Learn About New Zealand Wine and Growing Regions

Though the official beginning of the commercial kiwi wine industry only dates back to the 1970s, the foundations of viticulture were laid by hobbyists, settlers, and missionaries throughout the 1800s. The New Zealand wine industry experienced setbacks with failed early experiments, an early twentieth-century temperance movement, and occasional plagues of the phylloxera pest, which destroys grapevines. By the 1990s—just 20 years after beginning to export—New Zealand was known for an unapologetic, flavor-forward “New World” wine style that consumers embraced with open arms.

As a wine region, New Zealand is known for its maritime climate (which keeps temperatures from becoming too hot or too cold) and the split between fertile, volcanic soils in the North and rocky, glacially-formed schist to the South. Most production takes place in 10 main regions:

1. 1. Marlborough. Marlborough is perhaps the best-known of the New Zealand wine regions thanks to the zingy, expressive bottles of Marlborough sauvignon blanc produced in the region. The area is home to approximately 500 growers and is responsible for about three-quarters of the country’s production. Sauvignon blanc is the most widely planted grape variety in the region by far, but notable expressions of chardonnay and pinot noir (as well as sparkling wines made from the two) also come from this region. Subregions include the Wairau Valley, Awatere Valley, and Southern Valleys zone.
2. 2. Hawke's Bay. Hawke’s Bay, located on the eastern coast of the North Island, is New Zealand’s second-largest wine region. Hawke’s Bay includes the subregions Esk Valley, Gimblett Gravels, Te Awanga, and Havelock. The area has built its reputation on full-bodied, lightly acidic chardonnays and red Bordeaux blends driven primarily by merlot and cabernet sauvignon, which benefit from the region’s heat, resulting in bold, fruity, tannic wines.
3. 3. Central Otago. On the tip of the Southern Island lies mountainous Central Otago, best known for its various regional expressions of pinot noir, which occupies about 70% of the region’s vineyards. Studded by lakes and rivers—Lake Dunstan, Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wanaka, as well as the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers—Central Otago is home to four main subregions: Gibbston, Alexandra, Wanaka, and the Cromwell Basin (which in turn contains its own distinct regional styles in Bendigo, Bannockburn, and Lowburn). Central Otago’s main hurdle is also what gives its grapes their edge; the extreme swings in temperature puts vines at risk for frost, so winemakers often situate vineyards on sunny slopes and employ various methods of frost management.
4. 4. Gisborne. Gisborne, on the eastern coast of the North Island, is the recipient of some of New Zealand’s warmest temperatures. Most of the grapes grown in this region are Chardonnay, with some pinot gris and sauvignon blanc as well. Gewürztraminer has also fared well here in recent years. Subregions include Manutuke, Patutahi, and Ormond, home to what’s known in the wine world as the “Golden Slope:” a 6-mile escarpment with limestone soil that produces some of the area’s most captivating chardonnay.
5. 5. North Canterbury. On the eastern coast of the South Island, North Canterbury—concentrated around the central city of Christchurch—benefits from a network of crisscrossing rivers and stony, alluvial soils. With production divided between the Waipara Valley and the Canterbury Plains, Canterbury’s climate and longer growing season has proven beneficial for riesling, pinot noir, and chardonnay.
6. 6. Wairarapa. The Wairarapa is situated along the southern tip of the North Island. One of the area’s best known subregions is Martinborough, a source of complex coastal pinot noirs with a darker, richer flavor palate, with highlights of ripe plum and chocolate. Vineyards in Martinborough and throughout fellow subregions Masterton and Gladstone are situated on well-draining alluvial soils, leading to beneficial stress on the grapes, which results in more concentrated flavors.
7. 7. Nelson. Wine production in Nelson is concentrated in two subregions at the northernmost tip of this South Island sunscape, in the Moutere Hills and Waimea Plains. The bulk of its vineyards are devoted to sauvignon blanc (with a considerably softer expression than those made in Marlborough) and pinot noir, which range from delicate and aromatic to earthy and musky.
   
8. 8. Auckland. Auckland is not only a prominent North Island city hub, but home to three subregions: Waiheke Island, Kumeu, Matakana, and Clevedon. High temperatures mean big, bold reds in Auckland, which produces a wide variety of wines, lush, spicy syrahs and Bordeaux blends among them, as well as bright, slow-ripened chardonnays with notes of stone fruit and honey.
9. 9. Northland. Humid, tropical Northland is defined by its proximity to the ocean, and takes advantage of a long, warm growing season to produce mostly chardonnay and syrah, with a supporting focus on pinot gris and merlot. As the site of New Zealand’s very first vines, Northland plays a symbolic role in the country’s wine industry, though its output is modest compared to some of the larger regions.
   
10. 10. Waitaki Valley. North of Central Otago and at the foot of Mt. Cook, lies the Waitaki Valley, one of the country’s most recently developed wine regions. Pinot noir, pinot gris, and riesling are the most widely-planted varieties; soils are dominated by limestone deposits and schist, aiding in heat retention and drainage that leads to intensely flavorful grapes with good acidity.

1. 1. Sauvignon blanc. The sauvignon blanc grape is native to France, but it is grown in wine-producing regions worldwide. New Zealand sauvignon blancs are primarily grown in the Marlborough region of the Wairau River Valley, on the northernmost tip of the South Island. They are dry wines, with powerfully aromatic, citrusy flavors like grapefruit and lime, and tropical notes like passionfruit, guava, and white peach, and an herbal kick of bell pepper and jalapeño.
2. 2. Chardonnay. The chardonnay grape is characterized by its malleability, meaning it can effectively take on the influences of its terroir and different winemaking techniques. Chardonnays are both oaked and unoaked throughout New Zealand, featuring a vast range of aromas and flavors depending on the region where its grown: Vineyards in the North turn out rich, honeyed wines with soft acidity and tannins, while Southern vineyards with cooler climates result in higher minerality and bright citrus.
3. 3. Pinot gris. Pinot gris is a white wine grape varietal from the pinot grape family, which includes pinot blanc and pinot noir. New Zealand pinot gris is most often compared to Alsatian expressions of the grape, a full-bodied, toasty wine with notes of white flowers and ripe pear. It’s the third most commonly planted white grape in the country.
4. 4. Riesling. Riesling is an aromatic white wine grape variety that yields a floral white wine with fruit flavors. The riesling grape originated in the Rhine River region, which runs throughout parts of Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland. Common characteristics of riesling wines include light body and aromas of citrus, stone fruit, white flowers, and petrol. Due to its naturally high acidity, Riesling is one of the most popular varieties used to produce late harvest wines. The cooler climate of the area around Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island lends itself well to riesling production.
5. 5. Gewürztraminer. Gewürztraminer, a white wine grape variety with pink skins, needs a relatively cool climate to bring out its powerful aromas of tropical fruit and flowers. While it is primarily grown in Alsace, France, it has become more popular as a niche varietal on New Zealand’s cooler South Island.

1. 1. Pinot noir. Pinot noir is both a grape and the name of the wine varietal consisting solely of such grapes. The name comes from the French word for “pine” (pinot), because the grapes grow in pine cone-shaped clusters, and “black” (noir), a reference to their dark hue. Because pinot noir grows best in dry climates with cool nights and warm days, and in chalky soil or clay, it’s incredibly successful in many New Zealand wine regions, notably Central Otago and Wairarapa, where temperatures are moderated both by coastal breezes and inland bodies of water that leave behind fertile, alluvial soil.
2. 2. Syrah. Syrah is the sixth-most grown grape in the world, with vines covering nearly 500,000 acres. New World syrahs tend to be fruit-forward with hints of spice. While it’s a relatively new appearance in the New Zealand wine portfolio—as opposed to the overwhelming adoption of the varietal by its Australian neighbors—it’s gaining in popularity. The majority of plantings are in the warmest parts of the country, in Auckland, Northland, and Hawke’s Bay.
3. 3. The Bordeaux blends. Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc do particularly well in the warmer parts of the North Island, known for producing vibrant, highly drinkable expressions of the form. Because temperatures are moderated by coastal breezes, New Zealand blends share many characteristics with their French wine progenitors: Herbal notes woven with bright, rather than overly ripe, red fruits.
4. 4. Malbec. Malbec is a full-bodied and acidic, deep purple-red wine with juicy fruit flavors like plum and black cherry. New Zealand didn’t start to scale their malbec operation until the 1990s, and the grape is mostly used in Bordeaux-style red blends. Gisborne and Hawkes Bay are the primary malbec-producing wine regions.

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