New Zealand Wine
New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions extending 1,600 km (1,000 miles). They are, from north to south Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough,... Canterbury/Waipara and Central Otago.
Red blends and Bordeaux varieties
New Zealand Reds: are typically made from either a blend of varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and much less often Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec), or Pinot Noir. Recently, in Hawkes Bay there have been wines made from Syrah, either solely or blends, and even Tempranillo, Montepulciano and Sangiovese.
In general New Zealand red wine tends to be forward and early maturing, fruit-driven and with restrained oak.
Pinot Noir is a grape variety whose importance in New Zealand is greater than the weight of planting.As is the case for other New Zealand wine, New Zealand Pinot Noir is fruit-driven, forward and early maturing in the bottle. It tends to be quite full bodied (for the variety), very approachable and oak maturation tends to be restrained. High quality examples of New Zealand Pinot Noir are distinguished by savoury, earthy flavours with a greater complexity.
In white wines: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc predominate in plantings and production.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been described by some as "alive with flavors of cut grass and fresh fruits", and others as "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" (but not necessarily as a criticism).
Other white varietals commonly include (in no particular order) Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris, and less commonly Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau and Viognier
Sparkling wine
Excellent quality Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine is produced in New Zealand.
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