The best wines of New Zealand

Discover the best wines of New Zealand as well as the best winemakers of New Zealand and estates of New Zealand to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of New Zealand and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Top wines by regions >New Zealand

Top wines of New Zealand by region

Looking for a good wine of New Zealand among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of New Zealand. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of New Zealand with technical and enological descriptions.

Great red wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best red wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a red wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a red wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of New Zealand

Red wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pasta or veal such as recipes of bernard's potée, chinese chicken soup or lisbon veal sauté.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of New Zealand

On the nose the red wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of cherry, oaky or earthy and sometimes also flavors of blackberry, red fruit or strawberries. In the mouth the red wine of the region of New Zealand. is a powerful with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in red wine of New Zealand

  • 1996With an average score of 4.71/5
  • 1998With an average score of 4.65/5
  • 1995With an average score of 4.61/5
  • 1997With an average score of 4.58/5
  • 2000With an average score of 4.51/5
  • 2005With an average score of 4.46/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of New Zealand

  • Pinot Noir
  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Malbec
  • Petit Verdot

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of New Zealand.

Discovering the wine region of New Zealand

New Zealand is an isolated island nation in the Pacific Ocean, about a thousand kilometres Southeast of Australia. It Lies between latitudes 36°S and 45°S, making it the southernmost wine producing country in the world. New Zealand has ten major wine-producing regions spread between the North and South Islands, the most important of which is Marlborough. New Zealand produces a wide variety of wines, the best known of which are the zesty, grassy whites made from Marlborough Grape/sauvignon">Sauvignon blanc.

Pinot noir has also proven to be well suited to New Zealand's Terroir and has made a name for itself in Martinborough, Marlborough and especially Central Otago, where the wines can be described as Dense and muscular with strong black fruit Flavours. The AromaticRiesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer varieties have found their way into the cooler regions of the South Island, and the Syrah, Bordeaux Blend varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) do well in the warmer regions of the North Island. The first vines arrived in Northland in 1819 and were planted by the father of antipodean viticulture, James Busby (who went on to establish the Hunter Valley region of Australia). Missionaries brought vines to Hawkes Bay in the 1850s, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dalmatian gum-digging settlers planted vines throughout Auckland and Northland, laying the foundation for New Zealand's modern wine industry.

For much of the 20th century, the country's vineyards were mainly confined to the east coast of the North Island, and most wines were produced solely for local consumption. It wasn't until the 1970s that wine-growing areas began to expand and New Zealand wines began to be exported. In 1973, Auckland-based wine producer Montana (now Brancott Estate) bought land in Marlborough's Wairau Valley. After some problems with poorly chosen grape varieties and the scourge of phylloxera, Marlborough sauvignon blanc took off in the 1980s and 1990s, producing a style of wine praised for its earliness and grassy, sweaty character.

Great white wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best white wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a white wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a white wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of New Zealand

White wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, vegetarian or goat cheese such as recipes of risotto of the sea, quiche with leeks and fresh salmon from flo or ham, goat cheese and basil lasagne.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of New Zealand

On the nose the white wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, citrus or apples and sometimes also flavors of lemon, salt or grass. In the mouth the white wine of the region of New Zealand. is a with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in white wine of New Zealand

  • 2001With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 2008With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.37/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.36/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.35/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.32/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of New Zealand

  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Chardonnay

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of New Zealand.

Discover the grape variety: Müller-Thurgau

Müller-Thurgau shows the character of its noble origins. This Swiss white grape variety is a cross between the royal madeleine and the riesling. The idea that the latter was crossed with the sylvaner is irrelevant. The variety can be recognized by its vigorous character and its semi-erect habit. Preferring rich soils and short prunings, the plant sees its buds open quite early. The buds are cottony and soft green in color. The slightly embossed and tormented blade, with 5 to 7 lobes, makes it possible to distinguish the adult leaves. The clusters appear compact, pyramidal or cylindrical in shape and small to medium in size. The flavour of the Müller-Turgau berries is reminiscent of Muscat. The juicy and crunchy pulp is revealed under a greyish skin. When ripe, the fruit has a mottled shell on a golden yellow background. Switzerland prefers to extract the juice from this variety. The wine made from it is rather heavy and does not keep well.

Great sparkling wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a sparkling wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a sparkling wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of New Zealand

Sparkling wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce, vegetable planter or duck breast in a crust.

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of New Zealand

On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, grapefruit or tropical and sometimes also flavors of citrus, apples or peach.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of New Zealand

  • 1999With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.05/5
  • 2017With an average score of 4.03/5
  • 1991With an average score of 4.00/5
  • 0With an average score of 3.98/5
  • 2011With an average score of 3.97/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of New Zealand

  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pinot Gris
  • Riesling

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of New Zealand.

The word of the wine: Austere

A full-bodied, closed wine whose qualities are noticeable, but which does not express its full potential.

Great pink wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best pink wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a pink wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a pink wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of New Zealand

Pink wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of veal meatballs with curry, salty crumble with courgettes, goat cheese and bacon or duck breast with spices, roasted figs with honey and port.

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of New Zealand

On the nose the pink wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, cream or grapefruit and sometimes also flavors of tropical, citrus or apples.

The best vintages in pink wine of New Zealand

  • 2021With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2020With an average score of 4.24/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.21/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.17/5
  • 2016With an average score of 4.15/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.12/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of New Zealand

  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Pinot Noir

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of New Zealand.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Great sweet wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best sweet wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a sweet wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a sweet wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of New Zealand

Sweet wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of kale soup, chinese fried shrimp ravioli or lamb tagine with prunes.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of New Zealand

On the nose the sweet wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, grapefruit or citrus and sometimes also flavors of apples, peach or apricot. In the mouth the sweet wine of the region of New Zealand. is a powerful with a good balance between acidity and sweetness.

The best vintages in sweet wine of New Zealand

  • 2007With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2005With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2023With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.16/5
  • 2020With an average score of 4.16/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.12/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of New Zealand

  • Riesling
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Müller-Thurgau
  • Sémillon

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of New Zealand.

The word of the wine: Vatting

After five to eight days of alcoholic fermentation, it is possible to prolong the maceration in order to extract the maximum amount of matter from the marc. The wines obtained in this way are rich and full-bodied, and in principle are intended for laying down.

Great natural sweet wines of New Zealand

See the top 100 best natural sweet wines of New Zealand

Want to buy a natural-sweet wine of New Zealand cheap or sell a natural-sweet wine of New Zealand at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a natural-sweet wine of New Zealand

Natural sweet wines from the region of New Zealand go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of traditional hungarian goulash, lamb parmentine with eggplant and spices or quiche with mixed vegetables.

Organoleptic analysis of natural-sweet wine of New Zealand

On the nose the natural sweet wine of the region of New Zealand. often reveals types of flavors of non oak, microbio or oak and sometimes also flavors of dried fruit, earth or tree fruit. In the mouth the natural sweet wine of the region of New Zealand. is a powerful with a lot of tannins present in the mouth.

The best vintages in natural-sweet wine of New Zealand

  • 1980With an average score of 4.40/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.11/5
  • 2017With an average score of 4.00/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.90/5

The most used grape varieties in natural-sweet wine of New Zealand

  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Pinot Noir
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Gris

The best wineries and winemakers for natural-sweet wine of New Zealand

A wine route planned in the region of New Zealand? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best natural-sweet wine of New Zealand.

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.

Discover other regions and appellation of New Zealand