New Zealand aromatic whites: 20 top wines to discover

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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