New Zealand Wines

The land most Americans came to know via The Lord of the Rings is home to some great wines as well as spectacular scenery. Sauvignon Blanc is grown in most New Zealand wine regions, but is especially notable in Marlborough, where it makes wines that set the New World standard for that variety. Other grape varieties commonly grown in New Zealand include Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot.

Wine Enthusiast’s New Zealand wine guide features thousands of New Zealand wine reviews from all over the country, including Hawkes Bay and Martinborough on the North Island and Marlborough, Nelson, Waipara and Central Otago on the South Island. Search our Buying Guide to find New Zealand wine ratings from all of your favorite producers.

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Pegasus Bay 1998 Maestro Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (Waipara)

Cellar Selection

Price $52

This blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc is ambitiously priced, but the quality is in the bottle. Next time you need a ringer for a right-bank Bordeaux tasting, here’s a perfect candidate. Dried spices and a smooth, rich texture are the only hallmarks left from two years of barrel aging—the mocha and black cherry fruit is rich and… — J.C. (8/1/2002)

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Mills Reef 2000 Mere Road Elspeth Syrah (Hawke's Bay)

Editors' Choice

Price $30

Strong and distinguished, this is a wine with the concentration of a winner. The dark purple and black color suggests the enormous extract, which is confirmed by the first sniff. The nose is packed with powerful black currant aromas, enhanced by fine smoky oak. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied, dense and immature. A chewy core of fruit and thick but fine tannins… — S.H. (11/15/2002)

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Isabel Estate 2001 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough)

Price $18

A remarkably complete and satisfying wine, showing exquisite balance and charm. Gooseberry, peach and apple flavors have a sharp, minerally streak, while the crisp acids and opulent structure are near-perfect. Strikes a delicate balance between dry and honeyed. — S.H. (11/15/2002)

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Felton Road 2002 Dry Riesling (Central Otago)

Editors' Choice

Price $23

This powerful expression of Riesling blends floral aromas with scents of lime, pineapple and crushed stone, then finishes with great length and intensity. The strident citrus and mineral notes seem to echo on the palate, filling the mouth with their characterful flavors. — J.C. (8/1/2003)

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Craggy Range 2002 Le Sol Syrah (Hawke's Bay)

Price $60

Major-league Syrah from New Zealand? You bet. Tips the scales at 15.4% alcohol, yet never seems hot. Instead, you get a wonderfully balanced wine loaded with cassis and blackberry fruit, but also notes of coffee and ground pepper. Chewy tannins on the finish suggest it could age, but the wine is soft enough that there’s no need to wait. Imported by Kobrand. — J.C. (7/1/2005)

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Craggy Range 2002 Sophia Gimblett Gravels Red (Hawke's Bay)

Price $55

Roughly two-thirds Merlot and one-third Cabernet Franc, this dense, plummy wine is New World all the way, with incredibly ripe fruit that approaches chocolate fudge wedded to sexy hints of coconut and vanilla. Yet the wine is balanced and structured, with lush, chewy tannins that demand a couple of years’ cellaring. Tannic on the finish, but the fruit shines… — J.C. (7/1/2005)

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Kahurangi 2003 Late Harvest Riesling (Moutere)

Price $20

This lush, dessert-style Riesling is impeccably balanced. It’s sweet but not overly so, with hints of dried apricot and honeyed peach on the nose and bergamot and orange marmalade flavors lingering on the finish. Imported by Cordon Selections. — J.C. (5/1/2006)

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Pegasus Bay 2005 Sauvignon Semillon White (Waipara Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $25

This is the most Sémillon (30%) I can recall in this wine, and it’s also the best I can remember this wine showing, with slightly musky aromas of gooseberry, honey and fig leading into a creamy, richly textured wine loaded with melon and fig fruit. Long on the finish, where it seems to build even higher in flavor intensity. — J.C. (11/1/2006)

Most Reviewed Varietals

Bordeaux-style Red Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Merlot Pinot Grigio/Gris Pinot Noir Red Blend Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Shiraz/Syrah Sparkling

Most Reviewed Wineries

Brancott Craggy Range Felton Road Kim Crawford Kumeu River Matua Valley Omaka Springs Pegasus Bay Saint Clair Seifried Spy Valley Villa Maria

2010 Pence Ranch Westslope

This is sourced from the winery's steepest and most wind-exposed blocks…

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