This is due partly to a rise in popularity and production of sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, a new style of sparkling New Zealand wine. These wines are also often compared to gooseberriessmall, green fruits that have a burst of tartness just like the wine. Many fledgling producers started out using contract fruit while waiting for their own vines to mature enough to produce production-quality fruit. The Auckland Geographical Indication is a small region, with a vineyard area in 2020 of 319 hectares (790 acres) and lies around New Zealand's largest city.

The area is most notable for its excellent Chardonnay, with well reviewed examples especially from Kumeu River and Soljans Estate Winery. [13] That year, superior quality wines of Mller-Thurgau, Riesling and Pinotage were also produced. Migrant groups and the wine industry", "The climate and weather of Nelson and Tasman", "Raymond Chan Wine Reviews 'Winery of the Year 2012' Neudorf Vineyards", "Nelson's Seifried Estate recognised for champion wines at Royal Easter Show Wine Awards", "Wine rebranded: Canterbury wineries united under one regional name", "Statistics from New Zealand Winegrowers 2003, 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2020 annual reports", "Great opportunities for NZ wine in China", New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainability Report 2016, "Giesen Wines Awarded World's Best Pinot Noir", "DWWA 2014 International Trophies: Pinot Noir over 15", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Zealand_wine&oldid=1097935842, Articles needing additional references from August 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 3.29million hectolitres (87million US gallons), This page was last edited on 13 July 2022, at 11:33. Riesling is produced predominantly in Martinborough and the South Island, as is Gewrztraminer, although it is also planted extensively in Gisborne. The wine regions of New Zealand tend to experience cool nights even in the hottest of summers. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has the classic herbaceousness of the grapeyou might taste a little bell pepper and jalapeocombined with ripe fruit: think passion fruit and pink grapefruit. For much of the history of New Zealand's wine exports, the United Kingdom market, with its lack of indigenous production, great demand, and sophisticated wine palate, has been either the principal or only market. [citation needed], In 2018, the Wines of Canterbury and Waipara Valley Wine Growers associations merged to form the North Canterbury Wine Region. Curious about what New Zealand has to offer besides Sauvignon Blanc? Most of the vineyards are never too far from the cooling effect of the ocean, preserving acidity in the winesthis brightness leaves you ready for more after each sip. Featuring Chardonnay, Pinot, Noir, and more, this small island nation's wines are ready for you to take notice. [11], Finally, the advent of jet airliners in the late 1960s and early 1970s ushered in the "OE", short for "overseas experience", where young, typically well-educated New Zealanders spent time living and working overseas, often in Europe. It is best known for its Merlot and Syrah red wines, and white wines mainly from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. [43] Farther north in Cheviot and Hanmer Springs respectively, notable producers Mt. Since New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, their harvest occurs six months earlier than it happens in vineyards in, say, California. [citation needed]. In the 1970s, the first vineyard to be planted was Pegasus Bay, which established a reputation for its Riesling wine. Even in fuller-bodied styles with marked oak influence, the mouth-watering acidity will keep you reaching for your glass. [19], As is the case for other New Zealand wine, New Zealand Pinot Noir is fruit-driven, forward and early maturing in the bottle. As of the 2017 vintage, there were more than 65 hectares (160 acres) planted in vines, and 21 commercial grape growing/winery operations within the Matakana GI. Styles vary across the country, so it's a bit hard to make generalizations, but most NZ producers try to embrace the balance that their climate affords them. At around this time, the first plantings of Pinot Noir in Central Otago occurred in the Kawarau Gorge. Internationally it is also the most recognised, its wines accounting for 85% of New Zealand's 2019 wine exports. Following on from the early success of Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand has been building a strong reputation with other stylesPinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet/Merlot blends, Pinot Gris and Syrah to name a few. [6] Wine writer George Taber recounts Cloudy Bay is "what many people consider to be the world's best Sauvignon Blanc". Relatively small yields enable Martinborough winemakers to devote themselves to handcrafting superior wines. In 2020, these smaller producers, with a vineyard area of no more than 20 hectares (49 acres), represented over three-quarters of New Zealand's wineries. [citation needed], The Wairarapa winegrowing region, a Geographical Indication since October 2017, is one of New Zealand's smallest. Most NZ Pinots have a splash of black cherry or strawberry flavor, complemented with violet and cloves. [7] This more than five-fold increase in vineyard area over just two decades has led to a similar increase in sales and export revenue. The Waitaki Valley GI is defined as the southern bank of the Waitaki River up to 500 metres (1,600ft) elevation, along a narrow strip of approximately 75 kilometres (47mi) between the towns of Duntroon and Omarama. There are three sub-regions within Auckland: Waiheke Island, Kumeu, and Matakana.

[citation needed] More recently, this UK dominance has eroded. But in New Zealand, the rules are a little looser, and the grape name will be front and center. [17], The amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in production has dropped to a third of what it was in the early 2000s and has been overtaken by a tripling of Syrah planting in that time. White peach, lemon zest, and aged cheese flavors make it a perfect food wine. If New Zealand as a whole is taken to be a wine region then the various 'regions' may be regarded as sub-regions. Subtle differences are seen in the wines from the South Wairarapa (which includes Martinborough), which has more maritime influences, to those grown farther north in Gladstone and Masterton. The ocean's cooling effect in these areas doesn't allow the fruit flavors in New Zealand's Chardonnays to get too tropical. If you've had just one wine from New Zealand, it probably was a Sauvignon Blanc. After tasting Beetham's Hermitage, he concluded that New Zealand and the Wairarapa in particular were "pre-eminently suited to viticulture." Rather than the typical passion fruit and grapefruit scent, you'll get a little gentle apricot, lemon pith, and ginger. The Geographical Indication of Kumeu is a small sub-region west of Auckland City, surrounding the towns of Huapai and Kumeu, as far west as Waimauku, and east to the southern edge of the town of Riverhead. The region gets a lot of sunshine, but also has a heavy ocean influence and very cool nights. If you love Cabernet-Merlot blends from Washington State or South America, you will be doubly won over by the aromas of black cherry, cedar, and clove. There was an existing small-scale industrial infrastructure ready for winemakers to employ economically. [10], For the first half of the 20th century, economic, legislative and cultural factors made wine a marginal economic activity. Viticulturists have planted Pinot Noir here because of the French experience of the affinity between the grape type and the chalky soil on the Cte-d'Or. [24], New law came into force in New Zealand in 2017 that established a Geographical Indication (GI) classification for New Zealand wine, equivalent to the European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) classification and the American Viticultural Areas in the United States. [22] In 1975, Daniel Le Brun, a Champagne maker, emigrated to New Zealand to begin producing mthode traditionelle in Marlborough.

Some of New Zealand's oldest wineries are in Kumeu, established in the late 1800s by Croatian settlers working the Kauri gum fields.

Winemaking and viticulture date back to New Zealand's colonial era. Hoping to address this issue, a 1984 government initiative paid growers to pull up vines, but many growers used the grants to swap these varieties with more fashionable ones, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, often keeping the old rootstock. My favorites come from Gimblett Gravels, a district planted on fine sand and stony gravel along the Ngaruroro River.

Looking for some good ones to taste? Initial results were mixed because of limited access to good clones, yet the Saint Helena 1984 Pinot Noir was notable enough that the Canterbury region was thought to become the New Zealand home for Pinot Noir.

Maritime climates tend to demonstrate higher variability with cold snaps possible at any time of the year and warm periods even in the depth of winter. Wines like this show that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc still has some tricks up its sleeve. Naturally breezy conditions control vine vigour, creating lower yields of grapes with greater intensity. Syrah is just edging into the New Zealand wine game but it is definitely a grape to watch. Many Chardonnays from New Zealand exhibit a depth and brightness akin to White Burgundy. Difficulty are a few Central Otago producers at the top of their game. Quartz Reef is based in Central Otago, Church Road in Hawke's Bay, and Lindauer (originally established in Gisborne now also owned by Lion); there are makers as far north as the Auckland regions as well. This led ultimately to a dramatic restructuring of the agricultural economy. This creates a significantly warmer mesoclimate. As a consequence, many of the vineyards established there are older than their counterparts in the rest of the Wairarapa. Exports of New Zealand sparkling wines are chiefly to the United Kingdom, where the best-known examples there are the Pelorus from Cloudy Bay, now owned by LVMH, and the Special Reserve from Lindauer. A Geographical Indication since October 2017, it is also the smallest GI, producing 269 tonnes in 2020 from an area of 71 hectares (180 acres) under vines. In Marlborough, Hans Herzog Estate is famous for making the Spirit of Marlborough, and examples of Bordeaux blends can be found as far south as Waipara, where the Maestro from Pegasus Bay also demonstrates the shift from Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot predominant blends. They are elegant and fresh with rich, textured tannins. matua wines range regional wine Among the many long-established wineries, several, including Martinborough Vineyard, Schubert Wines, Te Kairanga, Ata Rangi, Palliser Estate, Luna Estate, Dry River, Escarpment, Te Hera and Craggy Range have become internationally recognised as premium producers of Pinot Noir. In fact, there is a huge cultural exchange within these regions. Significantly further south than all other wine regions in New Zealand, it benefited from being surrounded by mountain ranges which increased both its daily and seasonal temperature variations, making the climate unusual in the typically maritime conditions in New Zealand, and ideal for growing Pinot Noir. 1 Family Estate, after Lion acquired the Daniel Le Brun name. So if you're shopping in September, you may notice that they're already selling this year's wines! [18] Chenin Blanc was once more important, but the viticultural peculiarities of the variety, particularly its unpredictable cropping in New Zealand, have led to its disfavour. Difficulty, and Burn Cottage. [17] Chardonnay makes up 85% of the vineyard area in Kumeu, with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir making up most of the remainder.

The Larose from Stonyridge Estate has an international reputation and is often compared with some of the best Bordeaux wine in the world, and comparing favourably with the likes of Chteau Latour and Chteau Mouton-Rothschild. The Canterbury Geographical Indication covers wine made anywhere within the Canterbury region of New Zealand, a very large area of some 44,500 square kilometres (17,200sqmi). Notable wineries from the region include Neudorf Vineyards, awarded Raymond Chan's 2012 Winery of the Year [34] and Seifried Estate Winery, who have won Champion Open White Wine, Champion Sauvignon Blanc and Best Wine - Nelson at the New Zealand Wine Awards in 2019.[35]. Production increased dramatically in the first two decades of the 21st century. In the decade since, its international reputation has "gone from strength to strength"[20] and has performed very well in reviews and competitions; wine from Marlborough has won the Champion Pinot Noir Trophy three times at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2006, 2007, and by Giesen Wines most recently in 2016. [25] In 2017, a total of 18 applications were lodged with the GI register at the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, and registrations were complete by early 2019.[26]. The traditional concept of a vineyard, where grapes are grown on the land surrounding a central simply owned or family-owned estate with its own discrete viticultural and winemaking equipment and storage, is only one model. [3] Whilst today's fashion has turned from Bordeaux blends to Pinot Noir, it also indicates the marginality of Cabernet Sauvignon in New Zealand conditions. [17], Most New Zealand wine producers that produce Pinot Noir or Merlot also produce a ros style wine, although it is sometimes found made from other red varieties. It is divided into several subregions around Bannockburn, Bendigo, Gibbston and Queenstown, Wanaka, the Kawarau Gorge, the Alexandra Basin, and the Cromwell Basin. The New Zealand wine industry is still in its infancy compared to much of the rest of the wine world. Note: All wines provided as tasting samples for review consideration, with the exception of the Greywacke, Rippon, Felton Road, Mt.

Look to Cloudy Bay's Te Koko bottling. New Zealand is what what we call a 'new world' wine region. While you're mostly likely to find New Zealand wines offering the tangy, aromatic style of Sauvignon Blanc, some producers are branching off. Ask a Sommelier: What Under-the-Radar Wine Regions Do You Love? Beautiful and Waiau River Estate (formerly Marble Point) are producing well-regarded Pinot Noir.



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