New Zealand

The English seafarer James Cook (1728-1779) took control of the islands, with their two main islands, in the name of England in 1769. The Anglican missionary Samuel Marsden planted the first vines, which he had brought with him from Australia, at Kerikeri on the north-east coast of the North Island in 1819. When the at that time still unknown Charles Darwin (1809-1882) landed at just this location in 1835 while on the Beagle, he saw, as he later wrote, healthy vines in front of him. James Busby (1802-1871), who had already laid the foundations for viticulture in Australia, laid out and planted a vineyard not far away, at Waitangi. He was the first to produce any appreciable volumes of wine, and is generally considered to be the first producer on the islands. The wine-growing region around Auckland was established by immigrants from Dalmatia, and even today Croatian families are an established part of wine production in New Zealand. Immigrants from this region were also responsible for the foundation of the two companies Montana and Nobilo, which today are among the largest producers. Romeo Bragato (1858-1914), who also came from Dalmatia, undertook extensive travels to determine the regions best suited for wine-growing, and was named state director of viticulture a few years later. It was in this capacity that he founded a research institute. Mildew was introduced to the country in 1876, followed by phylloxera in 1895. The oenologist Romeo Bragato was foremost in the battle against this latter pest. The main measure implemented was the planting of phylloxera-resistant grape varieties, and as recently as 1960 the most widely planted variety was the red Isabella (known here as Albany Surprise). A referendum seeking to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages was narrowly defeated in 1919, mainly because of the votes of young men returning from the First World War battlefields in Europe (also see under Prohibition). Beginning in the 1960’s, the planting of European varieties was encouraged, particularly Müller-Thurgau was a favourite for some time, and was for a while the most widely-planted variety in New Zealand.

Up until 1960 the country had some very unusual laws governing the sale of wine, with only hotels permitted to sell wine, and then only in units of a maximum of twelve bottles to any one person. At that time it was common for producers to dilute their wines with water, a practice only prohibited in 1980. Since then, however, wine production in New Zealand has not only grown in terms of quantity, but maily in terms of quality. The wine laws are modelled on those of Australia. Where a variety is stated on the label, the bottle must contain at least 75% of that variety. A system of appellations was only created in 1996, this provides specified areas with the status of a protected designation of origin (CO = Certified Origin). The regulations for wine production are exceptionally liberal. Chaptalisation, acidification and deacidification are all permitted. The winemaker generally enjoys a higher status than does the vineyard manager. There are no limits on production yields, and irrigation is permitted everywhere, though not often necessary. Due to its proximity to the international date line, New Zealand is also the most easterly wine-producing country in the world. The different climatic and soil conditions certainly warrant a division into individual regions. There are no official limits on maximum yields, and average yield is quite high at around 90 hl/ha. New Zealand currently claims to be the most southerly wine-growing country in the world Otago on South Island), although developments in Argentina and Chile may soon rightfully contest this claim. The vineyard areas are widely spread around various centres on the North and South Islands. There are climatic differences between the North Island, which is warmer, and South Island, which is generally cooler. It was only in 1973 that the relatively warm climate around Marlborough was discovered, and the first vines planted there, the first on the South Island. Soils are fertile, many of them are of volcanic origin. Rainfall is plentiful, even in summer and autumn, and New Zealand has a higher average rainfall than does England.

The following regions have CO status (with sub-regions in brackets):

North Island (with the capital, Wellington)
* Auckland (Greater A., Kumeu-Huapai, Henderson, Waiheke Island, Matakana) 504 ha
* Gisborne = Poverty Bay 1.913 ha
* Hawke´s Bay 4.346 ha
* Waikato / Bay of Planty 150 ha
* Wairarapa (Martinborough, Te Horo) 777 ha

South Island (main centre Christchurch)
* Canterbury (Banks Peninsula, Christchurch, Gibbston Valley, Wairapa) 925 ha
* Nelson (Moutere Valley, Rabbit Island, Redwood Valley) 695 ha
* Marlborough (Awatere Valley) 11.488 ha
* Otago (Queenstown, Gibbstone Valley, Wanaka) 1.253 ha

The total vineyard area in 2006 amounted to 22.616 hectares, producing 1.3 million hectolitres of wine. New Zealand remains a relatively small wine-producing country, but one that is experiencing tremendous and rapid growth. The total vineyard area in 1997 was only 7.416 hectares, thus the area grew threefold in only ten years. White wines account for 70% of total production. The best of these are the Sauvignon Blancs of Marlborough, which paved the way for the fame of New Zealand wines. Much of the production volume is accounted for by basic wines, many of them sold as Bag-in-Box wines. The cultivation of European varieties was strongly encouraged from the 1960’s onward, in particular Müller-Thurgau was initially very popular, and was for some time the most widely planted variety in New Zealand. Today this variety is low in the rankings, and is used mainly for the production of entry-level wines. The following varieties are currently planted (as per 2006):
Variety (Synonym) Colour Hectares %
Sauvignon Blanc
White 8.860 39,0
Pinot Noir
Red 4.063 18,0
Chardonnay
White 3.779 16,7
Merlot
Red 1.420 6,3
Riesling
White 853 3,8
Pinot Gris
White 762 3,4
Cabernet Sauvignon
Red 531 2,3
Gewürztraminer (Gewurztraminer)
White 284 1,3
Sémillon
White 229 1,9
Syrah
Red 214 0,9
Cabernet Franc
Red 164 0,7
Malbec
Red 155 0,7
Muscat varieties mainly Muscat Dr. Hogg
White 140 0,6
Müller-Thurgau (Muller Thurgau)
White 116 0,5
Pinotage
Red 90 0,4
Reichensteiner
White 61 0,3
Chenin Blanc
White 59 0,3
Other and unspecifiecd varieties White and red 836 3,7


All wine producers must be members of the official WINZ (Wine Institute of New Zealand) organisation, founded in 1975. This exerts enormous influence on the quality and the image of viticulture in New Zealand. The four major, dominat producers, accounting for around 90% of production are Corbans, Montana, Nobilo and Villa Maria. Other well-known producers include Ata Rangi, Babich, Cloudy Bay, Goldwater Estate, Gravitas, Hunter´s, Isabel Estate, Jackson Estate, Kemblefield, Kumeu River, Lincoln, Martinborough Vineyard, Matawhero, Matua Valley, Millton, Mission Estate, Morton Estate, Nautilus, Neudorf Vineyards, Ngatarawa, Pask, Palliser Estate, Pegasus Bay, Rippon, Seyfried Estate, Stonecroft, Te Mata, Millton, Trinity Hill, Vidal Estate and Wairau River.