New Zealand 🇳🇿: What wines besides Sauvignon Blanc should we be drinking?

@Diana Hawkins

4 answers1 reply

Diana Hawkins

Best Answer

Aug 15, 2020

Good question! There are a lot of different grape varieties grown here, but most people only know the one.

New Zealand has great examples of cool climate Chardonnay and Syrah. They tend to have a fresher fruit character as opposed to being jammy or like pie filling. The tannic structure of Syrahs from Hawke's Bay is fine and velvety, especially from the Gimblett Gravels, which is an exposed riverbed. Chardonnay is planted in several areas in New Zealand. The Auckland region is known for more Burgundian styles, Hawke’s Bay is warm and sunny and offers more sun-kissed examples – but nothing close to the shoulder pad Chardonnay California is famous for. The oak use is typically restrained and in balance. American oak is seldom used.

Most people know about Central Otago Pinot Noir (if you don’t do yourself a favor – especially if you like Oregon Pinots!). Central Otago is a very dry region and experiences a large diurnal swing. The days are hot, the nights are cool, and it’s perfect for Pinot Noir. Expressions run the gamut but always have a concentrated dark fruit core balanced by soft tannins. Pinot Noir is also grown in Marlborough, Nelson, and Martinborough/Wairapa. The styles here are different than Central Otago. The fruit tends to be red and accompanied by violets in Marlborough and Nelson. Martinborough/Wairarapa has more savory notes.

There are some exceptions, but New Zealand is generally speaking a cool-climate region. I don’t think many are exported, but if you come across a sparkling wine, you’ll be rewarded for giving it a try. They’re predominantly done in the traditional/champagne method and using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc is out there and is similar to a Prosecco given a good squeeze of grapefruit.

Speaking of exceptions, Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke Island (where I reside) are warmer areas. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon thrive here. If you’re after Bordeaux blends, these are the regions to seek out. They are closer to Bordeaux in style than Napa but are honestly their own animal. Again, tarter fruit, well integrated oak, and if you’re patient, cigar and leather will appear after cellaring. Some are bottled under cork and others under screw cap. If cellaring a screw cap, I recommend decanting it to give it some air before drinking.

For more info: https://www.nzwine.com/ has *tons* of information on the regions, grape varieties, and producers.

Megan Bauer

Aug 15, 2020

I don’t think I’ve seen or heard much about Syrah from NZ. Does it carry more pepper and meat qualities? I would like to try more NZ reds in general; although I have had the pleasure of drinking Central Otago Pinot Noir after many a blind tasting.

Megan Katherine

Aug 20, 2020

NZ PN for the win!

These are some of my current favorites (all from Central Otago):

Burn Cottage - project Ted Lemmon from Littorai is working on, biodynamic wines, PN single vineyard wines but also a more affordable 'Moonlight Race' which is a blend of two vineyard sites if you're looking to just try them out

Felton Road - Age-worthy NZ PN? It's a thing! Cornish point is my favorite single vineyard bottling they do because of the extra touch of dried earth that adds more weight and depth. Fun fact: cornish point was a former gold mining site back in NZ's gold rush

Mount Riley - $ price for $$$ enjoyment! they also make a marlborough pinot noir which you can crush for under $10

Diana Hawkins

Aug 18, 2020

Yea, I don't think many are exported. The style depends on the producer. I think the black pepper character is present in some but isn't a focus here. Same with the meatiness as it often goes hand in hand with brett and wineries here are pretty clean with their winemaking.

I find the Syrahs here are similar to cool-climate Cali or Oregon or more modern Northern Rhones where you get this medium-full bodied wine with tons of tart berries, plum, violets, lavender, rosemary, and just a hint of white/black pepper. A touch of leather and tobacco will also show up if you let them age (most people crack into them straight away here).

Sam Harrop is an MW and I know his, Man O'War, and Craggy Range's are in the Chicago market, but unsure about other USA regions or other producers. You may be able to find Trinity Hill, Mission Estate, Villa Maria, Church Road, Te Mata or Elephant Hill stateside as they're bigger and likely have distribution. The trouble is most importers/distributors don't want to hear anything other than SB, which they know will sell. I get it. Hard to bring on a product if there's no market but hard to develop a new market without any product *shrug*

Hai Tran

Nov 5, 2020

Diana definitely has the inside scoop for sure! I would like to add a few producers and wines to look out for:

NORTH ISLAND

-Kumeu River: Producing absolutely stellar Chardonnay out of Auckland; what they are doing is truly special from their introductory Village wine, which will appeal to any Chablis lover, to their single vineyard bottlings that express the many facets of Chardonnay beautifully (Importer: Wilson-Daniels)

-Te Mata: I know Diana mentioned this but felt it was worth expanding! One of the oldest wine farms in Hawkes' Bay with structured and age worthy Bordeaux varieties (check out their Coleraine and Awatea), but don't sleep on their Bullnose Syrah and Gamay! This ain't no typo, seriously crushable Gamay from NZ! (Importer: Wine Dogs Imports)

-Millton: The OG of Biodynamics in NZ based in Gisborne with beautiful Chardonnay, Viognier, and in my personal opinion the gem of the portfolio - Chenin Blanc (Importer: Wine Dogs Imports)

-Dry River: One of the original properties in Martinborough with an amazing lineup of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Pinot Gris, and Riesling! If you ever come across a bottle of any of these, definitely give it a try! (Importer: Wine Dogs Imports - NY and NJ only though sorry!)

-Ata Rangi: Want to know what Martinborough is all about? This is a great benchmark producer with their phenomenal Pinot Noir. Their Sauvignon Blanc also shows another aspect to what NZ can do with this variety. (Importer: Verity Wines)

SOUTH ISLAND

-Neudorf: Rosie's Block Chardonnay, Tom's Block Pinot Noir, and if you can find a bottle of their Albarino! Never had a wine from Nelson? This is a producer you should seek out as they are situated in prime land in the Upper Moutere. (Importer: Formerly Winebow)

-Giesen: This producer has quite the range! The standouts in their lineup are the single vineyard offerings: The Fuder Chardonnay, Clayvin Pinot Noir, and Clayvin Syrah (Importer: Pacific Highway)

-Te Whare Ra: Currrently not imported but available from K&L periodically. If you ever come across a bottle from one of the most connected to the land producers in NZ, do yourself a favor and pick it up! Killer expressions of Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Pinot Gris from this Marlborough producer.

-Bell Hill: This North Canterbury producer is making elegant and ageworthy Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that showcases some of the best examples of what these varieties can do in NZ. (Importer: Coming through third party but available in some markets)

-Rippon (Wine Dog Imports), Two Paddocks (Winebow), Quartz Reef (Wine Dog Imports) are producers in Central Otago showcasing stunning Pinot Noir from their respective terroirs of Wanaka, Alexandra, and Bendigo. Quartz Reef also does an amazing job with sparkling wines.

Speaking of sparkling wines, their is a movement of producers making noteworthy sparkling wines with No. 1 Family (Wine Navigators) being a great example to see what is going on here.

I hope as you can see, there is definitely more to NZ than Sauvignon Blanc and I hope you all continue to explore the bounty of wines that this beautiful country has to offer.