New Zealand Whites: The Great Divide

BY REBECCA GIBB MW | APRIL 11, 2023

Did you know it’s been 50 years since the first vine was planted in Marlborough? The year was 1973. An international oil crisis was in full swing, a fraud case involving Bordeaux wine royalty went global and an optimistic New Zealander claimed that Marlborough wine would be “world famous” at the planting of the region’s first vine. It was considered a mad endeavor in a rural backwater, but the vines and wines of this region have set New Zealand on a path to international wine stardom. Yet, the celebrations are conspicuous by their absence. This milestone has failed to create fireworks. A short article in the local wine producer magazine is all I’ve yet to see. I fear it will pass without acknowledgment or pause for the reflection it deserves.

Vines planted on the rolling hills of Marlborough are producing some of the region's finest wines.

Back in the early 1970s, it was deemed too cold to grow grapes in the region. But that didn't stop Frank Yukich, the man behind the first modern Marlborough vineyard. He purchased land in Marlborough without the approval of Montana Wines Limited’s board (now renamed Brancott Estate to avoid confusion with the state of Montana) and paid the deposit from his own pocket. His colleagues weren’t pleased and didn’t want to embark on this seemingly foolhardy venture. In a bid to change their mind, Yukich asked several wine professors in California to give their expert opinion on the viability of growing grapes in the top corner of New Zealand’s south island. They gave the thumbs up, and the project went ahead. The first vines were planted with much fanfare, but they failed miserably; a summer drought put an end to the fledgling vines. Undeterred, Yukich trialed more plantings, including hybrids and a fruit salad of vitis vinifera varieties. It was a happy accident that Sauvignon Blanc was chosen in 1975. The first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was released in 1979. At that time, only the most optimistic could predict that this sheep farming community’s future would change dramatically. 

Vines were soon taking over the fields previously reserved for local flocks. In the mid-1980s, 1.6 million sheep called Marlborough home while there were just 1,000 hectares of vines; 20 years later, the sheep population had fallen by two-thirds, and vines carpeted the valley floor with more than 17,000 hectares (42,008 acres) of Marlborough’s land. In the years following the global financial crisis and a record harvest (2008), the world did not have the appetite to mop up what became known as the “Savalanche” and expansion came to a halt. There were claims that Marlborough vineyard land was close to its saturation point. Just a few thousand hectares were unplanted and considered suitable for vines. Industry figures said that further expansion would have to come from acquiring existing vineyards. And yet, eight years later, Marlborough’s vineyards have increased by another 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) with more land deals in the cards. The largest companies are expanding into areas that have long been considered too marginal, including the remote village of Wairau Valley, leaving locals shaking their heads about the likely quality of the wines made on this land and the damage it will do to the region that is home to their families and businesses.

More than ever, it is clear that fissures are opening within a once-remarkably united region and country. New Zealand is no stranger to earthquakes, sitting on a fault line, but the cracks separating the commercial players and the small, quality-conscious producers are growing ever wider. Until recently, the bigger companies were still owned and run by locals with pride in their products. Now, multinationals and bulk-focused companies are abusing the liquid that put this rural community on the map. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been commoditized. With international owners sitting in corporate offices thousands of miles away, volume concerns are a greater priority than quality, which has been underlined in the challenging 2022 season. When nature is on their side, the divide between the best and the rest is narrower, but in a challenging year, a gulf separates producers.