality that should drink well young but also reward a few years in bottle.

The Waitaki Valley – often marginal – had one of its best vintages in recent years, for both ripeness and volume.

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Think of New Zealand white wine and Sauvignon Blanc most likely comes to mind.

But now might be the perfect time to reconsider, for New Zealand Chardonnay has never been better, steadily gaining recognition for its balance of fruit purity, bright acidity and silky complexity.

Chardonnay accounts for just 9% of vineyard area and less than 2% of exports – compared to Sauvignon Blanc’s dominating 80% and 85% – according to the New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report 2024.

But with near-perfect growing conditions and increasingly refined winemaking, Chardonnay remains one of the country’s best-kept secrets, offering quality – and value – that are worth seeking out.

Scroll down for notes and scores of 12 of New Zealand’s best Chardonnay

New Zealand’s first Chardonnays likely emerged in the 1950s, though records are unclear. The variety gained traction in the 1980s with the bold, buttery, heavily oaked styles that were popular at the time.

By the 1990s, it was the country’s most-planted white variety and winemakers were increasingly getting to grips with more sophisticated production techniques.

However, the global Anything But Chardonnay movement and meteoric rise of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc soon saw it eclipsed.

Today, Chardonnay is the country’s second most-planted white variety, slightly ahead of Pinot Gris, though plantings have remained static over the past decade.

A cool customer

Nonetheless, Chardonnay continues to be beloved by producers. It is the focus of the Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium, an annual Hawke’s Bay event featuring local and international experts.

The 2024 keynote speakers included Burgundy authority Jasper Morris MW, and writer and California specialist Elaine Chukan Brown.

She praised New Zealand Chardonnay as: ‘One of its most exciting varieties, offering an electric acidity akin to a high wattage lightbulb wearing a diffusing lens: elevated and stimulating with the edges softened to pleasurable brightness.’

New Zealand’s ideal growing conditions contribute to these characteristics. Kumeu River winemaker Michael Brajkovich MW, whose own wines have famously bested top Burgundies in international blind tastings, argues that New Zealand’s cool climate and long growing season is especially well-suited for high quality Chardonnay production.

‘There is nowhere in New Zealand that has a truly hot, or even warm, climate,’ he explains. ‘We are all dealing in cool climate viticulture with a variety that is inherently well suited to it, and better suited than just about any other for making quality dry white wine.’

Steve Smith MW, co-owner of Pyramid Valley and Smith & Sheth, concurs, ‘We can get the grapes properly ripe at 12.5-13.5% alcohol. They don’t get overripe because it’s not hot – and at full ripeness we also have an energy and natural acidity, which most other parts of the New World and many parts of Europe cannot achieve anymore because it is getting warmer.’

A great New Zealand Chardonnay, he notes, will be quite complex rather than overtly fruity, with delicious ripeness and a sense of energy and freshness.

Evolution of style

The complexity is further enhanced by evolving winemaking techniques. In recent years, winemakers have dialed back smaller, newer oak in favour of older, larger formats or concrete and clay vessels.

This helps to highlight fruit purity and minerality, giving more linear, precise wines. Wild fermentation, extended lees maturation, and intentional reduction have become common, resulting in more textured, complex wines with a stronger sense of place.

Brajkovich observes: ‘Whereas in the past many NZ Chardonnays were very similar, based on the model of Côte de Beaune, we are now seeing more diversity of style, with less oak, more zest and greater drinkability when young.’

Single vineyard expressions are increasingly common, aided by the benefit of detailed understanding of clonal selection. ‘We now possess a collection of different selections of Chardonnay that complement each other,’ says Smith. ‘You can do a lot of the crafting of the wine this way, for example balancing fruit expression or acidity.’

Demand and diversity

Although total plantings have remained static, consumer interest in New Zealand Chardonnay is quietly growing. Some producers, such as Cloudy Bay and Isabel Estate in Marlborough, are struggling to meet demand and are expanding Chardonnay plantings.

Despite its limited production, the variety offers genuine depth and quality. It was difficult to narrow down the accompanying wine selection for this article (see below).

New Zealand Chardonnay might currently be overshadowed in a crowded global marketplace, but it delivers outstanding quality at a fraction of the price of many Burgundies, Californian Chardonnays, or even Australian counterparts, making it an exciting prospect for savvy Chardonnay lovers.

Around the regions: Where to find the best NZ Chardonnay

Chardonnay is grown across New Zealand with all regions producing genuinely exciting wines. From The Landing’s sleek examples revitalising Northland wine to Central Otago’s minerally, precise styles, each area has distinctive characteristics.

Here are the key regions…

Hawke’s Bay

The country’s second-largest wine region is a hotspot for premium Chardonnay, with over 1,000ha planted. There’s a temperate maritime climate and kaleidoscopic soils courtesy of four river systems.

Varied subregions – ranging from cooler coastal to warmer inland sites such as the Gimblett Gravels – produce rich, structured wines with yellow stonefruit, citrus and creamy nut notes.

Wairarapa

Just 62ha planted, but excellent quality with high-profile producers. Long dry summers and cool nights enhance elegance, while the deep free-draining soils contribute texture and minerality.

Expect ripe lemon, white peach, tangy acid and savoury depth.

Marlborough

Best known for Sauvignon Blanc, though Chardonnay is increasingly being grown in the clay-rich soils of the Southern Valleys subregion.

Grapefruit, stonefruit and red apple with crisp acidity are typical; palate structure is more linear than Hawke’s Bay. Chardonnay plays a key role in the region’s distinctive sparkling wines. 1,083ha planted.

Nelson

High sunshine, protective hills and a cooling maritime influence yield intense fruit expression – think stone fruit, melon, orchard fruit and citrus – with crisp structure.

The clay soils of the Moutere Hills add depth and silky texture, whilst alluvial Waimea Plains wines are fine and fragrant. 109ha planted.

North Canterbury

The long, dry growing season, cool nights and often limestone-rich soils produce complex, structured Chardonnays with vibrant acidity. Fine citrus, white peach and flinty minerality are typical.

Just 99ha are planted here, but top producers have put the region on the Chardonnay map for seriously ageworthy wines.

Central Otago & Waitaki

World-renowned for Pinot Noir, but Chardonnay plantings (92ha) are steadily increasing for still and sparkling wines. The dry, semi-continental climate gives excellent tension, fresh acidity and concentrated flavour.

Expect bright citrus, white peach and nectarine, green apple, white flowers and saline, oyster shell minerality. The tiny North Otago region of Waitaki Valley (just 6ha) is gaining attention for limestone-driven fragrant, zesty wines.

Gisbourne

At 582ha, Chardonnay is the region’s dominant variety, and its high sunshine, mild climate and rich, alluvial soils deliver aromatic, lushly fruited wines with good body and texture.

Many wines are made for early-drinking pleasure but the best mature well with good complexity.

Top New Zealand Chardonnay: 12 to try

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Decanter’s expert writers and contributors awarded 95-points or more to almost 3,000 wines in the 12 months to October 2024.

While they have all appeared in the pages of Decanter magazine and online on Decanter Premium and in our decanter.com database, there were too many to reproduce here for a seasonal wrap-up.

So, in a somewhat unfair and very challenging task, we asked each of our Regional Editors to select just five wines from each of their key areas of expertise to highlight the bounty and diversity on offer across the world wine map.

Scroll down for notes and scores of the Australian, New Zealand and South African Wines of the Year 2024

For Decanter’s inaugural New Zealand Pinot Noir vintage report, Emma Jenkins MW tasted 240 wines – a showcase of the value, quality and drinking pleasure this category offers.

Several producers stood out – including Bell Hill, Escarpment, Felton Road, Prophet’s Rock and Rippon – but it was Ata Rangi that scooped two top spots, its Kotinga cuvée seducing with its charm, vibrancy and immediacy.

In another first, our Margaret River vintage report by Cassandra Charlick (August 2024 issue) highlighted the excellent 2022 Chardonnay and more challenging 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages.

In the former, Vanya Cullen’s Kevin John was one of several standout wines.

From South Australia, Penfolds’ Bin 169 2021 made a splash in La Place de Bordeaux’s March releases. It trumped stablemates Bin 707 and Grange, thanks to offering great comparative value in a near-perfect Coonawarra vintage.

A feather in the cap for Yalumba in its 175th anniversary year, the Octavius 2018 from 100-year-old Barossa Shiraz vines also impressed with its fruit purity and refinement; evidence of the changing face of this iconic regional style.

And from South Africa, Creation won plaudits for its Art of Chardonnay. Alongside Hamilton Russell, Newton Johnson and Crystallum, it proves why Hemel-en-Aarde, one of the world’s most southerly wine-producing regions, should be on the radar for all Burgundy lovers.

Quick links:

See further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:

Bordeaux & Burgundy | Champagne, Rhône and regional France | Italy | Spain & Portugal | The US | South America | Rest of the World

Wines of the Year 2024: Australia, New Zealand & South Africa

Wines are listed white then red, in score order

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Kumeu River Winery is a cornerstone of New Zealand’s winemaking legacy. It stands as a testament to the vision and dedication of the Brajkovich family, beginning with the migration of Mick and Kate Brajkovich from Croatia to New Zealand in 1907.

Settling initially to dig kauri gum in the small settlement of Kumeu, 20km northwest of Auckland, the Brajkovichs transitioned to viticulture in 1944.

Their purchase of a small vineyard estate would lay the foundation for one of the world’s most celebrated Chardonnay producers.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for a Kumeu River Chardonnay vertical

Today, Kumeu River spans 30ha of family-owned vineyards, supported by 10ha of contract vines. The winery is acclaimed for its Burgundian-style Chardonnays, crafted from its iconic vineyard sites, including Maté’s Vineyard, Hunting Hill and Coddington.

Family affair

The Brajkovichs’ family ethos infuses every aspect of Kumeu River’s operations. Maté Brajkovich, who developed the estate with Kate after his father Mick died in 1949, passed his vision on to his children. Michael, Marijana, Milan and Paul are all deeply involved in the winery’s success today under the guidance of matriarch Melba Brajkovich.

The family philosophy – creating wines they love to drink, blending Old World elegance with New World innovation – has garnered them a loyal following both in New Zealand and internationally.

Chardonnay dominates Kumeu River’s plantings, accounting for 80% of its vineyards. The decision to specialise in Chardonnay arose naturally from the Kumeu terroir. The vineyard soils, predominantly clay over sandstone, are non-irrigated, compelling vines to develop deep roots.

Chardonnay vertical tasting

This year marks 80 years of the Brajkovich family in Kumeu, so Paul Brajkovich hosted a celebratory vertical tasting of Kumeu River Chardonnays in London, with bottles going back to 2002. All were made by his brother Michael Brajkovich MW, New Zealand’s first Master of Wine.

‘Michael went off to Roseworthy College in 1979 to study oenology and then he came back in 1981 to take up the winemaking journey. So of the 80 years, Michael’s been there for over 40 of them,’ explained Paul.

‘We are clearly best known for our Chardonnays – and that’s what we’re showcasing today,’ he continued. ‘The first Kumeu River Chardonnay we made was in 1985; the first one we exported was 1987.’

The tasting covered four cuvees: single-vineyard wines Coddington, Hunting Hill and Maté’s Vineyard, plus the Estate Chardonnay which is blended from six different sites in the Kumeu region. Tasted in four flights, the vintages included were: 2020 and 2019, 2014 and 2013, 2010 and 2007 and finally 2004 and 2002. The final flight included the same wine bottled under screwcap and cork for a comparison of the two closures.

Chardonnays tasted

1st Flight

2020 Estate Chardonnay

2020 Coddington

2020 Hunting Hill

2020 Maté’s Vineyard

2019 Estate Chardonnay

2019 Coddington

2019 Hunting Hill

2019 Mate’s Vineyard

2nd Flight

2014 Estate Chardonnay

2014 Coddington

2014 Hunting Hill

2014 Mate’s Vineyard

2013 Estate Chardonnay

2013 Coddington

2013 Hunting Hill

2013 Mate’s Vineyard

3rd Flight

2010 Estate Chardonnay

2010 Coddington

2010 Hunting Hill

2010 Mate’s Vineyard

2007 Estate Chardonnay

2007 Coddington

2007 Hunting Hill

2007 Mate’s Vineyard

4th Flight

2004 Estate Chardonnay

2004 Mate’s Vineyard

2002 Estate Chardonnay

2002 Estate Chardonnay (cork)

2002 Mate’s Vineyard

2002 Mate’s Vineyard (cork)

Winemaking and terroir

‘Our Estate Chardonnay is a blend of six different vineyard sites in Kumeu – all on Kumeu clays. All the vineyards are dry-farmed. The Estate is hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed, it’s all barrel-fermented – usually around 3% new barrels – goes through primary fermentation, all wild yeast. We’ll go for 100% lactic fermentation in barrel, and then it stays on its yeast lees for 11 months before bottling,’ noted Paul.

‘The vinification on the other three is exactly the same,’ he added. Of the three single-vineyard wines Coddington isn’t actually owned by the estate. Nameda after previous owners Tim and Angela Coddington, today it’s leased from the new owner.

‘It was always a vineyard that was good enough to go into the Estate Chardonnay. But we actually gave it single-vineyard status in 2006, when we started to recognise it had quite a special quality about it,’ explained Paul.

‘It was producing the ripest Chardonnay that we were seeing each year, and this is something that we thought warranted to be left on its own.’

Special sites

‘Coddington is a lovely north-facing suntrap,’ continued Paul. ‘We get very ripe, very luscious Chardonnay from there and of three single vineyards it’s usually the easiest to taste when young, because of that ripeness and that lovely texture. There’s always a fine acidity on Coddington, which keeps it from becoming too rich’, he added.

Hunting Hill vineyard is owned by the Brajkovichs. ‘It’s directly above Maté’s vineyard and was bought by my father in the 60s,’ noted Paul. Initially used as farmland for a number of years, the site was planted to Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in 1980.

‘The Chardonnay from that original Hunting Hill site is what made up the lion’s share of the original Estate Chardonnay back in the 80s,’ explained Paul.

When the site had to be replanted in the 1990s due to viruses, the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon were replaced by Chardonnay. ‘It’s a Chardonnay that’s very fragrant’ said Paul.

‘It’s more about the lemon-lime blossom perfume on the nose, as opposed to the peachiness that you’ll see with the Estate and Coddington. It also has this very tight, linear, focused style of Chardonnay, which we persistently see here year in, year out.’

Maté’s Vineyard

Kumeu River’s icon Chardonnay comes from Maté’s Vineyard, bought by Paul’s father in 1944 and named after him. ‘That vineyard went through many incarnations over the years,’ noted Paul.

‘It had Palomino on it, it had Pinotage. It had all sorts of other hybrid varieties and was eventually pulled out completely in the mid- to late-70s.’

Maté decided to replant it in 1990 following the success of Kumeu River Chardonnay in the 1980s. ‘We chose the best clone of Chardonnay at the time, the Mendoza clone, and we put it on very low-vigour rootstocks,’ said Paul. The first vintage was 1993.

‘Dad passed away in 1992, so he unfortunately never saw any grapes from it,’ he added.

‘Initially we thought it was going to be another source for the Estate Chardonnay. But when we vinified the wine, it was significantly different from everything else,’ explained Paul.

‘As the vineyard’s gotten older, it’s just become better and better. Now that it’s over 30 years old, it’s really producing the most densely concentrated and quite rich Chardonnay that we make.’

‘Two of our best vintages’

The tasting began with 2020 and 2019 – ’which are probably two of our best vintages,’ noted Paul. ‘I remember Michael mentioning that 2019 was the best vintage he thought he’d seen in the years he was there. And then 2020 came along and it was even better, he added.

‘Everything in 19 and 20 just seemed to go seamlessly well. Perfect budburst, perfect flowering, lovely summers… and the grapes were picked beautifully ripe. It became quite clear with both vintages when they went through the fermentations and barrel that they were quite special.’

Showing beautifully in this tasting, wines from both vintages are currently available in UK and US retail (see tasting notes below). Snap them up if you see them…

Through the years

The following flight of 2014 and 2013 wines particularly highlighted the differences between Coddington and Hunting Hill after roughly a decade of age. ‘I think Coddington just has the approachability,’ noted Paul.

‘I’ve tasted the 2013 Coddington quite a bit recently and it has been a real standout.’ Of the two, it’s worth giving Hunting Hill more time in your cellar before opening.

‘When the 14s first went into the bottle were very generous and quite approachable – and they have been quite delicious to drink,’ noted Paul. ‘Then 2013 was another excellent vintage for us, but very low yields, due to a spring frost.’

Only around 300 cases of Coddington were produced; around 400 or 500 Hunting Hill and Maté’s Vineyard.

‘But the summer itself was one of the best we’d seen for a while. Everything became very concentrated, very intense, including the acidity. So we had some lovely, ripe characters and really, really fresh acids and quite concentrated wines.’

Moving onto the third flight, Paul explained that 2010 was another frost-affected vintage. ‘We didn’t use any new oak at all, because it was a very small vintage, so we used a high proportion of one-year-old and two-year-old barrels,’ he said.

‘2007 was a cool vintage, particularly in the early stages during budburst and flowering. And then we had a reasonable summer – not particularly warm, but it was dry. The 07s were always that little bit more in the citrus spectrum, rather than the peachy spectrum,’ he added.

Cork versus screwcap

The final flight of the tasting focused on the 2004 vintage of Estate Chardonnay and Maté’s Vineyard; alongside the same wines from the 2002 vintage, but one under screwcap and one under cork. Interestingly the decision to move to screwcap was motivated more by a desire for consistency than by incidence of cork taint.

‘We isolated 200 cases of 1999 Maté’s Vineyard in which we were getting a lot of corked bottles. So we thought: “OK, let’s open every bottle and re-cork the good ones… And we threw away 30% of the wine just due to cork taint.

‘But what was actually more alarming was going through the tasting of 120 bottles and you’d go, “Wow, that one’s really good!” So you think, actually, they should all taste like this. So it was the variation which was probably more scary than cork taint… and when we went to screwcap it eliminated all that inconsistency,’ explained Paul.

‘Now we’re very confident and very happy with the way the wines age and develop,’ he added.

For me this tasting highlighted not only the ageability of the Kumeu River Chardonnays, but also the incredible quality and value of the Estate bottling.

Drawing comparisons with Burgundy, Maté’s Vineyard and Hunting Hill are often described as grands crus, Coddington as a premier cru and the Estate as a village wine.

But this producer’s village wine is punching well above its weight.

Kumeu River Chardonnay Vertical: the wines

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Little more than 150 years ago, the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District was completely under water. Prior to 1867, the now trademarked, highly sought-after sub-region of Hawke’s Bay was simply the Omahu channel of the Ngaruroro river.

But that year, a flood moved the channel north to the other side of Roy’s Hill, where it flows to this day, leaving an extensive plain of river gravel that can be more than 30m deep.

Too bony and barren to be of much use for farming, the gravel became the sort of wasteland that housed an army rifle range, a landfill site and industrial warehouses. Absolutely no one thought about high-quality wine production.

But in the early 1980s, Chris Pask planted a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon – a variety that struggled to ripen elsewhere in New Zealand. A handful of others soon followed, including soil scientist Alan Limmer, who planted a row of heritage Syrah cuttings he’d rescued from a government research station.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 10 sophisticated wines from Gimblett Gravels

Pask, Limmer and fellow pioneers saw the potential of the Gravels. The warmth of the sun was absorbed by the brown river stones, and the low-lying inland location meant that warm temperatures arrived earlier in the day and stretched longer into the night.

This elongated the growing season and enabled ripening of varieties that previously had all too often produced mean and green wines.

Aiming to have the Gravels zoned for the purposes of viticulture, the wine-growers were soon embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with a quarry company that had bought 150ha of the land, but the growers finally prevailed on appeal in 1992.

Just 20ha were planted at this point, but other producers were taking note of the quality of the Bordeaux-style blends and Syrah emerging, and plantings gathered pace.

Climate credentials

Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s warmer wine regions, though that’s very much within a cool-climate context – its moderate, maritime-influenced climate is akin to that of Bordeaux. Sunshine hours are high, but tempering sea breezes ensure days above 30°C are relatively rare.

Gimblett Gravels isn’t the only sub-region of Hawke’s Bay to produce quality reds – Havelock Hills and Bridge Pa Triangle both have pedigree in that regard – but its uniqueness resides in its combination of soils and climate.

At about 15km inland and 30m above sea level, the reduced maritime influence and the impact of Roy’s Hill sheltering it from cooler southwesterly winds combine to add a few degrees to the maximum daytime temperatures.

This warmth and sunshine, aligned with the very stony, very free-draining soils (irrigation is essential here), create what longtime Gravels vigneron Steve Smith MW of Smith & Sheth calls a ‘thermal blanket for the vines’.

Church Road winemaker Chris Scott concurs, observing: ‘In an unpredictable Roaring Forties island climate, the very low water-holding capacity of those gravels is a great leveller in wetter seasons – not just in terms of reducing dilution, but with less humidity, canopy density and vineyard-floor growth, everything dries out faster. There’s less disease pressure and more chance of achieving optimal ripeness, which is further enhanced by the soils retaining the day’s heat for longer at night.’

The aromatic freshness of Gimblett Gravels wines, allied with their great concentration and finesse, is a sought-after combination: the proverbial ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’, as Smith describes it.

Gimblett Gravels at a glance

First planted: 1981

Area under vine: 800ha

Soils: Deep river gravels with sandy pockets, getting siltier with increasing proximity to the present-day river course

Red grapes (90%): 35% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc, plus Grenache, Montepulciano and Tempranillo among others

White grapes (10%): Mostly Chardonnay, then Viognier, plus Arneis, Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Roussanne and Riesling

Generic body: The Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association was formed in 2001 and has 24 members

Trademark protection

Gimblett Gravels growers soon realised that their area needed both protection and promotion. In 2001, they came together as the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association (GGWA) and trademarked the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District.

At that time, New Zealand’s Geographical Indications Registration Act was in development, and its delineations were based upon geopolitical boundaries and physical attributes such as roads or rivers, not soil types.

International trademark law was viewed as bestowing greater protection, while also allowing the GGWA to set stricter rules. Wines bearing the Gimblett Gravels name and/or logo must have 95% of their fruit from the district, compared with a GI’s 85%.

Members must own a vineyard in the district and vineyards must have 95% of their soils classified as one of three official soil types.

The district has since been designated a ‘special character zone’ by the local council, which would allow it to become a GI in due course, but the members are reluctant to abandon their stricter provenance rules.

The 24 members promote one another’s wines in the market, participate in an independently selected Annual Vintage Selection that’s sent out to global influencers, and they benefit from a technical committee aimed at enhancing wine quality.

Eight Gimblett Gravels producers to know

Blank Canvas

A partnership in wine and life, Blank Canvas is the label and ‘vinous studio’ of former Saint Clair winemaker Matt Thomson and his wife Sophie Parker-Thomson MW, who source grapes from renowned sites all over New Zealand, making stylish, expressive single-vineyard wines.

Since 2017, they’ve made Syrah from the 2.4ha Element vineyard, the Gimblett Gravels’ smallest, which they sometimes co-ferment with Grüner Veltliner skins to enhance the white pepper characteristics.

blankcanvaswines.com

Chateau Garage

Former Villa Maria chief viticulturist Ollie Powrie’s own label, made (obviously) in his (pretty-stylish) garage, this is a tiny label that takes its wines seriously while not taking itself seriously.

Powrie sources Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cornerstone vineyard and uses it to make three very different styles, including the flagship Hugo, named for his brother.

chateaugarage.co.nz

Church Road

Founded in 1897, Church Road is one of New Zealand’s oldest wineries and was the first to produce Bordeaux-style wines in Hawke’s Bay, under the pioneering winemaking of Tom McDonald.

These days, Chris Scott makes wines across six ranges, from vineyards spanning Hawke’s Bay, sourcing Syrah and Bordeaux varieties from the Gimblett Gravels.

church-road.com

Craggy Range

Craggy Range has firmly established itself as one of New Zealand’s globally renowned wineries (and cellar doors). Its principal production winery is in the Gimblett Gravels, where it has 106ha planted to Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet and others, including significant plantings of Chardonnay, with more planned.

Craggy Range also has vineyards in Martinborough and Marlborough.

craggyrange.com

Elephant Hill

The beautiful Elephant Hill winery is located in coastal Te Awanga, also home to the vineyard that provides the fruit for the ‘sea’ wines in its Elements range. The ‘earth’ vineyard is in Bridge Pa Triangle, while ‘stone’ is the designation of its Gimblett Gravels vineyard, planted to Syrah, Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Malbec.

The winery produces a wide array of sophisticated wines from across the three sub-regions under the guidance of longtime Hawke’s Bay winemaker Hugh Crichton, formerly of Vidal Estate.

elephanthill.co.nz

Smith & Sheth

Steve Smith MW may be familiar due to his work in establishing Craggy Range. He’s now collaborating with US investor and conservationist Brian Sheth as Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates.

They own Pyramid Valley, Lowburn Ferry and Smith & Sheth, whose Cru wines are their take on a ‘modern négociant’. They source Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Syrah, Tempranillo and Chardonnay from 3.12ha on the Gimblett Gravels.

smithandsheth.com

Stonecroft

Synonymous with Syrah and the Gimblett Gravels, original owner Alan Limmer established his pioneering winery in 1982, planting the region’s first Syrah vineyards with vines propagated from plants derived from James Busby’s original 1833 clones and then imported from Australia, around 1900, by viticulturalist Romeo Bragato.

Now farming organically, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Viognier, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay in addition to the Syrah on its 7.8ha, Stonecroft was very recently purchased by Fistonich Family Wines, the new company of Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich.

stonecroft.co.nz

Trinity Hill

Founded in 1993, Trinity Hill is a Gimblett Gravels pioneer and its 45ha of vineyards produce a smorgasbord of wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Chardonnay, as well as smaller plantings of varieties including Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Marsanne, Roussanne, Arneis and Viognier.

Recent years have brought various ownership travails (now resolved), but the viticultural and winemaking teams never wavered in their commitment to making characterful, high-quality wines.

trinityhill.com

Grapes and styles

The Gimblett Gravels’ 800ha is 90% red varieties and 10% whites. Merlot and Syrah then Cabernet Sauvignon dominate the red plantings (see box, above). The whites are mainly Chardonnay, then Viognier, alongside tiny plantings of other grapes. This mix has remained relatively stable, barring a slow increase in Chardonnay for the whites and a slight decline in Merlot for the reds.

The lack of high temperatures and the very low-vigour, free-draining environment means vines concentrate their efforts on fruit over vegetation, delivering fragrant yet dense, well-structured wines.

They aren’t necessarily big, however – and the stony soil means they can sometimes lack flesh or have blocky tannins, though growers have become adept at managing vineyards and fermentation processes to ameliorate this.

‘Wines are typically dark-fruited with brooding density yet retain fragrance and freshness,’ says Scott. ‘The solid tannin structure drives textural length and ageability if handled well. Picking decisions are crucial; there’s a narrow window and Brix [sugar content of the grapes] is not a particularly reliable indicator.’

Smith thinks the reds have a distinctive character that includes ‘sandalwood, iodine, iron filings and a feeling of gravel’. At Craggy Range, they call this mineral/hot stone element ‘Gimblett dust’.

Gimblett Gravels: know your vintages

2022: A benign spring followed by a warm, wet summer. A pre-harvest dry spell saved the day, though sporadic rain kept viticulturists on their toes. 3.5/5

2021: An early harvest after a long, warm and settled growing season, slightly drier than average. Beautifully balanced wines, enjoyable now but will age. 5/5

2020: The lockdown harvest. An early season with dry, warm, settled growing conditions, produced pristine fruit. Drinking well now, but wines are built to cellar. 5/5

2019: A wet spring turned into a warm, humid early summer then a long, dry Indian summer. Exceptional conditions allowed grapes to be harvested at optimal ripeness. Ageworthy wines. 5/5

2018: A tricky year with a warm, wet spring and drier, very hot early summer; late summer brought rain and high humidity, but was more settled just before harvest. Ready now. 3/5

Dark horse

Veteran Gimblett winemaker Warren Gibson (pictured, above), of Bilancia and Trinity Hill, thinks the district’s Chardonnays are its dark horse. He explains: ‘They’re not flamboyant or fruit-forward but far more Burgundian, textural and very interesting.’

Both agree that despite Gimblett Gravels gaining increased traction for the quality and character of its wines, the region still faces an uphill battle given the tiny quantities and ultra-competitive global market for the styles.

New Zealand Syrah, whose flagship examples hail from the district, has enjoyed critical acclaim for some time now, yet plantings across the country’s regions have stalled.

This is a familiar dynamic for almost all producers beyond those making Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (and to a lesser extent Central Otago Pinot Noir), but it seems unlikely that this distinctive district, which less than two centuries ago didn’t even exist physically, will let such challenges stand it its way.

Gimblett Gravels: Jenkins’ pick of 10

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The rocks are snow white. You can crumble them in your hands. The only other place I have come across these is Champagne.

But I am on the other side of the world, in Waikari, North Canterbury, on the former lime quarry that is Bell Hill Vineyard.

The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown here are exceptional. Long-lived, only opening up slowly, exquisitely concentrated yet so lithe, linear, straight and absolutely aromatic; so direct, so bare and yet so beguiling.

The wines reflect not only this poor, almost hostile site but the determination, resilience and beauty of the two people who make them.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for Bell Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Campsites and dreams

Let’s sketch the beginning. A young, first-generation Dutch-Kiwi girl – Sherwyn Veldhuizen – works an internship at a German-owned winery in Canterbury, New Zealand.

She meets the youngest of three winemaking brothers – Marcel Giesen – they fall in love and together they pitch up at the campsite in Meursault, Burgundy, in summer 1995 to visit, learn and taste as much as they can.

The couple’s memories of this trip are still vivid. ‘It was life-changing,’ says Veldhuizen. ‘Getting that sense of place in the glass, that limestone, longevity, minerality, tension, how acid becomes part of the structure of the wine, the energy.’

Giesen continues: ‘It just didn’t compare. There was nothing like it, there was just this special quality to the white Burgundies. The normal thing would have been to hop from village to village, but the campground in Meursault is right at the edge of the Santenots vineyard.’

He adds: ‘We went through the producers in the village, and they were just super kind. Once you hear them speak and see their eyes light up, you know why they started what they did, why they chose the hard path to create their vision of wine.’

‘A frugal way’

‘We wanted to see for ourselves,’ says Veldhuizen. ‘At the time, we were in North Canterbury, based at Marcel’s family business. We knew there was lime soil here, but we didn’t know it was going to be as hard as it has been.’

Giesen adds: ‘You’re young and naïve, and you think, what have you got to lose? We always did things here in a frugal way. If we did not have the money for it, we didn’t do it.’

Frugal is an apt term. The couple lived in a caravan for two years as they set up their vineyard in 1997, before they built a little cottage.

‘We had no electricity for 10 years because it was too expensive. We did everything ourselves,’ Giesen says.

‘A lot of people start off with great plans, but eventually, no matter how deep their pockets, they run out of money. Then the bank is telling them how to run their business or when to release their wine. We did not want to be in that situation,’ he adds.

Down to earth

This is also why they only farm just over 3ha of vines. Working this land is hard. Their site sits between 270m and 300m, and is marginal. Wind can disturb flowering; frost can decimate their crop. The soil is white, poor limestone with a high active lime content.

In an article about the lime quarry, entitled A Lime Deposit, published in Christchurch newspaper The Sun in 1918, the soil was described as ‘bone-building’ for the livestock that grazed on it, ‘of remarkable purity’ and ‘crisp like cornflour’.

This soil allows Veldhuizen and Giesen to dry-farm, a key tenet for them. But it is not exactly fertile, so the vines struggle.

Naturally, production is tiny and highly variable. In 2016, Bell Hill produced just over 12,000 bottles; in 2018, not even 9,000; in 2021 a mere 6,434.

It is an understatement when Veldhuizen says: ‘We are rowing upstream.’

Doing it differently

‘We said to ourselves, we want to explore the soil aspect. How do we do it?’ explains Veldhuizen. High planting density was the answer. ‘It gives you low yield per vine and a better opportunity to successfully ripen that fruit. It will also give your vine longevity because you are not overcropping,’ he adds.

‘I guess the fruit that we did get was encouraging enough for us to continue. What we’ve been getting from here has been different enough and has been so encouraging. It keeps on surprising you, which is pretty special.’

This is why, despite repeated setbacks from rain and frost, the couple carry on – almost against all odds, because the wines really are different.

When we spoke in October 2024, they were fighting frost again. Right now, they have just under 3.2ha of vineyard, with 1.2ha yet to come on stream.

‘That’s 36,150 vines,’ says Veldhuizen, who planted them herself. These are split into 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, which make up the two main Bell Hill wines.

In years where there is more yield, some single parcels are bottled, too, such as Limeworks Chardonnay and Shelf Pinot Noir. To make all this work, until 2015 Giesen was still actively involved in his family wine business, Giesen Wines, to support the Bell Hill Vineyard.

On the hook

Another idea, now universally accepted, was central to the founding of Bell Hill in 1997. ‘Things were separated,’ Veldhuizen says. ‘Grape growing and winemaking. One of the things we understood from Burgundy was that you are not separating the parts.

‘Your winemaking starts from the pruning season. We wanted to really dial into the detail, into the quality and keep it small so that we could do the best that we possibly could,’ she adds.

‘Well, that sense of place that does come from the involvement of someone farming the land,’ continues Giesen. He adds – surprisingly for someone who is so strait-laced – ‘Because there’s so much love involved for the land and the wine.’

The pair distance themselves from the undoubtedly industrial-style farming seen in thousands of hectares of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. ‘It is not about extraction,’ Veldhuizen explains about their culture of farming.

‘It’s about adding value, promoting longevity and the gift of life,’ she says. ‘But before the soil will give to you, you have to meet it, you have to earn its respect. We have been tested by it.’

Veldhuizen and Giesen have worked the land with their hands, following an uncompromising path. In the process they have created truly fine wine, encapsulating singularity, tension, longevity and saltiness. But both are convinced there is still more inside the soils of their magical site.

‘Sometimes it comes out and surprises you and has that X factor. And you just say: “Well, bloody hell. Where’s it coming from? How little do we actually know about this place?”’ marvels Giesen.

‘You’re on the hook,’ Veldhuizen says. ‘We are on the edge here, and some years you pay for that. There’s more and you just have to find the energy. That’s very hard to let go of. It’s a driving force.’

Bell Hill Vineyard: the facts

Founded: 1997

Owners: Sherwyn Veldhuizen and Marcel Giesen

Vineyard area: 3.18ha

Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Key vineyards:

Quarry Block – 0.33 ha of Pinot Noir planted 1997 at 9,259 vines/ha.

Shelf Block – 0.454 ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted 1998 at 11,111 vines/ha and from 2005-2008 at 11,363 vines/ha.

Limeworks Block – 0.109ha of Chardonnay planted in 1999 at the density of 9,090 vines/ha and 0.207ha of Chardonnay planted in 2009 at a density of 11,363 vines/ha.

Road Block – 0.39 ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, planted 2008-2009 at 11,363 vines/ha.

The Slope – 0.266 ha of Pinot Noir planted in 2009 at 11,363 vines/ha.

Shelf West – 0.201 ha of Pinot Noir planted 2009 at 11,363 vines/ha.

Anchor Stone – 0.282 ha of Chardonnay planted in 2020 at 10,633 vines/ha.

Big Glory – 0.243 ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted in 2020 and 2021 at 10,633 vines/ha.

Clos – 0.398 ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted in 2021 and 2022 at 12,987 and 18,181 vines/ha.

Dynamite Point – 0.307 ha of Pinot Noir planted in 2021 at 11,363 vines/ha.

Key Wines: Bell Hill Chardonnay, Bell Hill Pinot Noir, Bell Hill Single Parcel Shelf Pinot Noir, Bell Hill Single Parcel Limeworks Chardonnay. (The Single Parcel wines are only made when the seasons permit and yields allow for wine to go into the Bell Hill blend as well as the Single Parcel wines.)

Bell Hill Vineyard: tasting notes

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A young winemaker couple: one Kiwi, one Australian, both born under the star sign Libra. Both had a deep love of Italy and shared a dream of making their own wine. Work had taken them around the globe, but a job in New Zealand called them home.

They lost no time in securing land and planted their dream vineyard. Unlike most people in New Zealand, they planted on a hill. They called their venture Bilancia – because it was the name of their star sign and what they aspired to in their wine: balance and harmony.

They called the Syrah-based wine they made from 2002 onwards La Collina, Italian for ‘little hill’, after the name of the vineyard. It has since become a New Zealand icon.

Tasting notes and scores from a vertical of La Collina listed below

The couple are Melbourne-born Lorraine Leheny and New Zealander Warren Gibson. They met at Roseworthy College in South Australia. Farmers’ son Gibson had no truck with his family’s dairy and orchard business, but knew wine was going to be his career.

Leheny had come to do a postgrad in wine after qualifying in food technology. They moved to Auckland together, but ‘for the next four years, he was everywhere but New Zealand’, Leheny jokes about her husband’s stints as flying winemaker in Hungary, Italy and Australia.

For a while, the couple worked together in Margaret River. ‘In mid-1995, Warren was offered the winemaking job at Trinity Hill in Hawke’s Bay [a position he holds to this day which won him and his wines many accolades] and we’d always said that if we were going to make wine in New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay would be the place,’ Leheny remembers.

Putting down roots

‘We came here in 1997 and this is where we have been ever since,’ she adds. They bought land in 1997 and started planting in 1998. However, this involved terracing the hill first and doing most work by hand – which continues to this day.

‘It is not so unusual,’ says Gibson about farming on hillsides. ‘But you can see why people don’t want to do it. As we become older, it becomes more difficult,’ he adds.

La Collina is planted on Roys Hill, a sandstone ridge with some limestone covered in clay. Facing north, it’s 80m higher than the surrounding flat land and the famous Gimblett Gravels that spread northwards from the hill towards the Ngaruroro River.

These are metre-deep deposits of incredibly well-drained gravel. But La Collina is different.

‘Realistically, the climate is the same in terms of temperature and rainfall,’ Gibson explains. ‘But the soil is completely different, the aspect is completely different and there is the wind. We are completely sheltered from the south, mostly the west, completely exposed to the north, protected from the east. Everything is different apart from temperature and rainfall. So soil, aspect and wind are the three things that distinguish La Collina,’ he adds.

Passion project

Gibson also prefers to talk of the number of vines rather than acreage, as the 4,500 Syrah vines are spaced more widely on the terraces. ‘Looking back, we probably wouldn’t have planted the vineyard, because it enslaved us for the past 25 years,’ he says with a straight face, as Leheny laughs at their folly.

‘Our son was born in January 1998,’ Leheny adds. ‘We came to Hawke’s Bay in 1997 and by the end of 1998, we had a business, a child, a vineyard. We had put much off, but we decided we are here now, this is what we’re going to do.’

They do not have to spell it out – you can see on their faces that their project was and still is hard work. They have no employees.

‘Part of accepting the job as winemaker at Trinity Hill was the deal that we would be able to use their facilities to make our own wine,’ continues Leheny. ‘We were very lucky in that regard.’ Bilancia wines are still made at that winery.

‘We have our own barrels, our own tanks,’ says Gibson. ‘Our own operating systems,’ adds Leheny. ‘It is run as a separate business as opposed to a contract facility. After 28 years it’s still working well, so there is no reason to change that.’

Future and past

Bilancia is, in effect, a little, self-financed boutique operation. When I ask the couple what the future holds for La Collina after 28 years on the land, Leheny responds. ‘Our plan is to continue. We don’t have any plans to stop making wine. We’re still working in the vineyard. Right now, we are looking forward to selling 2024 which is still in barrel.’

Going back in time, 2002 was the first vintage of La Collina released. ‘2002 was a good season and the vines were still young, but we felt it was time to get going,’ Gibson says. ‘We released it at NZ$80 which was quite a statement,’ he adds.

To warrant the quality of their flagship wine, the duo did not make it the following year. Indeed no Collina was made in 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2023 – sometimes due to frost, sometimes due to cyclones that batter the east coast of New Zealand in March and April when grapes are harvested.

The wines are all mostly Syrah-based, some of them have small additions of Viognier, some of Viognier and Mourvèdre. La Collina is sometimes fermented with whole bunches, while the length of oak ageing and the amount of new oak is determined each vintage afresh.

The wines below were tasted in a little pod overlooking La Collina in February 2024 with Gibson and Leheny. They showed what a special site for Syrah this is, what a legacy they created and how intuitive their approach is to expressing this site.

Bilancia vertical: Tasting notes

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Compared to Sauvignon Blanc’s stratospheric rise, New Zealand’s most-planted red variety has had a somewhat slower burn.

The first Pinot Noir was planted in 1889 in Hawke’s Bay, but things didn’t really get going until 1980s pioneers such as Martinborough’s Dry River and Ata Rangi, and Central Otago’s Gibbston Valley and Rippon, lit the path.

In 2023, there was 5,678ha of Pinot Noir planted (NZ Wine 2023 annual report), representing just 6.1% of production and 2.9% of exports, but the best wines are sought-after globally.

New Zealand is a long, thin string of mountainous islands surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Regions just a few hundred kilometres apart can have significantly different growing conditions due to rain shadows, prevailing winds and river systems.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 40 brilliant NZ Pinot Noir recent releases

What unites them is ideal viticultural conditions – relatively cool with marked diurnal shifts, clear air, high UV levels and (mostly!) dry autumns. Unlike Burgundy, there’s very little limestone – the youthful stony soils are predominantly underpinned by greywacke sandstone.

The wine culture is also young; viticulturists and winemakers have matured alongside their vineyards. Refinement of sites, clones and winemaking have been the biggest drivers of style evolution.

The country’s hallmark pure fruit intensity offered the temptation to build structure via extraction [during winemaking] and new oak, but the resulting bold, dark wines often lacked finesse. Now, freshness and texture are key.

The wines are more interesting, with riper fruit tannins and less oak scaffolding. Whole-bunch fermentation is popular and there’s an increasing array of crunchy ‘nouveau’ and natural styles.

New Zealand Pinot Noir: the facts

Productive vineyard area: 5,678ha

Harvest volume (tonnes) 2023: 30,532 / 2022: 34,569 / 2021: 22,029 / 2020: 34,105 / 2019: 26,944

Pinot Noir as a % of total NZ production (2023): 6.1%

Exports (2023): 12.22m bottles (75cl equivalent); 2.9% of total NZ exports (3.9% in 2022)

Area planted, regions (north to south): Hawke’s Bay 221ha of 4,805ha; Wairarapa 517ha of 1,089ha; Marlborough 2,637ha of 29,654ha; Nelson 162ha of 1,080ha; North Canterbury 427ha of 1,464ha; Central Otago 1,658ha of 2,054ha

Source: NZ Wine, 2023; Wine Export Certification Service.

Global perspective

One of the joys of New Zealand Pinot Noir is its accessibility – few wines need cellaring, though the better wines will still comfortably mature for 10 years or more.

It’s increasingly common to see producers holding back wines for release – while this selection of 40 includes current releases from 2020 to 2023, other wines going back to 2016 can be found on Decanter.

New Zealand’s Pinot Noir delivers good consistency and relatively high overall quality.

But the flipside can be slightly uninteresting, cookie-cutter wines. The tiny volumes of many of the top wines make them hard to find. On the plus side, pricing, especially of the best bottles, makes New Zealand Pinot relatively good value in a global context.

And thanks to its consistency, aided by a string of recent good vintages, there’s less risk involved for consumers.

‘The biggest challenge facing New Zealand producers,’ says Sophie Parker-Thomson MW, general manager and co-owner of Blank Canvas Wines, ‘is to drive a mindset shift in the fine wine drinkers and collectors of the world away from label bias and to have these wines considered on the same quality paradigm as Burgundy.’

Decanter vintage rating: NZ Pinot Noir

2023 4/5

2022 3/5

2021 5/5

2020 5/5

2019 5/5

2018 3/5

2017 3/5

2016 4/5

Vintages and producers

New Zealand’s varied geography can make vintage generalisations difficult. While some years – 2021, 2020 and 2019 – had more uniform quality, it’s best to check the specifics of a region, and how the individual producer fared.

2022 was more nuanced. Although outstanding in Central Otago, most other regions had a humid, unsettled summer, largely saved by drier harvest conditions. Consequently, it was a year that favoured meticulous vineyard management.

The top names are likely familiar. They include Ata Rangi, Bell Hill, Burn Cottage, Dog Point, Felton Road, Gibbston Valley, Greywacke, Neudorf, Prophet’s Rock, Pyramid Valley and Quartz Reef.

But this exciting category now has significant depth. So names such as Black Estate, Blank Canvas, Carrick, Calvert, Clos Henri, Doctors Flat, Grasshopper Rock, Greystone, Huntress, Novum, The Boneline and Valli, among many others, should also be on your radar.

New Zealand: Around the regions

Pinot Noir is grown throughout New Zealand but seems to be happiest from inland of Hawke’s Bay on the North Island and southwards.

Wairarapa (North Island): Tiny but important area with pioneering, world-class wineries; three sub-regions: Martinborough (about 60% of plantings), Gladstone and Masterton. Devigorating wind and gravelly soils create low yields and thicker skins; perfumed, structured with savoury complexity.

Marlborough: A move from the stonier valley floors towards the rolling, clay-based hillsides of the Southern Valleys sub-region brought big improvements; exciting wines from drier, cooler Awatere. Many archetypal wines, but good value, too, thanks to the presence of some big companies. Fragrant, red-fruited, midweight, with fine tannins. A key area for sparkling and rosé.

Nelson: High sunshine with sheltering hills; perfumed, expressively fruity wines; Moutere clay soils give the wines silky tannins and texture.

North Canterbury: Early vineyards near Christchurch but more recently a migration north to the drier, more sheltered rolling hills of Waipara and the inland, limestone soils of nearby Waikari. Perfumed, spicy, red/black fruits, supple, textural.

Central Otago: Pinot Noir is the flagship variety, with some 80% of plantings. Six sub-regions: Gibbston, Bannockburn, Alexandra, Cromwell/Lowburn/Pisa, Bendigo and Wanaka. Quartz/schist/granite and glacial soils; aromatic, supple, vivid red/black fruit with spice and dried herbs, and good acid-tannin structure.

Emma Jenkins MW’s top New Zealand Pinot Noir wines from recent vintages:

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Like I did in the fruit and veg aisle, it’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of climate change. But as conservationist Jake Fiennes says in his book Land Healer (BBC Books, June 2022): ‘We don’t need to throw up our hands in horror and resign ourselves to disaster.’

With a little effort and small changes, we can steer ourselves towards being more sustainably minded.

In recent years, the wine industry has seen tangible growth in knowledge sharing and collective action around the topic of sustainability. Demonstrated through organisations such as International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), The Porto Protocol and Sustainable Wine Roundtable, this includes the sharing of resources, experiences, problems, solutions, research and practical tools through talks, workshops and online platforms.

Wineries can benefit hugely from being members of these groups, as the pooling of resources and expertise accelerates progress. Wineries can be guided through certifications and sustainability strategies by fellow members, or by consultancies such as The Vine Strategy Group (TSVG).

A small change we can make as wine drinkers is to seek out wines made by producers that engage in these collective efforts. Many IWCA wineries will be familiar already: look out for Felton Road from New Zealand, Okanagan Crush Pad from Canada, Rioja’s CVNE, Greece’s Kir-Yianni and Lanson in Champagne.

The path to a sustainable wine industry is not solitary but communal. ‘This is not an area where wineries need to be competing with each other,’ says Rob Symington, director at Symington Family Estates, a founding member of both IWCA and The Porto Protocol. ‘It’s in our mutual interest to share.’

‘Organic always means sustainable’

Unfortunately not always the case. Although organic farming bans the use of most chemicals, it also means tractors might be used more frequently – especially in regions with high humidity – which means more carbon emissions. That being said, organic is still a solid certification to look out for, and as Anne Jones of sustainability consultancy Limestone & Jones says: ‘We have a lot to thank the organic movement for. It has created a consistent global agricultural standard across multiple categories, based on the principles of health, ecology, fairness and care.’ So I continue to use it as a frame of reference when buying wine.

Sip to make a difference

Domaine Lafage, Centenaire, Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, France 2022

Score: 91

£13.30-£13.99 The Fine Wine Co, Vinvm

A densely packed bundle of ripe stone fruit, pineapple and honeysuckle, this old-vine white cuvée is deep and comforting, with a dusting of spice and a fresh mineral finish. It’s like that bubbly friend that greets you with open arms and wraps you in an enveloping hug, giving your hair a cheeky tousle. Domaine Lafage became a silver member of IWCA in 2022. Drink 2024-2028 Alcohol 13.5%

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Back in 1851 when Marist missionaries planted some of New Zealand’s first vines in Hawke’s Bay, they couldn’t have known what the area would become. But fast forward through decades of growth – as well as challenges ranging from earthquakes to cyclones – and the country’s second-largest wine region is now a tourism hotspot. Thirsty travellers seeking vinous exploration that balances diversity with world-class quality can sip their way through Chardonnays and Syrahs, Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, at dozens of celebrated cellar doors. Most of them a mere grape’s toss from Breckenridge Lodge.

Overlooking a manicured patch of Chardonnay vines in the Omarunui Valley, Breckenridge Lodge was built by chef Malcolm Redmond in the early 2000s as a base in which to serve his hyper-local, hyper-seasonal cuisine. Twenty years later, with Malcolm’s American wife Ellie on side, the simple but effective formula – fabulous food, first-class wine and a relaxed ethos – remains very much in place at this intimate stay.

Culinary magic

What’s on your plate is central to every part of the Breckenridge Lodge experience. Malcolm’s own organic kitchen garden is the source of his culinary magic: just over a hectare bursting with everything from figs to passion fruit, plus a ramble of hundreds of native trees. Combining this bounty with meat and fish sourced from the wider region, Malcolm plates up daily five-course dinners featuring dishes like pan-fried snapper with cavolo nero sauce or crayfish and avocado roll with Chardonnay potato salad and rocket. What isn’t used in the kitchen goes into compost, ready for redeployment in the garden.

The cellar is no less considered. Malcolm and Ellie have amassed more than 2,000 bottles over the years and allow them to age before uncorking alongside dishes thoughtfully chosen to match. That means no matter how much local winery touring you do, you’ll always find surprises through older vintages and rare bottlings. For example, expect a pour of De La Terre Blanc de Blancs 2016 alongside that crayfish and avocado roll.

When you’re ready to explore the full breadth of the region’s vinous bounty, the Breckenridge team will happily arrange visits at any one of 30-plus local wineries within a 15-minute drive. Alternatively, team members can simply point you in the direction of their favourites, including The Urban Winery – where Tony Bish showcases his wines alongside other small producers such as Jenny Dobson – or the aforementioned De La Terre, which makes everything from Tannat to Montepulciano. Here winemaker and owner Tony Pritchard runs the tastings; follow up yours with a lunch from the pizza oven, overseen by his wife Kaye.

Or perhaps combine a history lesson with great tastings on a visit to some of the country’s oldest wineries. Te Mata Estate – known for its Bordeaux-style red blends – was founded in 1896, while Mission Estate dates all the way back to that first planting year, 1851.

Unwind and enjoy

In the rare moments when eating and drinking are not taking centre stage, homely Breckenridge provides a restorative space to unwind. Each of the five individual en-suite rooms, from taupe-hued ‘Coffee’ to floral print-splashed ‘Rose’ comes with heated floors, handmade wood furniture and toiletries made from the garden’s own lavender, lending a relaxed home-from-home air. And, of course, each comes with sweeping views out to those manicured vines, too.

With secluded paths winding through woodland and a pond that attracts around 30 different bird species including egrets and herons, the Breckenridge Lodge grounds provide plenty of reason to linger when you’re looking for a quiet afternoon.

Otherwise, for active exploration beyond the cellars, take to the 200km of regional cycling trails – Malcolm and Ellie will arrange bike hire for you – visit the local golf club a few miles away or hike up Te Mata peak. Or explore the self-proclaimed Art Deco capital of the world, Napier, bursting with sublime period architecture, and just a 15-minute drive away.

For further information, see the Breckenridge Lodge website.

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Ben Glover, 52, is the leading force behind The Coterie in Marlborough, New Zealand. In this collaborative space he makes the fruit of his family vineyards into the wines of his brands Zephyr, Bob Short for Kate, Massey Dacta and Spoke – the latter is a co-project with UK-based merchant Liam Steevenson MW.

While Ben’s story neatly traces the rise of Marlborough as the powerhouse of New Zealand’s wine industry, he has now come full circle. With The Coterie, he has, ‘established a place for the next generation to come make their wine, rock the world and show off Marlborough in a provocative and new light. Without barriers and with an open collective collaborative culture,’ he says.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for wines from Ben Glover

Paying it forward

The Coterie is a culmination of sorts, and a realisation. ‘Before Covid, I just wanted to do everything myself,’ Ben says. ‘But you really can’t, you’ve got to let go and start giving.’ By this he means giving youngsters the same opportunities he enjoyed as Marlborough – New Zealand’s biggest wine region – grew rapidly.

New Zealand went from 2,600 hectares in 1981 to almost 42,000ha in 2023, according to figures from the Wine Institute of New Zealand. From this total, 71% of those hectares are in Marlborough, where Sauvignon Blanc now accounts for 81% of plantings, according to The New Zealand Winegrowers Vineyard Report 2023.

‘All growers and business owners are brand owners who need to look after “Brand Marlborough”,’ says Ben. ‘That means paying it forward; that’s what the pioneers did. We’re now at a phase where Marlborough desperately needs those again.’ The Coterie is intended to be part of this – and the Glovers’ farming background is key to the idea of expressing the land and region.

Farming families

Ben’s earliest memories are following his father ‘in the long grass, trying to keep up with him, feeding our cows’ when the family were dairy farmers in Blenheim, Marlborough. As the oldest of four children, he learned to drive a tractor at age 10. ‘Just good, honest New Zealand rural life,’ he says.

Farming friends had done well with a relatively new crop and so in 1988, 15 years after the first vines had been planted in the region, Ben’s parents, Wendy and Owen Glover, also planted 8ha of vines and switched from dairy to grape farming.

‘That’s where it really started,’ says Ben. ‘One minute I was out with cattle, the next I was weeding these horrible vines that just kept wanting to grow.’

Those first 8ha were Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Semillon, grown as a cash crop to be sold as sparkling base wines to Australia. But the family had also branched out into garlic and deer farming. Ben describes his father as ‘a pretty diversified farmer, entrepreneurial. It shaped how I see the land. I’m not a very good scientist. Chemistry doesn’t excite me, it’s very much hands-on, observational.’

This is why, eventually, he hit on oenology and viticulture after neither law nor accounting held his attention. Ben discovered he, ‘really liked wine, the making side of it. Winemaking can live in the grey space of your brain; it does not have to be black and white,’ he says.

Riding the wave

On graduating, Ben thought he would take over the home farm, but his father – who was selling grapes to a certain Brent Marris, now of Marisco and The Ned fame – was in no mood to retire. ‘Luckily,’ Glover notes. Marris was ‘the dynamic young winemaker for Oyster Bay’, who had started his own side project in 1994.

That side project became Wither Hills. Marris offered the new graduate an opportunity to come on board his new project in 1998.

‘We had a fantastic time,’ Ben remembers. ‘We grew the Wither Hills brand. The first six years it was family-owned, then it was bought by Lion Nathan, a large multi-beverage company. Those years were brilliant,’ he adds, citing the dynamism of a changing industry.

‘It was just like riding a big Malibu surfboard on an endless break. I had a really cool, good mentor in Brent Marris – in winemaking and blending, but equally in selling wine and building relationships in the marketplace. For me it was brilliant to see, learn and understand all that.’

Learning curves

With these years of on-the-job training under his belt, 2007 became a pivotal year for Ben with two key developments. Upon the departure of Marris from Wither Hills, Ben became chief winemaker for the company and also started his own side project. He called it Zephyr, named after the classic Ford motorcar model, a family heirloom.

The Zephyr wines were made from the fruit on the Glover family farm, from the Kerseley vineyard which later became the Kerseley and Brawn Vineyards in the Dillons Point subregion of Marlborough where the deep silts lend a more savoury edge to the fruit. Parents Wendy and Owen did much to keep it rolling along.

Ben did this with his employers’ full permission. Increasingly, however, things at Wither Hills ‘got more and more corporate’ and so he switched to a head winemaker role at then family-owned Mud House in 2012. But when it was sold to Accolade in 2013, Ben was once again caught in a corporate culture.

‘It was pretty cut-throat,’ he remembers. ‘They were not too interested in longevity. It was a frustrating time. I left in 2016 and went live with Zephyr and the family business.’

A different focus

‘I haven’t really looked back,’ Ben admits. ‘Corporate structure tends to subdue or kill innovation because there’s so much pressure to deliver, but looking back, I took good discipline from that.’

The experience was crucial because he knows both sides of the industry: farming grapes, which is driven entirely by wildly different growing seasons; and corporate winemaking driven by supply, demand and global market forces.

Now, as a boutique winemaker he says: ‘It’s a hell of a lot tougher. It’s just how farming is. You’re relying on Huey upstairs to give you a good harvest.’

To solidify the Zephyr business, Ben and his wife Susie bought half of the vineyard from his parents in 2017, which by then had grown to 35ha.

‘We bought 15-odd hectares and converted them to organics straight away, another naive decision,’ he says. Susie, a schoolteacher by profession, is now a key part of the operation.

‘She’s extremely intuitive in regard to what needs to get done and how to get the best out of people, whether it’s a six-year-old child, a precocious 18-year-old or me, a 52-year-old man,’ says Ben.

But having made the big decision to shift the focus back on the home vineyards, an even bigger decision came along.

Coming full circle

‘In 2018, there was a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a property in Marlborough that had come up for sale quietly,’ Glover says. ‘That was part of the Seresin Estate winery. An 8ha property with 3ha of vineyards and a 1,200-ton facility, simply stunning.’

Sue and Ben then clubbed together with friends and family to reinvent the vineyards and its winery as The Coterie. It is co-owned by the Glovers, their in-laws Sally and John Flanagan, Ben’s brother Jack Glover and Rhyan Wardman, chairman of local New Zealand airline Sounds Air and another wine industry veteran.

‘It was very much a decision with the heart and the head,’ Ben says about this innovative venture. ‘We set the business up as a custom crush facility focused on organics. We have 13 clients currently ranging from 1 ton to 400 tons of fruit. We want to promote organics and help anyone who’s in that space, give them a facility where they can thrive.’

He adds: ‘It’s a really tight-knit group. We’re all different, but that’s what’s exciting. You talk, discuss issues, problems, whatever. Sharing is key. I really enjoy that because it’s a bit of giving back.’

Ben loves that he returned to the vineyard, literally and figuratively. ‘I’m really enjoying doing more and more viticulture, tucking lifting wires and leaf plucking by hand. I don’t mind evolving back to that peace. I think that’s a really cool journey.’

Zephyr Wines at a glance

Founded: 2007

Owner: The Coterie

Average annual production: 60,000 cases

Vineyard area: 75ha

Key vineyards: Brawn Vineyards (organic) and Kerseley Vineyard in the Dillons Point subregion of Marlborough are the original Glover Family vineyards first planted in 1988. Brink Vineyard in Renwick, Wairau Valley, is Marlborough’s oldest organic vineyard planted in 1992. Alice Mills Estate is also in the Wairau Valley.

Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Brands: Zephyr Wines, Massey Dacta and Bob short for Kate (a homage to Ben Glover’s sister who died of cancer a few years ago) are made from estate-owned vineyards, with some bought-in fruit for the latter. Spoke is made from estate-grown and bought-in fruit in a collaboration with UK merchant Liam Steevenson MW of Vineyard Productions in Bristol.

Ben Glover wines to try

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There was a time when you could easily pick a Central Otago Pinot Noir out of a blind line up. The bold, muscular and ripe wine would always be the ticket, its intensity and power reflecting the stark beauty of the landscape.

How things change. With less extraction, less oak and earlier harvests, the wines have seen a reset that allows fruit and provenance to shine – while revealing the sometimes subtle, sometimes marked differences between Central Otago’s distinct subregions.

With just 2,054ha of vines, Central Otago on New Zealand’s South Island represents just 4.9% of the country’s vineyards, according to the New Zealand Wine Vineyard Report 2023. But it is home to 29.2% of the country’s Pinot Noir plantings.

This means that Pinot Noir takes up just over 80% of Central Otago’s vineyards, set against snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 20 Central Otago Pinots

The region’s pristine air translates into some of the world’s most intense sunshine, which explains the once much punchier wine style that initially put Central Otago on the map. Grapes were harvested at plush maximum ripeness and high potential alcohol, which was then underlined in the winery by vigorous extraction of tannins and ageing in small, often new oak barrels.

An evolution of style

But sensibilities have changed. Earlier harvests now prize aromatics over alcohol, while both extraction and new oak are dialled back. Jen Parr, winemaker at Valli Wine in Gibbston, says: ‘The concept of ripeness has changed, not only for Valli but for most of us.’ Less is now more and red-fruited, floral aromas are more common than black cherry or dark-fleshed plum.

‘Twenty years ago when you did not do a punch down every four hours, there was something wrong with you,’ quips Rudi Bauer, co-owner and winemaker at Quartz Reef in Bendigo.

His much younger colleague Brian Shaw, co-owner and winemaker at Wild Irishman in Alexandra, explains how gently he now extracts.

‘2019 was the first year we really pulled back. We now just keep the cap wet with a watering can, and – if we can handle it – we will give the ferment just one punch down over the entire time.’

Duncan Forsyth of Mount Edward sums it up when he says: ‘The way we have evolved stylistically is that these elements like tannin and acid are coming at you anyway. We now have less extraction and aim to have an elegant, supple, soft representation of these vineyards.’

This new, more restrained approach allows us drinkers to taste real differences between Central Otago’s subregions.

From the cool Gibbston Valley, via warm Bannockburn, to arid Alexandra in the south, along either side of the Clutha river in Lowburn, Pisa and Bendigo, up to more temperate Wanaka in the north.

Not forgetting the tiny offshoot of Waitaki Valley, which links Central Otago and the South Island’s eastern coast.

Let’s take a look at these subregions from north to south…

Wanaka

On vineyards sloping towards and surrounding picturesque Lake Wānaka, a glacial freshwater lake and New Zealand’s fourth-largest, this cooler subregion gets 600mm of annual rainfall.

Vines grow on a mixture of schist-based soils, moraines and clays, at altitudes up to 400m. The lake acts as a moderating influence.

‘Wanaka is not as hot, not as cold, not as dry,’ as the other subregions of Central Otago, says Nick Mills of Rippon Vineyard. ‘Wanaka is the most temperate climate of Central Otago. Precision and articulation of tannin are the calling cards of this valley,’ he adds.

Bendigo

These west and north-west facing slopes on the eastern shore of Lake Dunstan are some of the warmest vineyard sites in Central Otago. ‘Sun-drenched’ is how Misha Wilkinson (below) of Misha’s Vineyard puts it, with the vines basking in every last ray of sunshine until sunset.

Since vineyards slope down to the lakeshore, both water and cold air drain freely on very rocky, schistous soils. Vines at around 200m at the lake shore are harvested three to four weeks before those higher up at around 400m.

Both quartz and calcium carbonate seams crop up on these hillsides. The soils create structured Pinot Noirs with firm tannins that enable these wines to age and evolve – in fact, they are better with bottle age.

Gibbston

This region along the Kawarau Gorge extending east of Queenstown is ‘the highest, wettest and coldest subregion of Central Otago’, says Shaw of Wild Irishman.

Vines root in loess, loams and gravels on top of schist at altitudes between 300m and 480m. They get 550-600mm of rain per year. Gibbston is probably the most distinct Central Otago subregion in character, with vividly red-fruited, tender, translucent yet expressive wines.

Fine, tea-like tannins and floral, peppery overtones mean Gibbston-grown Pinots are some of the most perfumed and aromatic. ‘Gibbston is all about fragrance,’ concludes Parr of Valli Wines.

Cromwell, Lowburn & Pisa

Extending north from Cromwell on the western shore of Lake Dunstan, Lowburn and Pisa sites are varied. Some are in the valley on deeper soils that have been farmed for a long time; others are on slopes of up to 350m.

The vines root in a mix of silts, loams, with quartz, calcium carbonate, schist and sandstone. ‘The climate is severe,’ explains Yoshiaki Sato of Sato Wines. ‘Cold air always runs down from the mountain.

‘But we are facing east, so we warm up quickly in the morning, between 45 minutes and an hour earlier than Bendigo [across Lake Dunstan]. In the afternoon it is the opposite. We get less of the intense sunlight,’ he adds.

Fine tannins, clarity and exquisite brightness run through these nervy, translucent wines.

Bannockburn

Deeper soils – of loam, clay, silt, gravel, loess and even clay on top of schist bedrock – are a distinguishing feature of Bannockburn. Meanwhile its climate is the warmest in Central Otago.

It extends south of Cromwell along the Kawarau Gorge. It is the quality of the tannins that distinguishes Bannockburn, uniting ripeness with density and finesse.

Yes, there is power in these wines, but it is controlled and elegant rather than punchy.

Alexandra

This is Central Otago’s most southerly subregion along the Clutha River. Shaw of Wild Irishman notes: ‘Alexandra is the hottest and coldest place in New Zealand – it is very continental.’

The dramatic temperature shifts here see the highest day and coldest night temperatures. With just 300-350mm of rain per year, it is also the driest.

The vineyards, much lower-lying at around 150-200m, grow mostly on alluvial silts and sandy gravels, again on schist bedrock. The wines show a different, more elastic tannin structure, with vivid juiciness and energetic fruit.

Waitaki Valley

This tiny subregion is really nothing more than an outpost, some 2.5 hours’ drive north-east from Cromwell in North Otago.

Here there are just 59ha of vines rooting in limestone. The climate is cool, even marginal, and frost is always a risk. The coolness means that bunch weights are lower and that harvests can last into May.

Everything here is fraught with risk, but the wines are delicate yet intense expressions of Pinot Noir with red-fruited depth, vivid tension and beguiling aromatics.

Valli’s Parr says: ‘Making Waitaki wines is the wildest ride of my career.’

Central Otago: recent vintages

2022: Sufficient rain and warm, dry conditions in the growing season spelled some higher yields. But fruit was healthy and beautifully balanced.

2021: A splendid growing season with a coolish start but fine, dry harvest and exquisite and healthy fruit. These wines will hit the UK later this year.

2020: A cool season in Central Otago with some poor flowering, so Bendigo and Bannockburn saw lower yields. But the wines from the Covid vintage are beautiful.

2019: Poor flowering, caused by dampness in spring, spelled concentrated fruit that ripened well with sufficient temperature and water.

2018: After the hottest growing season ever, harvest in Central Otago was very early and the wines seem more developed than others at the same age, already showing clear evolution.

Central Otago Pinot Noir: 20 to try

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In addition to AMW’s recently launched map and tightening of the source area for AMW-certified fruit, it has updated its yield requirements with a minimum sugar ripeness level for members, whose grapes – other than those destined for low-alcohol products – must now exceed 18 Brix at harvest.

It has also appointed its first CEO, Michael Wentworth, to drive membership and advocacy goals and to create greater public awareness of the group. AMW chair, John Buchanan, said: ‘Up until this point, AMW’s growth has been rather organic. We’ve made significant in-roads with wine buyers and enthusiasts over the past few years and it is critical that we capitalise on this momentum.’

Established in 2018 due to concerns with the rapid industry growth that brought with it an increase of bulk wine shipments and secondary non-winery aligned brands, AMW aims instead to promote the region’s diversity and create guardrails to prevent ‘the dilution of brand value of Marlborough that is occurring because of the dilution of the product itself’.

According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), New Zealand’s bulk wine exports comprised 41% of the total volume in 2023, the overwhelming majority of which is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

In addition to the parameters above, AMW-certified wines must be 100% Marlborough fruit, be bottled in New Zealand, certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, BioGro NZ or an equivalent, and have been approved by an independent panel of local winemakers.

There are now 54 members of varying sizes who have signed an enforceable code of conduct and who use the AMW logo on their labels and marketing. At its inception, only Sauvignon Blanc wines were permitted but in 2022 certification was expanded to all varieties grown in the region, with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and aromatic wines now bearing the AMW mark.

‘Ultimately, wines that are certified under the AMW regulations offer drinkers an authentic, quality expression of Marlborough. Sadly, with bulk wine shipments and expansion of vineyards into marginal areas, that’s not always the case, so by elevating the profile of AMW we give wine drinkers a choice,’ said Wentworth.

New Zealand’s Geographical Indications (GI) Act was passed into law at the end of 2016, permitting the registration and global protection of place names but without further restrictions such as varieties or production methods, and only 85% of fruit needs to come from a particular GI for it to be on the label. While such flexibility is largely welcomed in a young country like New Zealand, whose regions are still in the process of refining what works best for them, the flipside is that it provides little official encouragement towards or benchmarking of quality expectations.

The Marlborough GI, as with most others in the country, follows geo-political boundaries rather than wine-growing ones. AMW’s map delineates the wine-growing areas and has a near overlap with where the region’s rainfall sits below 900mm, an especially important variable for a thin-skinned disease-susceptible variety like Sauvignon Blanc.

AMW’s recent agreement with members to stay within its map’s boundaries rather than those of the wider GI’s is anchored in the view of many producers that Marlborough is at its planted limits for quality wine production. Wentworth said: ‘As quality land has become scarce within Marlborough, we are increasingly seeing expansion into marginal areas, areas with very high rainfall. We are not looking to limit growers ability to grow where they want, taking on all the associated risk, all we are seeking is a more realistic border to reflect quality winemaking, and for those that make the choice to grow outside the region, not to be able to utilise “Marlborough” on the label.’

AMW regards its advocacy as a driver of change, and pressing New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) for better regulation will be one of Wentworth’s key tasks.

‘NZW last year introduced a voluntary code of practice for bulk wine shipments, seeking buy-in from producers – that is still under review,’ he said. ‘We believe the industry needs tighter regulations in place, to take some real leadership and implement compulsory standards. It’s the only way to ensure consistency across the industry and maintain quality standards. It’s not about impacting people’s livelihoods, it’s protecting our hard-earned reputation and giving wine drinkers confidence that they are purchasing a quality product, reflective of the region.’

With the dominance Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has in New Zealand’s industry, it’s a concern many share, but lobbying for the tightening of GI regulations and national minimum Brix standards will likely be a long game.

NZW thus far seem happier for an ad hoc approach to appellatory regulations to occur. Charlotte Read, general manager of brand for NZW, said: ‘We applaud the efforts of any collaboration of members that combine resources to amplify a strong premium New Zealand wine message. One of the enablers of the New Zealand wine industry’s rapid rise to global prominence has been our flexible regulatory system. At the current time we do not believe there is an industry consensus for a change to existing settings, but, of course, private initiatives are free to innovate as they so choose.’

So far, AMW is the only entity to pursue a stricter approach. Central Otago, where a significant proportion of fruit and wine moves out of the region to be processed in other wineries or bottling facilities, is more focused on subregional GIs, with Bannockburn registered in February 2022 and Bendigo likely to follow suit. While Central Otago has largely maintained its premium pricing and reputation, it’s an area on which its producers and regional body Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) continue to keep a close eye.

Wentworth believes AMW won’t be going it alone for long. ‘There is a genuine interest in what we are doing from other regions within the country, and I believe it won’t be long before we see other regional groups like ours emerge throughout New Zealand. This now gives the wine drinker a genuine choice – we just need to amplify our message and encourage people to look for the AMW logo as their guarantee of quality and authenticity.’

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It’s ironic that when I go to interview actor and wine producer Sam Neill at his Central Otago farm, HQ for his Two Paddocks wines, he isn’t there.

Because as well as being famous for his roles in, among others, The Piano and the Jurassic Park franchise, and TV’s Peaky Blinders, Neill has a reputation as the most hands-on of celebrity winemakers; when he’s not travelling for work, he lives at the farm, where he’s known affectionately as ‘The Proprietor’ or simply ‘The Prop’.

He built a house there, in among the vines, and it’s very much his base, to the extent that when he received a devastating blood cancer diagnosis two years ago, he told the specialist (in Australia) ‘that I wouldn’t come back for a few days, that I hadn’t been to my farm for months and I needed to sleep in my own bed… plant something, be a farmer and a wine producer, even if it was only for a few days. I really needed to do that.’

Scroll down to see notes and scores for eight wines from Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks estate

Finding time

He wrote this in his engaging memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? (paperback, £10.99 Penguin, March 2024), penned during treatment that has proved largely successful – he’s now in full metabolic remission, though still taking preventative drugs.

The book devotes two full chapters to his life in wine and the pages might as well have red wine sploshes all over them, so clear is Neill’s love for the subject, and for Pinot Noir in particular.

I didn’t meet Neill that day; he had been called abroad hurriedly due to a changed film schedule. But I spent an afternoon with his close teammates, winemaker Dean Shaw (who has worked with Two Paddocks since 1999) and viticulturist Mike Wing (joined in 2004).

And a full tasting of Two Paddocks’ releases later, I got to scratch the bristly head of Neill’s beloved kunekune, pig Angelica, which is actually a boar, so that was some compensation.

We schedule a Zoom interview, me back in the UK with a bottle of Two Paddocks Riesling open on my desk as it’s 8pm, and Neill apologising for his jet lag at 9am NZ time back on the farm.

He has just flown in from the US, where he has been publicising his new TV drama Apples Never Fall, co-starring Annette Bening. He perks up the moment we start to talk about wine and we move quickly to his favourite subject, ‘Lord Pinot’.

Falling in love

In another life, Neill might have joined the drinks trade, as he had family connections. Wines and spirits were a core part of New Zealand company Neill & Co, where his father (post-army career) and grandfather both worked.

But Neill showed little interest in drinks until he visited the great actor James Mason at his home on the shores of lake Geneva in 1980, where he was introduced to red Burgundy during a meal at Charlie Chaplin’s favourite restaurant.

Neill was immediately smitten and is still cross that he can’t remember precisely where that first wine originated. He ‘continued his love affair with Burgundy for the next 12 years or so’, discovering Pinot from Oregon along the way.

It was the late Rolfe Mills of Rippon Vineyard at lake Wanaka in Central Otago who first put in Neill’s head the idea of growing Pinot there; Neill describes tasting Rippon’s 1991 Pinot as a ‘lightbulb moment’.

His first vineyard was planted in 1993 in the middle of the Gibbston valley. Neill’s film director mate Roger Donaldson bought the next plot along, hence Two Paddocks. ‘It really was a gamble,’ Neill admits.

‘No one knew how those initial two hectares of Pinot would fare in what is quite an extreme climate. Gibbston is the highest region in Central, surrounded by the southern Alps – very cold in winter, heat never guaranteed, and frost can come at almost any time.

‘We had snow up the valley while I was away this year in February. Rational people shouldn’t make wine here,’ Neill half-jokes, ‘but I’ve learned that to produce great Pinot, you have to teeter on the edge of viability.’

He now owns three more vineyards: the Red Bank Farm and home base at Earnscleugh, Alexandra, bought in 2000; the Last Chance vineyard close to Alexandra, which Neill ventures ‘might be the most southerly vineyard in the world’, through which runs a small water race, hand-dug by gold miners in the 1860s; and finally the Fusilier vineyard in Bannockburn, named after his army officer father.

The Fusilier, purchased in 2013, is on Felton Road, very close to Felton Road Wines, and it’s clear the famous location meant a lot to Neill, thanks to the healthy rivalry between the two producers.

Two Paddocks at a glance

Founded: 1993

First vintage: 1997

Owner: Sam Neill

Vineyards: Red Bank Farm (Earnscleugh, Alexandra); The First Paddock (Gibbston); The Last Chance (Earnscleugh, Alexandra); The Fusilier (Bannockburn)

Varieties: Pinot Noir and Riesling

Organic: Certified BioGro since 2017

Free-range Otago boy

What makes Central Otago Pinot so special? Neill thinks for a while before replying that the wines are particularly ‘vivid’. Some claim that the gold that may still be in the soil accounts for such vivacity, but he doesn’t have a firm opinion on this himself.

Rather he looks for a source of the ‘toasted herbs’ in his wines and finds it in the wild thyme bushes that grow in large thickets across the region’s dry hills. ‘Thyme was planted by 19th-century Chinese gold diggers to ward off insects – now it’s everywhere and it can influence the wine, just as eucalyptus can do in Australia.’

Back at Red Bank Farm, 5.5ha of Pinot and Riesling are joined by many other crops, including lavender (to produce lavender oil), saffron, olives and cherries, as well as oak trees. The oak has been planted by Neill as recompense for his use of barrels in the winery. ‘It’s on my conscience,’ he says. ‘Someone using oak should be planting oak.’

Nigel Greening, the British owner of Felton Road Wines, says that Neill ‘grew up a free-range Otago boy and is always happiest when on the farm… He’s the antithesis of the famous film star with a vineyard – far more concerned with honesty in his wines than in impressing people.’

Notable Pinot wizard Larry McKenna, who has worked as consultant to Two Paddocks over many years, adds: ‘I think he feels the “celebrity winemaker” tag, but he does not sign up to it or think of himself in that way.’

Going his own way

Conversion to organic viticulture was Neill’s decision – his teammates roll their eyes when remembering his insistence. He ‘hates the scorched earth policy’ and ‘can’t bear to drive past vineyards which are conventional after seeing what herbicides do’.

After a short interruption in organic viticulture when weed control had to be used for newly acquired vineyards, Two Paddocks wines were re-certified organic by BioGro in 2017. Neill is the first to suggest that thanks to Central Otago’s low humidity and persistent winds it’s easier to farm organically here than in some areas.

Affable, relaxed but not remotely ‘luvvie’, Neill nonetheless holds some entrenched views. Most are positive – interestingly, he admires the Shiraz of former Penfolds winemaker John Duval, now of the eponymous Barossa winery.

But he has his strong dislikes; he loathes ‘horrible corks’ and was ‘absolutely infuriated’ when he lost a third of his 1999 bottles to cork taint. Since 2001, Two Paddocks has only used Stelvin screw caps. And, he declares, ‘Pinot Gris does nothing for me’, in a region where the grape is often extolled.

He does have plenty of time for Riesling, however, having been ‘converted to it in Alsace’ while he was filming there during the 1980s. ‘Riesling planted in Central Otago just sits up and says, “I love it here.” You can’t grow Riesling everywhere, like you can with Chardonnay, but it works here particularly well.’

He points to the kerosene complexity of mature Central Otago Rieslings; certainly his younger wines are promisingly delicious.

Where to next? For now, Neill seems satisfied with his four vineyards in Central Otago. ‘They are all distinctly different and there’s something Burgundian about that. The sub-regions are becoming increasingly recognised and really, I welcome it.’

As for the Two Paddocks style of Pinot: ‘We were making subtle, restrained wines 20 years ago, when Central Otago was getting a name for rather obvious fruit bombs. We continue to go our own way.’

Central Otago star power: Susy Atkins’ eight wines to try from Two Paddocks

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It wasn’t all that long ago that judging the rosé class in a New Zealand wine show was a bit like receiving a competition booby prize. Quality was as variable as the colours, but alas, not nearly as enticing.

New Zealand’s rosés may still come in a veritable rainbow of pink hues, but the quality has taken a huge leap forward as winemakers, following the global trend in rosé appreciation, have stepped up their game.

Hawke’s Bay consultant winemaker Damian Fischer observes: ‘The industry is clearly taking the category seriously and putting more effort into crafting these wines. The trend for paler colours and drier styles is continuing and I’ve noticed more freshness, purity and delicacy in the wines without sacrificing flavour.’

Rosé wines are produced the length and breadth of the country, though as expected, the output from industry engine room Marlborough surpasses all other regions.

Grapes and regions

Pinot Noir is the country’s most common red grape variety and accordingly produces the majority of rosés, be they still or sparkling. But there is a decent range of Merlot and Syrah-based wines to be found, alongside a few of the less usual suspects. These include Malbec, Pinotage, Cabernet Franc and even Tempranillo. Occasionally, white varieties such as Pinot Gris or Chardonnay are also slipped in, though generally only in small blending fractions.

Regional variation tends to reflect the respective climatic and varietal makeups. So you can expect to find more robust, spicy Merlot or Syrah-based wines from Hawke’s Bay. Meanwhile Marlborough and Central Otago’s focus is generally bright, aromatic berry fruit-rich Pinot Noir-based wines. The latter’s cooler climes add crisper acidity as well as cherries and fresh herbs.

Most wines showcase New Zealand’s signature fruit purity; vibrant and refreshing, they’re intended to be consumed nicely chilled within a year or so of harvest, and are generally dry or just off-dry, though a few have a crowd-pleasing hint of residual sugar for that lusher mouthfeel. There is also a small diverse faction of winemakers experimenting with degrees of skin contact, oxidative winemaking, oak or amphorae.

Unfortunately many rosés don’t leave New Zealand’s shores. Export figures have climbed from 0.7 million litres in 2014 to 4.3 million litres in 2023, according to the New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report 2023. However producers either have a strong enough domestic sales base, or instead struggle to find a place in the hyper-competitive global rosé market. So should you happen to spot one of the following wines on the shelves in your own market, best snap it up quick.

Top New Zealand rosé: 20 to try

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Selling your dairy herd to buy a vineyard may not raise too many eyebrows these days, but back in 1980 when Clive Paton purchased five barren, stony hectares to plant Pinot Noir near the tiny backwater farming town of Martinborough, New Zealand, it was positively bonkers.

Apart from Dry River Wines, established the year before (and an ill-fated venture started in 1978 by publisher Alister Taylor), there were no other vineyards in Martinborough, and quality wine production of any sort in New Zealand was nascent, to say the least. A government report published in 1978 had suggested Martinborough might be well suited to Burgundian varieties, but Paton and his sister Alison, who had bought an adjoining 2ha, were still taking a very big punt indeed in planting the first vines at Ata Rangi.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 21 Ata Rangi wines, including a mini vertical of Pinot Noir

Thankfully, there were soon a few other mad neighbours. Martinborough Vineyards, also planted in 1980, was followed by Chifney Estate (now part of Margrain) and Te Kairanga. In time, further producers slowly followed these bold pioneers. To this day, Wairarapa as a whole only produces 1% of New Zealand’s wine (itself less than 2% of global wine production), the majority of which is produced in Martinborough, but thanks to producers such as Ata Rangi, its 60-odd wineries have built an impressive international reputation that far eclipses its size.

These days, ‘Ata Rangi’ – ‘dawn sky’ or ‘new beginnings’ in the Māori language – farms about 32ha spread across 12 vineyards situated on the Martinborough Terrace, a swathe of 25m-30m deep alluvial gravels surrounding the still tiny but now thriving township. As well as the original Home Block vineyard – now 44 years old and planted to the local Abel clone – it owns seven other nearby vineyards, farms two others under long-term leases and sources fruit from winemaker Helen Masters’ vineyard and the Dara Vineyard, owned by Kim and Gordana Dara.

Family roots

Alongside Pinot Noir, there are plantings of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Ata Rangi first achieved full organic certification for two of its vineyards, McCrone and Home Block, in 2014, with the rest following soon after, and is also unusual in New Zealand in that a large percentage of its vines remain on their own roots. This is not without risk, but Paton feels the benefits of extra concentration and consistency they perceive in the fruit outweigh any additional phylloxera hazard potential.

Widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best wineries, Ata Rangi’s stylish, complex Pinot Noirs have a solid track record for ageing beautifully. Its reputation is equally likely due to the charming, self-effacing nature of its people.

Paton – who married fellow winemaker Phyll Pattie in 1987 – and his sister Alison Paton remain at the helm. Helen Masters has just celebrated 20 years at the winery, and the vineyard team is overseen by former Villa Maria viticulturist Ian Ewart. It’s a tight-knit, humble group, with great respect for their land and a clear vision of what they want to produce from it.

In the Home and McCrone vineyards, weeds are managed using under-vine tools, combined with cultivation and mowing. ‘Our vineyards’ biodiversity is enhanced by a mixture of native and exotic shelter belts and inter-row wildflower planting that provide havens for native predatory and beneficial insects,’ explains Masters.

‘We make compost on site from grape stalks, skins and yeast lees, mixed with seaweed, forest floor duff and harvested green crops. This mix is utilised in the vineyard to make compost tea for vine health and boost organic matter within the soil. Our dedicated vineyard team does all the vine work by hand – from pruning in winter through to harvest in autumn.’

Martinborough and the Abel clone

Martinborough is a sub-region of the wider Wairarapa wine region, which also includes Gladstone and Masterton. The first vines, planted in 1883, fell victim to the temperance movement just a few decades later. Today, at 527ha (according to New Zealand Wine), Pinot Noir makes up about half the plantings in Wairarapa as a whole, another third are Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and 23 other varieties. The Martinborough sub-region enjoys cool, windy springs and warm, relatively dry summers, buffeted by strong southerly winds. Soils are deep, free-draining gravels, with a mixture of shallow sandy/clay loam topsoils.

The Martinborough Pinot Noir style is expressive, structured and savoury – the best are very ageworthy. Most plantings are of the Abel (‘gumboot’) clone – purported to be from an illicit cutting from one of Burgundy’s most famous vineyards [said to be Romanée Conti], hidden in a wellington boot and confiscated by customs officer Malcolm Abel. Abel, a winemaker himself, thankfully realised the cutting’s significance and sent it to be put through quarantine at Te Kauwhata, the then-government viticulture research station, and subsequently planted cuttings that resulted from this in his own small vineyard in Auckland (now long overrun by the city).

He died a few years later, but not before becoming friendly with Clive Paton, who worked a vintage with him and took cuttings of his own back to Ata Rangi, which became the vines of its Home Block. The Abel clone is now planted throughout New Zealand, but is arguably at its very best in Martinborough, Wairarapa.

Hands-off approach

In the cellar, by contrast, Masters says the biggest winemaking shift has been simply to do less and less. ‘The wines are made increasingly by the vines rather than in the winery. I am keen to not let winemaking get in front of the fruit.’ Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed to larger barrels and undergoes natural ferments, with minimal stirring and sulphur additions, and new oak is kept to around 20%-30%.

She has a similarly hands-off approach to the Pinots, though since 2015 has gradually increased the whole-bunch percentage, appreciating the slower, cooler fermentation temperatures this delivers. The wines are prettier as a result, with more spice and better balance. Punchdowns [breaking up the cap of grape skins and other solids that forms on the surface of fermenting red wine and submerging it in the liquid below] have been swapped for more gentle plunging, aiding tannin management, an element the region’s Pinots can at times struggle to tame.

Martinborough’s position in a wide valley open to the south-southwest means the bracing southerlies that sweep in from the Cook Strait naturally reduce yields and disease pressure, and thicken grape skins. The resulting phenolics give its Pinots a structured, savoury, smoky/earthy expression unique in the New Zealand style spectrum. The best have a very satisfying ageworthiness and presence.

The Ata Rangi vineyards

Kotinga vineyard

Established in 2000; 4ha, of which 3.2ha planted on free-draining alluvial gravels, no clay influence. Planted with three Dijon clones. Ata Rangi took over the vineyard in 2015, and purchased it in 2017; it was certified organic in 2018. The first single-vineyard release was the 2020.

Masters vineyard

Planted in 2001, the vineyard has provided fruit for Ata Rangi since 2007. It was purchased and renamed by winemaker Helen Masters and her husband Ben in 2015. Located 4km south of the township; 2.5ha of gravels with well-mixed clays. Fruit ripens about one or two weeks later than other Ata Rangi sites. Planted to Pinot Noir (Abel, Pommard and Dijon clones) and Chardonnay (Mendoza and 15); certified organic in 2020 – the year of the first single-vineyard release.

McCrone vineyard

Planted in 2001 with a mix of Abel, Dijon and Clone 5 Pinot Noir clones. Gravels mixed with clay from ridges on either side of the vineyard. Purchased in 2012 and certified organic in 2014. The first single vineyard release was the 2006; there will be no 2021 due to frost.

Retrospective

In late 2022, Ata Rangi celebrated the opening of its beautiful new tasting room (which won an award from the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects), nestled in the Home vineyard, with a thrilling tasting of 31 wines, encompassing a retrospective of every Pinot Noir release back to 1994, plus the 2020 single-vineyard bottlings.

Wines were poured from magnums, with vintages missing from the Ata Rangi cellar kindly donated by a local collector. It was a fascinating opportunity to observe both the subtle evolution of the wines as the vineyards and team have matured, and the strong house style that has emerged over time.

The release of two new single-vineyard Pinots, from the Kotinga and Masters vineyards, represents another step along the road – one that Masters sees as necessary for the region if it’s to start showcasing and underscoring its differences in terroir. This is especially interesting in a region such as Martinborough where the minuscule size of most producers means that there’s little scope for such delineation – most have only just enough wine for one Pinot produced off their home block.

Ata Rangi itself faces a tricky supply/demand balance. ‘We just don’t have the supply,’ says Masters. ‘2021, 2022 and 2023 were all way below what we needed.’ Collectors take note.

Tasting nearly three decades’ worth of past Ata Rangi wines, it’s exciting to think about what the future holds. Masters sums up: ‘We are eccentric here, but we make wines we love.’ Long may that continue.

Ata Rangi: Emma Jenkins MW reviews 21 wines

Wines are listed white then red in descending score order 

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The purity of fruit, natural balance and elegance of New Zealand Pinot Noir is reason for this notoriously unpredictable grape variety’s surge in the south. Though the first commercial bottlings were only in 1987, New Zealand is now globally recognised for the quality Pinot it delivers.

From the cooler regions of Wairarapa (North Island), Marlborough, North Canterbury and Central Otago (all South Island), among others, stylistic differences, due to climatic and soil diversity, have become notable, and regionality is now a topic of focus for wine experts and Pinot enthusiasts alike.

From Marlborough, red fruits and aromatic freshness are common markers of the region, Wairarapa is often savoury, while Central Otago Pinots can be darker in fruit character with spicy notes and more noticeable tannins.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring New Zealand Pinot Noir wines from DWWA 2023

At the Decanter World Wine Awards, this is what the judges look for when awarding top medals: quality in relation to grape typicity and regionality. And at the 2023 competition, ‘Pinot Noir was an excellent performer’, commented Cameron Douglas MS, DWWA Regional Chair for New Zealand, noting ‘regional and even some sub-regional voices heard through the wines’.

Judging with Douglas on the New Zealand panel, the late Philip Tuck MW added: ‘I have always championed Pinot Noir. In the next 10 years, when people realise how well – given its freshness, soft tannins and often moderate alcohol – Pinot Noir goes with so many foods, it will become increasingly popular.’

An expert-rated guide to explore New Zealand’s regional expressions of Pinot Noir, below discover a selection of top-awarded wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards, with more to seek out at awards.decanter.com

In pursuit of Pinot: The allure of New Zealand’s regional styles

The regional standouts

Palliser Estate, Hua Nui, Martinborough, Wairarapa 2021

Best in Show, 97 points

palliser.co.nz

A forthright and vital wine, which evokes raspberries and plums on the nose. Energetic and exuberant, its structure derives from that force of fruit, darkened by oak and lifted by ripe, fruit-dense acidity rather than tannins. Smooth, assured and impressive. Alcohol 13.5%

Rockburn, The Chosen Hillside, Central Otago 2021

Platinum, 97 points

rockburn.co.nz

Luxuriously plush red cherry and juicy redcurrant melt into a warming, toasty oak core. Rich and structured with a superb lift of acidity and a sumptuous pillow of tannin. Youthful and promising with a long, rustic finish. Alc 13.5%

Valli, Bannockburn Vineyard, Central Otago 2021

Platinum, 97 points

£33 (ib) Burnett & Herbert, Farr Vintners, Lay & Wheeler

An energetic burst of red berry, plum and cherry infused with a forest floor and truffly mushroom undercurrent. Exquisitely poised with velvety tannins and a beautifully youthful, autumn leaf texture. Long and peppery. Alc 13.5%

Central Otago

McArthur Ridge, Southern Tor, Alexandra Basin 2021

Gold. 96 points

mcarthurridge.com

A delightfully aromatic fruit basket of raspberry, plum and red cherry underpinned by a savoury, dried herb and stony mineral core. Juicy acidity and silky tannins. Alc 13.5%

Nanny Goat Vineyard 2021

Gold, 96 points

£19.99 Waitrose

Delectable dark cherry and dried raspberry with a whisper of bracken, stony mineral and thyme intricately enfolded in the mellow tannins and smoky, permeating acidity. Alc 13.5%

Wild Earth 2021

Gold, 96 points

£33.99 Available via UK agent Liberty Wines

Generously laden with dark plums, blackcurrant, raspberry and earthy spice, with a searing, youthful backbone of acidity and textured tannins. Intriguing and immersive. Alc 13.5%

Three Miners, Warden’s Court 2020

Gold, 95 points

threeminers.com

Striking aromas of cherries and plums with a gorgeously plush velvety texture, an exquisite spine of acidity and charming, fine-spun tannins melting into the long finish. Alc 13.5%

Marlborough

Giesen Group, Ara Resolute Organic 2021

Gold, 95 points

£30 North South Wines

Ample blackcurrant, plum and raspberry aromatics with a plush, oaky undertone, shapely tannins and fleshy acidity. Lavish and charismatic with a black cherry finish. Alc 13.5%

Marisco, Leefield Station, Waihopai Valley 2021

Silver, 94 points 

marisco.co.nz

Concentrated black cherry, bramble and forest floor notes with structured tannins and a supple, silky texture. Long and lingering. Alc 14%

Nautilus, Clay Hills Vineyard, Southern Valleys 2020

Silver, 93 points

£40 John E Fells

A delightful freshness of cherry and apple skin with a warmth of mocha and toast. Supple, plush and well crafted. Alc 13%

Saint Clair, Pioneer Block 14 Doctor’s Creek, Fairhall 2021

Silver, 93 points

£23.50-£28.30 Corking Wines, Grape Minds, Hallgarten Wines, Shelved Wine, Valvona & Crolla, Wine Direct

Energetic notes of cherry blossom, bramble and hints of forest floor with a supple, silky texture and expressive tannins. Alc 13%

North Canterbury

Greystone, Vineyard Ferment Organic, Waipara 2020

Silver, 94 points

£38.25-£41.50 (2019) Fintry Wines, Frontier Fine Wines, Uncorked

Lovely scented florals with red cherry and savoury, earthy overtones. Silky and bright with polished tannins and judicious oak use. Alc 13%

Tiki, Single Vineyard, Waipara 2020

Silver, 94 points

£16 Castelnau Wine Agencies

Charming red cherry, dried herb and bramble notes with an excellent intensity, chalky tannins and a long, savoury finish. Alc 13.5%

Wairarapa

Martinborough Vineyard, Home Block, Martinborough 2020

Gold, 96 points

£29.99 (2022) Majestic

A classic bouquet of black and red cherry fruit intermingled with baking spice, dried herbs and a barrel-clay mineral note, all reminiscent of a Côte de Beaune. Breathtaking. Alc 13.5%

Te Kairanga, John Martin, Martinborough 2021

Silver, 93 points 

£26.99 (2022) Majestic

Plush black cherry and plum with some earthy, vanilla and baking spice characters. Focused and full with fine tannins. Alc 13.5%

Search all DWWA 2023 results

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Roger Jones, Freddy Bulmer and Cat Lomax tasted 197 wines with 6 Outstanding and 24 Highly recommended.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Panel tasting scores

197 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 6

Highly recommended 24

Recommended 72

Commended 74

Fair 21

Poor 0

Entry criteria: Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release dry, still white wines made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from any region in New Zealand

For a long time, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been ‘a safe banker’, as judge Cat Lomax said. ‘A wine you could pick up knowing exactly what to expect in the glass.’

The top-line results (see the scores below) suggest a solid tasting, but the recent-release wines came in for some strong criticism from our panel, over 2.5 days of judging.

We all agreed, on the basis of this tasting, that there was no longer a guarantee that expectations of ‘pungent aromatics and concentrated flavours’ would be met.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc panel tasting

Lower-priced examples, particularly from Marlborough, disappointed. We surmised that expanding plantings to the flat plains to increase production had delivered lacklustre, simple wines. In addition, early picking – also for commercial reasons – has necessitated an increased use of residual sugar to try to balance underripe wines, often resulting in artificial or cooked flavours, rather than fresh.

Freddy Bulmer said: ‘Too many wines were lacking texture and depth. Clean and correct, but with no personality and barely reflecting the grape.’ For consumers looking for a sub-£10 wine, these may tick a box, but they don’t do anything to differentiate New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from competing Chilean, South African or French examples.

But there were some positives, too. All six of our Outstanding wines had judicious barrel ageing. They earned their high marks by ‘pushing the boundaries’, said Lomax. They were not merely excellent examples of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but world-class white wines that would enhance any cellar or table. ‘It’s a clear argument for well-used oak,’ said Bulmer, ‘but also a sign that less commercially significant styles exhibit more personality and sophistication than those driven by market demand.’

The results may not paint vintage 2023 in a great light, with no Golds and only 12 Silvers among 115 wines entered, but Jones believes they will evolve well, particularly those with some oak ageing. ‘Be prepared to tuck them away for a few years, as at this price point they will become a worthwhile investment.’

For Marlborough (87% of entries), Bulmer noted: ‘It was clear which were the commodity wines and which were the quality wines. But the success and reputation of the genuine quality-first winemakers hinges on what the big commodity producers are putting out there. And my concern is that they are making wines with far less charm and drinking pleasure than they ever have done, which isn’t good news for premium producers, who will be unfairly tarred with the same brush.’

See all the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines from the panel tasting

It might send a potentially gloomy message, said Lomax, but there was a definite upside.

‘Smaller, quality-focused producers in Marlborough are still producing fantastic Sauvignon Blanc with all the hallmark aromas, flavours and depth that customers are looking for. So, there’s an opportunity for Decanter readers to really support the little guys and, by doing so, to maintain vibrancy in a region that could easily become ever-more dominated by commodity producers.’

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc panel tasting scores

The judges

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. He is now a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular interest in the hospitality trade, as well as helping charities. He is a DWWA judge, with a focus on New World regions.

Freddy Bulmer is a wine and beer buyer for The Wine Society, responsible for its New Zealand range as well as Australia, Austria and Eastern Europe. A DWWA judge, he began his career in wine working for independent wine merchants in Yorkshire.

Cat Lomax is a wine and wine retail consultant who has held buying and senior trading roles across key premium wine retailers in the UK, including Laithwaites, Waitrose, Majestic and most recently Marks & Spencer.

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As you enjoy a glass of festive fizz, take yourself back to the start of 2000 and consider this commentary on the state of New Zealand sparkling wine:

‘If you can imagine an oloroso Sherry with bubbles, you will understand why we did not linger… They were made from poor-quality fruit and showed a lack of sparkling wine technique… The Blanc de Blancs was the worst of all, with thin, unripe fruit, which lacked acidity because, ironically, it had been deacidified.’

So wrote Champagne and sparkling wine writer Tom Stevenson about the New Zealand fizz scene some 23 years ago. Mercifully, there were glimmers of hope in his scathing criticism – he also commented that ‘the potential of Marlborough for sparkling wine is, so far, beyond dispute’.

Today, not only Marlborough but many other New Zealand wine regions have fulfilled that potential, producing sparkling wines that are very good indeed.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 19 top New Zealand sparkling wines to try

New Zealand’s sparkling wine history extends quite a bit further back than 2000, however. The first traditional-method fizz was made by Hawke’s Bay’s Mission Estate in 1963 – though while the method of its sparkling pink Fontanella may have been traditional, its use of Pinot Gris was decidedly less so.

Selak’s Champelle followed in the 1970s, but it was the 1980s when things really started to ramp up. This was the era of Champagne Deutz’s Marlborough investment, Cloudy Bay’s Pelorus and Daniel Le Brun transferring his 12 generations of Champagne roots to Marlborough.

Further south, Rudi Bauer (now of Quartz Reef) and partner Clotilde Chauvet (who was also making Champagne in Rilly-la-Montagne) were making strides in Central Otago.

Daniel Le Brun remembers his amazement at encountering Marlborough vineyards for the first time in 1978. ‘It was perfect conditions that summer, there wasn’t a clump of grass anywhere… just a small amount of topsoil then nothing but gravel – fantastic! I thought, this has to be the place.’

The generosity of spirit of pioneers such as Bauer, Chauvet and Le Brun helped other producers gain knowledge and confidence, and alongside the burgeoning local production was increasing investment from France, not only with Deutz but also in time from Chandon, Mumm and LVMH (who purchased Cloudy Bay outright), which provided technical finesse and international attention.

Charms and challenges

What was always clear was New Zealand’s excellent raw material for high-quality sparkling wine. The country’s wine regions (with the exception of the slightly more temperate far northern climes) are classical cool-climate viticultural environments. Allied with high UV/sunshine hours and significant diurnal shifts these deliver good phenolic ripeness without high sugar (alcohol) and retain decent natural acidity.

For sparkling wine, this translates to precise fruit expression, laser-like acidity and rich palate fruit weight. Producers benefit from these benevolent growing conditions which allow the focus to be on getting things right in the winery.

That part, however, is easier said than done. The challenge for New Zealand sparkling wine producers in a young industry already operating within a high capital-cost environment is the significant investment required for specialist sparkling winemaking equipment, and the luxury of capital and space to hold back stock for reserve wines.

For many, the latter is simply not an option and vintage wines are common as a result. But collaborations are a frequent solution to the former problem. It is quite common for producers to share in or make their sparkling wines at another winery with the gear. For example, a number of Marlborough producers use No.1 Family Estate as a processing facility. Soljans is an Auckland home for others.

Boutique industry

Sparkling wine is produced the length and breadth of New Zealand. Distinctive regional expressions range from the weightier fruit of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne to the rapier precision of Central Otago.

The majority are made in the traditional method, aided by widespread planting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plantings (Pinot Meunier is the rarity). There is also a solid range of Charmat (tank-method) wines and an increasing number of quirky pétillants naturels.

As might be expected, Marlborough’s produces the lion’s share. It’s nearly 3.5 times that of Hawke’s Bay, which in turn is about twice as much as Gisborne and three times as large as Central Otago.

In 2023, total New Zealand sparkling production was 1.7% of the national harvest and 2.7% of exports. While exports have steadily crept up over the past decade, production share has been in steady decline, down from 5% in 2005 and 3% in 2011.

Labour of love

This seemingly downwards slide is not quite what it seems. Instead, it reflects the ever-increasing dominance of Sauvignon Blanc, now 78% of the total harvest. And fortunately, sparkling producers remain undeterred.

Johanneshof Cellars’ Edel Everling says: ‘It’s definitely labour of love; a passion. It’s hard to get a return due to the hand labour involved but it’s a point of difference for us. It satisfies our curiosity for what our vineyards can do.’

‘We have only done it for 33 years so we are still learning,’ she laughs.

For Daniel Le Brun’s daughter Virginie, being asked ‘Can it ever really be as good as the real thing?’ generates a look of polite disdain.

For her, there is no longer any need for comparison. The better question is, how good can New Zealand sparkling wine be? And when will its reputation catch up with what is being delivered in the glass?

Perhaps now’s the time for more consumers to find out.

Méthode Marlborough

Méthode Marlborough is a society of 12 like-minded Marlborough sparkling wine producers. Established in 2013, it aims to promote the benchmarking, understanding and enjoyment of quality Marlborough sparkling wine.

All Méthode Marlborough wines are grown, bottled, matured and disgorged in Marlborough, and made in the traditional method from one or a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Wines must be aged for a minimum of 18 months on lees from the first disgorgement but, in practice, members’ wines average 36 months on lees.

Member producers – whose wines can be identified with a back-label emblem – celebrate Méthode Marlborough Day with consumers each March and provide one another with collaboration and support.

New Zealand sparkling wine: 19 exciting wines to try

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Anne Krebiehl MW, Justin Knock MW and Dirceu Vianna Junior MW tasted 134 wines, with 12 outstanding, 100 highly recommended and 20 recommended.

New World Pinot Noir part II: Panel tasting scores

134 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 12

Highly recommended 100

Recommended 20

Commended 1

Fair 1

Poor 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, dry, still 100% Pinot Noir red wines with a minimum retail price of £30 in the UK or equivalent in their domestic market

In a three-day Pinot Noir marathon in late September, we three judges tasted 273 premium examples from North and South America, Australasia and South Africa. There were so many high-scorers – 215 at 90 points or more – that we had to split the results. The wines from Canada, US, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay featured in last month’s November issue, while it is now time for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to shine.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the New World Pinot Noir panel tasting

And shine they did – especially Australia, which provided the top-scoring wine plus four further Outstanding wines scoring 95. The overall standard was incredibly high, with all three judges charmed by the 44 entries.

Down Under has hit its stride with Pinot Noir. ‘Australia is making some beautiful, truly mouthwatering Pinots in lighter, sapid, refreshing styles,’ said Justin Knock MW. I can only agree: there is a purity and a willingness to let Pinot be Pinot here; there is no fear of translucency or tenderness, and the scores bear this out. Re-reading our tasting notes shows how much more voluble these wines made us, with attributes such as ‘pure’ and ‘precise’ cropping up frequently, accompanied by aromatic descriptors that go well beyond the generic. This is what we looked for and we found it in abundance here.

New Zealand had the largest entry of the whole tasting, with 63 wines, and two wines from Martinborough and one from the cool Gibbston Valley in Central Otago earned Outstanding scores. While a few wines, mostly from Central Otago, were still too oaky and bold, the bright, vivid, snappy wines far outnumbered this old-fashioned, heavier style.

Savouriness was beautiful to behold in New Zealand, above all in Martinborough, while Marlborough impressed with more regional definition between its valleys. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW observed: ‘On the evidence of this comprehensive tasting, we can see that Pinot Noir is capable of revealing its origin and sense of place well, as it was easy to notice regional characteristics.’ For Knock, ‘New Zealand is capturing most freshness and probably makes the most beautiful New World Pinot Noirs overall’.

That 27 entries were fielded by South Africa was impressive, considering there are fewer than 1,200ha of the variety in the country (the most-planted, Cabernet Sauvignon, had 9,811ha at the end of 2021, SAWIS figures reveal). These were lovely wines, imbued with herbal (fynbos) top notes, oceanic freshness and great poise. Decanter readers should take note of the Hemel-en-Aarde: all our four Outstanding wines hailed either from the Valley, the Upper Valley or the Ridge. Elgin and the high-altitude vineyards of Elandskloof in Overberg also stood out.

After three long but enthralling days, Vianna Jr summed up our global grand tour of Pinot Noir perfectly: ‘I admired the consistency, individuality, and that the wines reflected their sense of place admirably. Aside from the opportunity to compare and contrast styles, it served to confirm that consumers willing to pay a premium will find great Pinot Noir in all corners of the world. The overall standard was exceptionally high. This is great news for consumers who enjoy the charm of wines from Burgundy but find pricing out of reach.’

Australia, New Zealand & South Africa Pinot Noir: Panel tasting scores

The judges

Anne Krebiehl MW is a widely published writer, award-winning author and lecturer with a particular focus, among others, on Pinot Noir and traditional- method sparkling wines from around the globe.

Justin Knock MW is director of wine for luxury merchant Decant London, and has a background in winemaking, brand and generic marketing, education, consultancy and fine wine retail. An Australian national, he was a director of the California Wine Institute UK, and is currently a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Australia.

Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, consultant and educator. Based in the UK since 1989, he was a director at some of the UK’s top distributors. After becoming a Master of Wine in 2008, he co-authored the awarded book Conheça Vinhos (‘Understanding Wine’, in Portuguese).

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Marlborough’s problem is one of transition: for people visiting New Zealand, even for many nationals, it is a place you go past if you’re going somewhere else. Its location – a 30-minute drive south of Picton (the main port of entry to the South Island via the Cook Strait car ferry from Wellington) – means people are either trying to make it north to the ferry or continuing south to Christchurch, Otago or even west to Nelson and the West Coast region.

That’s a shame because Marlborough has everything to offer if you just stop and take a bit more time. Its main centre Blenheim is a functional town but set in beautiful part of New Zealand. And the mountains and hills feel close, especially the dramatic Richmond Range to the north.

Indeed, as Auntsfield winemaker Luc Cowley pointed out, you can always orient yourself in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough’s main wine-growing area: the blue mountains (the Richmond Ranges) lie to the north and the green mountains lie to the south. These latter are more a shade of brown in summer, hence their name: the Wither Hills.

The Marlborough Sounds, too – a collection of ancient valleys flooded with Pacific ocean waters along a 1,500km stretch of coastline – is a stone’s throw away. While many patrons of the car ferry admire its beauty as they pass through the parade of pristine, almost uninhabited bays and coves before hopping in their vehicle and driving on, it is a very good reason to hang around.

Diversity in abundance

There is much else on offer in Marlborough – and that is true of the wines, too. The region has considerably more to recommend it than the Sauvignon Blanc upon which it made its reputation. What’s more, most cellar doors are focused in a relatively small and easily navigable area around Blenheim and Renwick 8km to its west, with the region’s airport lying in between.

In this road trip, we’ve allocated two days to the Wairau Valley so visitors can really get an idea of how diverse the sub-region and its wines can be. Further information can be found on the wine tourism map at marlboroughwinenz.com, while the more energetic traveller can take advantage of local bicycle routes.

We’ve grouped our three-day itinerary so it can easily be rearranged. For instance, those travelling down from North Island could arrive in Picton and head straight to the Marlborough Sounds before returning to Picton the next morning and heading south to Blenheim. Both days 1 and 2 finish around Renwick, which allows travellers to take the 1.5-hour drive along State Highway 6 (SH6) further west to Nelson.

If you only have two days available, start with the day 2 itinerary then do day 1’s suggested trip in reverse (ie, drive out to Renwick and head up SH6 before turning east onto Rapaura Road). Fit in the wineries you want before continuing on Rapaura Road to meet SH1 and continue your journey south.

Day one: Wairau Valley from Blenheim

Grab a breakfast coffee and toastie from Sammies on Scott Street. A Kimcheese (kimchi and cheese – add a pork and fennel sausage pattie if you want) is a monumental start to anyone’s day. From there, it’s a short drive just out of town to Lawson’s Dry Hills – a pioneer of sustainable practices in Marlborough and producer of fine aromatic white wines. From here, a variation on our itinerary would be a 15-minute drive down State Highway One (SH1) to Seddon and the Awatere Valley. This sub-region is slightly cooler than the main Wairau Valley and contains many newer – and sizeable – vineyard plantings, which deliver some truly exciting wines. One of the few cellar doors here is Yealands.

But our main route heads north on SH1 for 15 minutes, crossing the Wairau river to stop off the roundabout at Tuamarina to visit the memorial to the Wairau Affray of 1843 and a glimpse of the country’s often violent colonial past.

From Tuamarina, head back the way you came and turn right onto Rapaura Road at Spring Creek where a number of wineries have their cellar doors. We suggest the pan-regional Saint Clair and idiosyncratic Rock Ferry on the way to a tasting and lunch at Cloudy Bay on Jacksons Road. One of Marlborough’s flagship brands, owned by French luxury goods giant LVMH, its cellar door will impress even the most corporate-cynical.

From Cloudy Bay, get back onto Rapaura Road and head west (and then south) to Renwick. There are many wineries on this stretch, so how many you have time for will depend on how long that lunch was.

The proudly organic Te Whare Ra is one of Marlborough’s must-visit wineries and Framingham has a well-deserved reputation for its Rieslings. Hans Herzog produces a range of unexpected varieties and wines, while Huia is an unsung gem. Bubbles fans can stop in at No1 Family Estate, while Nautilus provides a glimpse into day 2 as some of its fruit (in particular its Pinot Noir) is sourced from the Southern Valleys sub-region. And the excellent Fromm is near the airport on your 11-minute drive back to Blenheim.

Day two: Southern Valleys from Blenheim

Fuel up for the day at Burleigh Gourmet Pies, a Marlborough landmark on the southwestern edge of Blenheim town – try the signature pork belly pie. Then, just a few hundred metres west along New Renwick Road is the turn-off for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre (see ‘address book’, below), which includes Sir Peter Jackson’s impressive collection of World War I aircraft.

Back on New Renwick Road and the turn-off south to Auntsfield marks the first stop on our Southern Valleys wine tour where wind-blown loess has settled in the valleys and provided the clay so essential to its Pinot Noir.

Brancott Valley is the next one along and, although there are no major cellar doors, a number of producers source fruit from here, and Dog Point sits at the base of the ridge that separates Brancott Valley from Omaka Valley. At the head of the Brancott Valley lie two vineyards with stellar reputations: Clayvin, now part of Giesen, and The Wrekin. The latter’s excellent organic fruit is used by numerous brands and highlighted on their wine labels, from one-man-band outfits to the more established Jules Taylor Wines.

Back onto the New Renwick Road again and continuing onto Dog Point Road, Omaka Valley is the next one along, and here you’ll find the must-visit Greywacke – make sure you book an appointment-only, no-charge tasting in advance (weekdays 11am or 2pm) by emailing through the website.

Drive back up towards Renwick to take the SH63 west a short distance before ducking down to the more expansive Waihopai Valley. Once home to the New Zealand government’s not-so-secret satellite listening facility (the huge white domes have since been dismantled, although the facility is still in operation), it also houses Spy Valley Wines and Churton – both well worth a visit, although Churton is by appointment only.

Finally, call in at nearby Clos Henri, which is owned by the Bourgeois family from Sancerre in the Loire, before heading back to Blenheim.

Day three: Picton, Nelson, Marlborough Sounds

Time to head into the locals’ playground: the stunning Marlborough Sounds. Drive up to Picton with a quick stop at Johanneshof cellar door on the way. Once in town, park the car, check the ferry timetable and stop in at Toastie for a snack while you wait. There is a range of truly breathtaking resorts and lodges throughout the Sounds, each of which offers a variety of activities, but Punga Cove, Bay of Many Coves Resort and Furneaux Lodge are among those recommended.

The more adventurous early-riser might want to combine this leg with a spot of guided kayaking or a stint on the Queen Charlotte Track, a 71km-long walking and biking track running from Anakiwa, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound in the south (about 30 minutes’ drive from Picton) to Meretoto/Ship Cove in the north of the Sounds. A local operator such as Wilderness Guides should steer you in the right direction.

Once you’ve chosen your activity, board the ferry, or bike, walk or paddle your way to your chosen destination. Then, whether you’ve hiked, paddled, snorkeled, sailed or cycled – or merely strolled the jetty – it’s time to sit back and relax with a glass of Marlborough wine.

How to get there

If you already have your own vehicle, Cook Strait ferries run between Wellington and Picton, the journey time being around 3.5 hours; otherwise it’s a 300km (4-4.5 hour) scenic drive from Christchurch. Otherwise, hire a car after arriving into Marlborough Airport Blenheim: Air New Zealand flies from Auckland and Wellington, and Sounds Air runs limited services from Christchurch, Wellington and Paraparaumu.

Your Marlborough address book

Accommodation

14th Lane

Ideally located in central Blenheim. Formerly The Builder’s Arms, the views aren’t great and it boasts no restaurant or bar, but the rooms more than compensate.

Furneaux Lodge

Tucked all the way up in the stunning Marlborough Sounds, just over the hill from Captain Cook’s favourite NZ anchorage, this place is as magical in the rain as it is in the sun.

Hotel d’Urville

Full of character, both inside and out, the rear bar flows into an outside area which doesn’t quite match the inside vibe but is surprisingly comfortable on summer evenings.

Restaurants & cafés

Arbour

The fine-dining Marlborough experience on everyone’s lips, winemakers included. Named NZ’s Best Regional Restaurant in 2022 by Cuisine, it also has a coveted ‘two hats’ rating from the food and drink lifestyle publication.

Frank’s Oyster Bar and Eatery

Another restaurant that comes recommended by local winemakers, you’ll find this one in central Blenheim.

The Store

In Kekerengu, a 50-minute drive south of Blenheim on SH1, its sweeping vistas across a wild coastline make it well worth the stop on the way to Christchurch.

Things to do

Festivals

The summer months of January, February and March respectively feature the Picton Maritime Festival, the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival and the Havelock Mussel and Seafood Festival.

Marlborough Farmers Market

Held on Sundays at Blenheim’s A&P showgrounds, this is a great way to enjoy a range of regional produce with a minimum of travel.

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

A must-visit for historic aircraft enthusiasts, or for an extra-special occasion, this renowned aviation museum at Blenheim offers the chance to book a flight on a fully restored World War II-era Avro Anson – a package starting at NZ$990 (£475) per person including a 25-minute flight. Or a 20-minute flight in a Boeing Stearman biplane, costing NZ$395 (£189) for one or two people.

Love NZ Sauvignon?

See our January 2024 issue (on sale from Wednesday 3 January 2024) for an extensive panel tasting of more than 200 current-release New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, with notes and scores by judges Roger Jones, Freddy Bulmer and Cat Lomax.

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Despite New Zealand aromatic whites being part of the wine industry for more than 100 years in some cases, those beyond Sauvignon Blanc have not been taken seriously until quite recently.

Scroll down for 20 top New Zealand aromatic whites to seek out

Gewürztraminer was planted about 60 years ago and, according to Rebecca Gibb MW, author of The Wines of New Zealand, there are records of Chenin Blanc from the early 1900s.

Pinot Gris, she adds, in an introduction to a 2018 Decanter panel tasting, ‘was praised as long ago as 1906 by the country’s first viticulturalist, Romeo Bragato, though it would take another century for its star to rise’.

Today, while the area under vine of Pinot Gris represents only about 10% that of Sauvignon Blanc, with 2,786ha in 2022, according to New Zealand Wine Growers, it is close to overtaking Chardonnay as the country’s second most planted white grape.

Aromatic and semi-aromatic varieties grow across all 10 of New Zealand’s Geographical Indications (GIs) for wine. No single region dominates, however some have more affinity with certain grapes than others, such as Riesling in Marlborough, Central Otago and Canterbury (such as those of Pegasus Bay), and Pinot Gris and Riesling in Wairarapa.

Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne are relative newcomers, but each shows great promise.

Styles and seeking them out

While New Zealand can make excellent dry Rieslings and Pinot Gris, most have a touch of residual sugar. This is specifically for balance and length, some with just enough sweetness to notice without compromising the tautness and impact of acidity.

Thanks to the climate, it is easy for growers to achieve full fruit and flavour development in the grapes, so forcing wines into a European style – dry German Riesling or Italian Pinot Grigio, for example – makes little sense.

Equally, while winemakers are stretching the boundaries by exploring the use of amphoras, older barrels and fine lees for texture and complexity with aromatic whites, traditional techniques prevail – certainly in those wines looking for broad consumer appeal.

Unwelcome rain and the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, aside, there are many excellent aromatic whites to discover from recent vintages – though volumes are down. In 2022, Riesling was just 1% of the total harvest and Pinot Gris 5.9% – and the 2023 vintage is even less.

With Sauvignon Blanc still dominating plantings and consequently the export market, aromatic whites are often hard to find. Pinot Gris will be your best bet, with 8.9 million litres exported in 2022 compared to just 89,000 litres each of Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

The recent free-trade agreement with the UK and EU also means pathways to market for many New Zealand producers are now more open, and wine lovers should soon see a broader, more serious selection on retailer shelves and quality wine lists.

Pinot Gris around the regions

Focusing on Pinot Gris, the aromatic variety with the widest planting across New Zealand, here’s a rough guide of the styles you can expect – though vintage, vineyard site and individual winemaker style means no two wines will taste the same.

• Northland Wines of weight, purity, minerality and finesse from a warm, dry climate and clay and volcanic substrate soils.
• Auckland (Ponui and Waiheke Islands) Spicy, weighty wines grown in a warm, dry climate on a mix of yellow-brown earths, greywacke and mudstone siliceous rocks.
• Gisborne Wines of purity and richness thanks to high sunshine hours and dry farming on clay, loam and limestone soils.
• Hawke’s Bay (Bridge Pa Triangle) A diverse range of styles, the best of which have purity of fruit, complexity and exacting varietal lift. There are multiple soil types, from coastal weathered rocks to gravel, loams and ruddy clay soils.
• Wairarapa Concentrated, powerful wines, benefiting from low rainfall, high UV light and cool nights, plus a diverse range of soils.
• Marlborough Crunchy, fresh wines with natural spice and purity, from a warm, temperate climate and diverse soils, from stony outcrops in Awatere, clay in the hills to the free-draining soils of the valley floor.
• North Canterbury (Waipara) Pure, mineral, highly aromatic, terroir-driven wines from a dry, warm region with gravel, clay and limestone soils.
• Central Otago Ruggedly powerful, spicy, intense wines thanks to a continental climate and vineyards at elevation on hard schist and quartz soils with some glacial deposits.

New Zealand aromatic whites: 20 exciting wines to try

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Exports surged to NZ$2.4bn (£1.14bn) in the 12 months to 30 June 2023, which represents the largest one-year growth in the industry’s history.

Clive Jones, chairman of New Zealand Winegrowers, said, ‘The New Zealand wine industry is now the most export-focused of all the world’s wine industries, with close to 90% of sales occurring outside our home market. The $450 million growth in export value in the past year testifies to the strong consumer demand for New Zealand wine in key markets, particularly Sauvignon Blanc.

‘Performance of other styles struggle to match this pace, but in export markets and at home, our range of highly distinctive wine styles is a critical contributor to our reputation as a producer of the first rank.’

Exports were up 19% in terms of volume and 23% by value, which suggests that wine lovers are prepared to pay a premium for quality New Zealand wines. The United States remained the country’s largest export market, as sales increased by 25% to NZ$870m in the past year. Further growth is expected over the next 12 months, and forecasts suggest that it could soon become a billion-dollar market.

Winemakers also welcomed a new free trade agreement between the UK and New Zealand, which removes several technical trade barriers on wine shipments. They hope that a similar agreement with the EU will come into force in early 2024.

However, it will be difficult for Kiwi producers to maintain current levels of growth over the coming year. The country’s overall harvest was down 6% in 2023 compared to the previous year, largely due to the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. Production in Gisborne was down 43% year-on-year due to the cyclone, while Hawke’s Bay was also impacted, albeit to a lesser degree.

‘Climate change is clearly one of the key major challenges facing our sector,’ warned Jones, who added that budbreak and harvests are now occurring earlier each year. It threatens to impact the distinctive characteristics and flavours of New Zealand’s wines, which have underpinned its success in export markets.

To address the challenge, winemakers are researching new planting material and vineyard growing systems to increase productivity and to meet the challenges of a climate-altered world.

The return of inflation has been another headwind, as well as rising excise duties and increasing water costs, so there are plenty of challenges facing the industry.

On a brighter note, tourism numbers have rebounded, providing a significant boost to many small wineries, which heavily depend on visitors. Open borders have also eased the labour shortages which plagued the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. New Zealand Winegrowers remains confident that sales will continue to grow over the next decade, supporting more jobs and ultimately creating a more sustainable industry.

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