An island nation at the bottom of the earth renowned for its native flightless bird as well as "Flight of the Conchords," New Zealand has made a name for itself around the world for its light-filled interpretations of Sauvignon Blanc. As Marlborough looks back on half a century of Sauvignon, it seems the country has a complicated relationship with its star performer.

Consistency, balance and a distinct house style have placed Kumeu River among the classics. From humble beginnings 80 years ago, this estate has established itself as a major player in New Zealand and around the world.

Fall releases from La Place Bordeaux showcase a selection of wines from around the world. Australian wines have been part of the offerings since 2020. This article features reviews of the new 2024 antipodean releases.

New Zealand is considered a young wine-producing country. Its early success was built on drink-me-now Sauvignon Blanc. However, its vines and winemakers are maturing, and time is showing that the country’s wines are now coming of age some 200 years after the first vines were planted.

New Zealanders will forever remember the summer of 2023 as the year Cyclone Gabrielle swept away homes, vineyards and dreams. Wine producers on the storm-battered North Island had few reasons to smile. However, it was a different story for South Islanders: they escaped the worst of the weather’s wrath yet were burdened with survivors’ guilt as their colleagues across the Cook Strait were overwhelmed by the elements.

In her new book Vintage Crime – A Short History of Wine Fraud, Rebecca Gibb MW tells the history of wine through some of the most well-known cases of fraud, in addition to less well-documented incidents that intrigued Rebecca personally.

New Zealand has experienced a summer of upheaval: an unforeseen Prime Ministerial resignation, historic flooding, landslides, a cyclone and an egg shortage. The country’s wine industry is also in a state of flux.

Back in the day, when I used to cover New Zealand, it was clear that the country boasted a clutch of wines that could truly repay cellaring. One of those was Coleraine from Te Mata Estate in Hawkes Bay.

Fault lines score New Zealand, but it isn’t a seismic activity that’s splitting a once united wine community. The divide between small, quality-conscious producers and volume-driven players is widening. The results of the tricky 2022 vintage highlight the country’s divergence.

It’s hard to believe that just over 40 years ago, New Zealand’s South Island was considered too cool to plant grapevines, let alone make fine red wines. In a single generation, this notion has been turned on its head. There have inevitably been growing pains as the vines sought out their rightful places and the grape growers and winemakers made their mistakes, but it seems that there is now a coming of age as mature vines meet mature – and increasingly sensitive – winemakers.

A charity dinner themed around the significant wines of my career threw up a couple of surprises. I doubt DRC and Blue Nun have ever found themselves reviewed in the same article. In these days of bleak headlines, the vignettes accompanying these eclectic wines hopefully put a smile on your face.

A small 2021 vintage sent international wine buyers scrabbling to secure their New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc supply, but what the wines lack in quantity, they’ve made up for in quality, while Chardonnay continues to make a strong case as New Zealand’s finest white variety.

In my inaugural red wine report, I consider the latest crop of New Zealand Pinot Noirs with a focus on the 2019 vintage and take a look at 2018 Bordeaux blends and Syrahs flowing from Hawke’s Bay.

In her first report for Vinous, Rebecca Gibb MW takes the temperature of the New Zealand white wine scene and uncovers the latest vintages: 2019 and 2020.

In just the past couple of months, the novel coronavirus has profoundly changed the production and sale of wine around the globe. In this roundtable interview, 35 producers get specific about the challenges they are facing.

I want Pinot Noirs that evolve into something intellectual and complex, with both character and deliciousness – just like this Felton Road.

Kumeu River is New Zealand's greatest Chardonnay producer, one that is genuinely world class. Following the most comprehensive tasting ever conducted, this article traces the story of the Brajkovich family, details their vineyards and philosophies, to find out how they make such bloody good Chardonnay.

Upon joining Vinous, New Zealand came back into my purview for the first time since 2010. Its location on the opposite side of the world meant that finding time to visit this year was not quite as easy as nipping down to Bordeaux or Burgundy on the daily easyJet. This interim report covers more than 400 new releases from a wide range of estates.

New Zealand’s wine industry and its grape vines continue to grow and mature. I experienced the country’s blinding summer sunshine up close and personal earlier this year, but its vibrant wines kept me consistently refreshed. I tasted more wines than ever before that deliver complexity and place character, not just varietal fruit. And the recent succession of benevolent growing seasons has been a boon for ripeness without heaviness.

Two thousand twelve was a cool, late year in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District, a favored area within the greater Hawkes Bay appellation on New Zealand’s North Island.

What a difference a year makes!  Last summer the task of tasting well over a hundred 2012 sauvignon blancs from Marlborough was truly an acid test, as many of those wines were made from grapes that never ripened properly in a very cool, late growing season

These are tricky times for New Zealand wine in the U.S. market, as the short crop of 2012 and continued strength in the New Zealand dollar are exerting pressures on prices here.

Exports of New Zealand wines to the U.S. have grown by 19% over the past 12 months, driven by this market's thirst for sauvignon blanc, which accounted for nearly 90% of New Zealand wines shipped here.

Owing largely to the high cost of grape-farming and winemaking, New Zealand's wines have never been cheap in export markets

New Zealand sauvignon blanc is a no-brainer for the consumer looking for fresh white wine at a moderate price, either to accompany a restaurant meal or for enjoying at home