Marlborough is the heart of viticulture in New Zealand - even though vines were not planted here at all until the early 1970s. At that time, by the way, it was primarily Müller-Thurgau, which turned out to be a mistake. Today, Marlborough, named after an English general, is a superlative wine region. Nearly 23,000 hectares are under vines, or almost 70 percent of New Zealand's total vineyard area. Over 17,000 hectares of this are planted with New Zealand's flagship grape, Sauvignon Blanc, which accounts for almost 90 percent of the total stock of this variety in the North and South Islands combined. Marlborough's star rose meteorically when a wine caused a sensation in Europe at the end of the 1980s, the "Cloudy Bay". A Sauvignon Blanc of such enormous expressiveness, it had not existed in Europe until then. "Cloudy Bay" has simply remained one of New Zealand's icon wines to this day and enjoys cult status. After this initial spark, a good 150 wineries have settled here, and producers from other places also make wine here. Although it also rains frequently on the South Island, Marlborough is relatively dry. The nearby mountain range keeps the low-hanging clouds away from the vineyards, so irrigation is necessary and common in many vineyards. The soil consists of boulders washed up from the mountains, but in many places it also consists of calcareous marine deposits. These different soil structures provide the best terroir not only for Sauvignon Blanc but also for varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The calling card is still the immensely fruity, very exotic and tropical-smelling Sauvignon Blanc.
The best wines from Marlborough
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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TastingFalstaff International Global Sauvignon Blanc Feature Summer 2022From Sancerre to South Africa, via Marlborough and Chile to Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is a firm favourite. Falstaff traces the story of its...
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TastingFalstaff International New Zealand Pinot Noir: Tasting the Place01.01.2022, Falstaff Online International 2022, Anne Krebiehl
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TastingFalstaff International London Editorial Tastings 202201.01.2022, Falstaff Online International 2022, Anne Krebiehl MW
Best wines from this region
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2017 Wild Sauvignon Blanc
Greywacke Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
97
2019 Villa Maria Attorney Pinot Noir 60th Anniversary Limited Edition
Villa Maria
Marlborough,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
14%
96
2017 Section 94
Dog Point Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
96
2013 Framingham F-Series Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling
Framingham Wines
Marlborough,
New Zealand
Sweet and Dessert Wine
Riesling
6%
96
2003 Cloudy Bay Te Koko
Cloudy Bay
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
96
2020 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon
Greywacke Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13,5%
95
2017 Sauvignon Blanc
Clos Henri
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13,5%
95
2017 Sauvignon Blanc
Cloudy Bay
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
95
2021 Framingham F-Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Framingham Wines
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
94
2021 Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Saint Clair Estate
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
94
2021 Villa Maria Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc
Villa Maria
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
14%
94
2020 Huia Organic Sauvignon Blanc
Huia Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
94
2020 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc
Villa Maria
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13,5%
94
2019 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc
Clos Henri
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
94
2019 Cloudy Bay Te Koko
Cloudy Bay
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13,09%
94
2019 The Kings Series »A sticky End Noble Sauvignon Blanc«
Marisco Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
Sweet and Dessert Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
11%
94
2017 Nautilus Southern Valleys Pinot Noir
Nautilus Estate
Marlborough,
New Zealand
Red Wine
Pinot Noir
13,5%
94
2015 Blank Canvas Grüner Veltliner
Kiwi-Oeno Limited
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Grüner Veltliner
13,5%
94
2015 Marisco Craft Series Pride & Glory Sauvignon Blanc
Marisco Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Sauvignon Blanc
13%
94
2013 Chardonnay
Dog Point Vineyards
Marlborough,
New Zealand
White Wine
Chardonnay
94
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