New Zealand Wine
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- 212-254-2729
- Website
- nzwine.com
- twitter.com/nzwine
- facebook.com/newzealandwinegrowers
About New Zealand Wines
New Zealand’s wine producing history extends back to the founding of the nation in the 1800’s. But it was the introduction to Marlborough’s astonishing Sauvignon Blanc in the 1980’s that saw New Zealand wine explode onto the international scene, courtesy of world beating performances in international competitions and rapturous critical reviews.
And while Marlborough retains its status as the one of the world’s foremost wine producing regions, the quality of wines from elsewhere in the country has also garnered international acclaim.
By world standards New Zealand’s production capacity is tiny, accounting for less than 1% of total volume. And though the average price tag for a New Zealand wine is a reflection of its desirability, few would question its ability to deliver excellent value for money. In fact, it’s the unswerving commitment to quality over quantity that has won New Zealand its reputation as a premium producer.
Winemaking Techniques
New Zealand wines are famed for their Old World complexity and elegance, perfectly coupled with New World fruit and flavour. This stems from both the country’s terroir, but also as a direct result of the techniques used by viticulturists and winemakers in producing distinctively New Zealand wine.
In this young and dynamic wine producing country, New Zealand winemakers have a profound respect for traditional winemaking techniques, but also an innovative spirit, and a constant desire to trial alternative winemaking techniques and approaches. This combination of traditional methods, and kiwi ingenuity, produces wines of extremely high quality, and phenomenal flavour.
Examples of this include New Zealand Wine’s world-leading Sustainability programme (over 94% of New Zealand vineyards are certified as Sustainable), advances in trellising and canopy management, and of course the fact that over 90% of New Zealand wines are sealed under screwcap.
Native/Important Grape Varieties Of New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand sets the benchmark for this explosively flavoured style of Sauvignon Blanc, which dazzles the senses with green capsicum (bell-pepper) and gooseberry characters through to lush passionfruit and tropical fruit overtones. Prepare to be astonished!
Pinot Noir
Notoriously fickle, the Pinot Noir grape has found in New Zealand a home away from home. Our winegrowers tease an array of distinctive regional and terroir-driven styles from the land, but common to all are Old World structure and elegance, overlaying New World power and fruit-driven intensity.
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris ranges from light-bodied and fruit-driven to rich and complex. Look for apples, pears, honeysuckle, spice and bread flavours. The cooler South Island lends greater acidity and headier aromas, whereas the North Island produces richer, lush styles with riper stonefruit characters.
Chardonnay
Elegant and fruit-driven, New Zealand Chardonnay is mouth-filling, with concentrated citrus and tropical fruit. A crisp acidity balances the flavours, often perfectly rounded with oak. Its versatility makes Chardonnay a perfect canvas for viticulturalists and winemakers eager to craft a masterpiece.
Syrah & Merlot/Cabernet Blends
Distinguished by its bright, spicy flavours and elegant texture, New Zealand Syrah is fast becoming the darling of the international wine media. You’ll easily detect its intense varietal distinctiveness, crammed full of plum and savoury black pepper flavours and sometimes even a hint of violets. And by augmenting Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, winemakers in New Zealand’s warmer northerly regions are creating elegant, yet powerfully intense, red wine blends. These blends are exciting and approachable when enjoyed young, acquiring complex leathery, gamey characters with age.
Best Vintages
New Zealand’s unique climate, and young volcanic soils, offer New Zealand the luxury of every vintage being a good vintage, with some of course being superb.
New Zealand’s wine growing regions extend 1,600km (1,000 miles) from sub-tropical Northland (36° S) to the world’s most southerly grape growing region, Central Otago (46° S). With the country stretching lengthways as it does, vineyards benefit from the moderating effect of the maritime climate (no vineyard is more than 120km, or 80 miles, from the ocean) with long sunshine hours, nights cooled by sea breezes, and coastal vineyards in rain shadow. This allows for long ripening periods, and the development of great acidity and fruit balance.
However some vintages are even better than others, with the two most memorable vintages of the last decade being 2010 and 2013.
In 2010 New Zealand had an Indian Summer, enabling viticulturists and winemakers to pick when the grapes were in their absolute peak condition. There was no pressure to pick early, and as a result all grapes went into the winery, in the best possible condition for winemaking.
Following 2010, which was heralded as one of New Zealand’s very top vintages, 2013 followed and was considered the “Vintage of the Century”. 2013 wines are widely regarded as some of the very best New Zealand has ever produced, owing to similar conditions across the country, as enjoyed in 2010, again enabling the country’s viticulturists and winemakers to pick their grapes in their most perfect condition. In particular, full bodied reds from the country’s warm North Island regions of Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke Island are garnering significant international acclaim.
2015 was another stunning recent vintage, with the harvest being very small quantities are limited, but quality (of Sauvignon Blanc in particular) is exceedingly high.