New Zealand
New Zealand Wines
New Zealand’s climate or ‘terroir’ coupled with its modern and innovative wine-making approach has quickly made it one of the leading wine-producing regions in the world. The country’s reputation for wine was arguably led by Cloudy Bay who’s Sauvignon Blanc created the new wine style, the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Today, the industry is ripe with smaller batch producers making wines that are both affordable, thought-provoking, and can age incredibly long in the cellar. New Zealand is home to several winemaking regions which all offer their own unique style and grape.
Marlborough, the most famous wine region produces some fantastic examples of Sauvignon Blanc. Over the years the style has refined and you now get some examples which are more like Sancerre with a mineral driven-backbone. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir also flourish in Marlborough with Blank Canvas producing small-batch examples.
Kumeu River located in Auckland is known for producing New Zealand’s finest Chardonnay’s which have competed and won many blind tastings against top Grand Cru Burgundy. Kumeu River’s Chardonnays are some of the greatest wines in the world and they come in at often very affordable prices.
Te Mata Coleraine located in Hawke's Bay produces full-bodied Bordeaux-based blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The wines are spellbinding and with a good run of vintages in 2018 to 2020, they received high accolades including some 100-point scores.
Central Otago is known for producing Pinot Noir with great fruit density and a silken texture. Much like Burgundy, the sub-regions offer varying styles and the region often features notes of wild thyme, a herb planted in the 1850s by gold miners that now covers the hills. Rippon Vineyards is one of our favorites in the region producing seductive single vineyard Pinot’s.
Top New Zealand wine producers:
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Most popular New Zealand wines:
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