Top 100 sweet wines of North Island

Discover the top 100 best sweet wines of North Island as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the sweet wines that are popular of North Island and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of North Island

New-zealand/north-island/northland">Northland, as its name suggests, is New Zealand's northernmost wine-producing region, around four hours' drive northwest of the country's largest city, Auckland. Most of the Northland region's wineries are situated on the east coast, particularly around the Bay of Islands and the Karikari Pensinula, with another cluster on the west coast near Kaitaia. The region's red wines are mostly produced from Syrah, Pinotage">Pinotage and the Hybrid variety Chambourcin. Chardonnay leads the way for white wine grape varieties; Pinot Gris, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are among the other varieties cultivated here.

Although Northland's contribution to the New Zealand wine industry is minuscule (in 2013, the region crushed 130 metric tonnes of grapes, compared to Marlborough's 250,000), it is important historically. The first vines were planted in the Bay of Islands in 1819, a Full 30 years before missionaries began planting in the Hawkes Bay. The founding father of viticulture in the Antipodes, James Busby, had a Vineyard at his house at Waitangi before going on to establish the Hunter Valley wine region in Australia. This Waitangi property is also where New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in 1840.

In the late 1800s, kauri-gum diggers from Croatia began to move into the area in search of fortune, bringing winemaking traditions from their homeland. While viticulture in the region has never been viable on a large scale, Northland's boutique wine industry is growing fast, with the Northland Wine Growers Association (formed in 2007) boasting a membership of more than 50. Northland's sub-tropical Climate is unique in New Zealand. Warm, humid summers and rainy winters are challenging for growers, who must employ careful vineyard techniques to avoid mildew and rot.

Discover the grape variety: Pinot noir

Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

News from the vineyard of North Island

The Mâcon plus appellation seen by Charles Lamboley

Charles Lamboley, marketing and communication director from Vignerons des Terres Secrètes, explains the differences between the appellation Mâcon-Villages and Mâcon plus a geographical denomination. This video is taken from the “Rendez-vous avec les vins de Bourgogne” program (March 2020). The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) invites you to enjoy this video in which Jean-Pierre Renard, Expert Instructor at the Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne, explains the topographical and geological characteristics of t ...

At the heart of the terroirs of Mâcon-Bray

Sequence from the video « At the heart of the Mâcon terroir » which offer a stroll at the heart of the Mâcon terroir. It offers a focus on Mâcon-Bray, one of the 27 geographical denominations of the Mâcon appellation. Travel through the terroirs of the Mâcon appellation by watching the full video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF20y1aBZh8 Both are available in French and English. Our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BourgogneWines​​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BourgogneWines/ ...

The Morey Saint Denis appellation investigated through its geology and geography

The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) invites you to enjoy this video in which Jean-Pierre Renard, Expert Instructor at the Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne, explains the topographical and geological characteristics of the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation. The vineyard lies on an intensely fractured area. Several characteristic zones can be distinguished, we can say that each Climat has its own personality. This video is taken from the “Rendez-vous avec les vins de Bourgogne” program broadcasted in April 2021 ...