New Zealand is home to a world-class array of wonderful wines to satiate all types of palates. It’s a fine place to blend cellar door experiences and outdoor exploration.
For a small, remote nation in the Pacific, New Zealand punches well above its weight when it comes to world-class wines. Zingy sauvignon blancs from Marlborough are a global benchmark, with intense pinot noirs from cool Central Otago much in demand with aficionados.
This nation of just over five million people – only a two-hour flight east of Australia – and is home to several wine-producing regions, all with distinctive characteristics.
New Zealand’s wine regions extend 1100km from sub-tropical Northland down to Central Otago.
New Zealand wines are promoted as being made in a ‘clean and green’ fashion with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise backing the Made with Care campaign. This is part of a global initiative designed to raise awareness of New Zealand’s produce; shining a light on ‘thoughtfully created and ethically manufactured’ food and beverages.
While many wine lovers will consider New Zealand wines to be relative newcomers to their local shelves, it is actually 203 years since the first planting of grapevines in the northerly Bay of Islands region. Today, New Zealand has some of the most southerly vines in the world in Central Otago. Although it is bitterly cold in winter, a dry autumn allows the grapes to ripen.
It wasn’t until the second half of the last century that a new wave of Kiwi viticulturalists and winemakers began to shape the modern industry. Today, the New Zealand wine industry consists of more than 700 wineries and 600 grape growers. Sauvignon blanc is the most widely planted variety, accounting for 72% of total production, followed by pinot noir and chardonnay.
Around 98% of New Zealand’s vineyard production land is certified under Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ), a voluntary scheme unmatched anywhere in the world.
Waiheke Island – just a short ferry ride from Auckland – is one of New Zealand’s most spectacularly beautiful vineyard regions and well worth a trip.
The Best Western Ellerslie International is only seven kilometres from downtown Auckland. Modern and comfortable, it has an outdoor heated pool and in-house car rental so you can easily get around to some of the local wine regions. There’s also a restaurant and bar so you don’t have to go far after a big day out exploring and wine tasting.
In addition to the Auckland region, grapes are grown in the Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Waikato/Bay of Plenty and Martinborough regions of the North Island, and the Marlborough, Canterbury, Nelson, and Central Otago districts on the South Island.
A remarkable 85% of all wine exported from New Zealand is Marlborough sauvignon blanc – and the region has usurped the Loire Valley in France as the major source of the grape. Names like Cloudy Bay, Brancott Estate, Wither Hills and Giesen lead the way here.
For travellers after a road trip with stunning views and some rejuvenating downtime, consider staying at Best Western Braeside Rotorua and driving the 90 minutes to the Marlborough region (or taking a tour bus or hire car). It’s a tranquil retreat tucked into tropical gardens, so you can go wine tasting by day and have some geothermal spa time by night.
Perfumed and powerful pinot noirs from Central Otago have built a worldwide reputation over the past three decades with the top wines much sought-after by collectors.
There is the bonus that the lively resort town of Queenstown and several ski resorts are right on the doorstep of the Central Otago vineyards.
Names to look out for include Felton Road, Mount Difficulty, Peregrine and Quartz Reef. The Amisfield cellar door on Lake Hayes is one of the closest (and most picturesque) tasting rooms to Queenstown. The onsite restaurant – with outdoor seating – earned three hats in the 2022 Cuisine Good Food Awards and offers one of the best degustations you’ll find in New Zealand.
Slow-paced Hawke’s Bay, which includes the towns of Napier, Hastings, and Havelock North on the east coast of the North Island, is the oldest commercial winemaking region in the country, with the first vineyards established in 1851 – generations before Kiwi wines became fashionable worldwide.
With climatic conditions like Bordeaux, Hawke’s Bay is the second-largest wine region in the country – behind Marlborough – and produces 90% of the merlot and cabernet sauvignon and 25% of the chardonnay.
Spanning almost 200km of the South Island, the North Canterbury wine region is often overlooked, but with alps to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, the region has a cool, dry climate, steady sunshine and a long growing season. The region has a reputation for elegant, expressive pinot noir and aromatic chardonnay.
Waipara Valley is a picture-perfect region 45 minutes’ drive from Christchurch, known for its wonderful cellar door experiences. It is a relatively new region, with production beginning in 1978.
The Best Western Alpine Hotel lives up to its tagline of being a ‘personalised luxury hotel’ and it has a cool onsite pub and bar. Rooms have fresh bright colour palettes and outdoor balcony areas. It’s suitable for longer stays as each room has a kitchenette area with sink, microwave and fridge. This means you can base yourself here and explore the wine regions as well as the many attractions of Christchurch, including the must-do Christchurch Gondola ride, where you can get a birds-eye view of this spectacular region.
If you can’t make it to New Zealand right now, at least try a bottle and warm yourself up. Nearly 90% of total wine production is exported, mainly to the United States, Britain and Australia.