New Zealand’s pungently aromatic grassy Sauvignon Blanc’s have done much to pin New Zealand to the wine map, but it is also producing world class Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Huge climatic differences exist between the South and North Islands and microclimates provide distinct local variation.

 

Marlborough, at the northern tip of South Island provides much of the best Sauvignon Blanc around, evidenced by three successive Gold ratings for Astrolabe’s Sauvignon at the prestigious Air NZ Awards. The Wairau Valley is one of the biggest planted areas in Marlborough with the oldest plantings. This area is bisected by the river, which influences the microclimate. New plantings further south in Awatare offer a different more intense quality.

 

Central Otago, the world’s most southerly vineyard and New Zealand’s only inland wine region, produces the best and most consistent Pinot Noir wines that rival those from Martinborough on the neighbouring island and question the superiority of Burgundy.