At the end of the 1980s, New Zealand gained sudden fame in Europe for its Sauvignon Blanc, which today enjoys cult status, and is known as Cloudy Bay! And with this variety, New Zealand's rapid rise among the world's top wine producers began, and Sauvignon Blanc developed into the benchmark par excellence. Forty-one thousand six hundred three hectares are under vines on the North and South Islands. Of this continuously growing vineyard area, Sauvignon Blanc alone occupies 26,559 hectares. By far, the largest region in the country and thus the heart of New Zealand's viticulture is Marlborough, with 29,415 hectares on the eastern side of the northern tip of the South Island. And with about 18,000 hectares, Sauvignon Blanc also dominates here. The second largest region, Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island, comes in at just 4,700 hectares. New Zealand lies isolated outside the subtropical foothills; the climate is cool and characterised by rainfall of up to 1200mm/year. Most wine-growing areas are on the east coast of the North and South Islands, although cold air arctic currents also influence the climate. After Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir (5,800 hectares) and Pinot Gris (2,800 hectares) take second and third place in the list of grape varieties. Still, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Albarino are also grown alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. With its outstanding Pinot Noirs, the southernmost wine-growing region in the world - Central Otago - occupies a unique position. The issue of sustainability plays an enormous role in New Zealand, and already about 300 of about 700 wineries are certified.
The best wines from New Zealand
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TastingLidl Tasting 3/202630.04.2026, Falstaff Magazine Germany No. 3/2026, Ulrich Sautter (Wein), Roland Graf (Spirits)
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TastingBest of Rosé under 15.00 EUR/franc01.01.2023, Falstaff Online Austria 2023, Peter Moser, Ulrich Sauter, Otmar Kiem, Simon Staffler, Benjamin Vombach, Dominik Herzog
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TastingShortlist Germany 10/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel. Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produ...
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TastingThe best holiday wines of 2022Im zehnten und letzten Falstaff Magazin des Jahres 2022 haben wir Ihnen eine bunte Palette von 100 Weinen aus aller Welt präsentiert, die pr...
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TastingShortlist Germany 9/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel. Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produk...
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TastingShortlist Germany 7/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel. Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produk...
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TastingShortlist Germany 6/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel. Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produ...
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TastingShortlist Germany 5/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produk...
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TastingShortlist Germany 4/2022Weine aus aller Welt - aktuell im Handel. Woche für Woche bekommt die Falstaff-Wein-Redaktion Flaschenpost von Weinhändlern, die neue Produk...
Best wines from this region
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2023 Coleraine
Te Mata
Hawkes Bay,
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
Red Wine
13%
98
2021 Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay
Kumeu River Wines
New Zealand
White Wine
Chardonnay
13%
97
2019 Craggy Range Le Sol
Craggy Range
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Syrah
13,6%
97
2019 Craggy Range Le Sol Hawke’s Bay
Craggy Range
Hawkes Bay,
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Syrah
13,5%
97
2019 Smith & Sheth CRU Heretaunga Syrah
Smith & Sheth
New Zealand
Red Wine
Syrah
13,5%
97
2019 Smith & Sheth CRU Heretaunga Syrah Hawke’s Bay
Smith & Sheth
New Zealand
Red Wine
Syrah
13,5%
97
2017 Wild Sauvignon Blanc
Greywacke Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
97
2023 Pinot Noir Block 5
Felton Road
Central Otago,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
96
2023 Pinot Noir Block 5
Felton Road
Central Otago,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
96
2021 La Collina Syrah
Bilancia Limited
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Syrah
13%
96
2020 Elephant Hill Salomé Chardonnay
Elephant Hill
Hawkes Bay,
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
White Wine
Chardonnay
96
2020 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3
Felton Road
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
14%
96
2020 Pinot Noir
Kusuda Wines
Wairarapa,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
96
2020 Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir
Pyramid Valley Vineyards
North Canterbury,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
96
2020 Pyramid Valley Lion's Tooth Chardonnay
Pyramid Valley Vineyards
North Canterbury,
New Zealand
White Wine
Chardonnay
14%
96
2020 Zen Chardonnay
Tony Bish Wines
Hawkes Bay,
New Zealand
White Wine
Chardonnay
96
2019 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough
Ata Rangi
Martinborough,
Wairarapa,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
96
2019 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir McCrone Vineyard
Ata Rangi
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
96
2019 Esk Valley Great Dirt River Gravels Merlot, Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon
Esk Valley
New Zealand
Red Wine
Merlot
14%
96
2019 Villa Maria Attorney Pinot Noir 60th Anniversary Limited Edition
Villa Maria
Marlborough,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
14%
96
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