If you talk about wines from New Zealand, Marlborough stands as the paramount wine region, situated in the northeastern South Island. It is the country's largest and most renowned viticultural area, especially celebrated for its Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc is becoming increasingly influential in New Zealand's wine landscape. Key vineyards such as Cloudy Bay contribute significantly to Marlborough's esteemed reputation globally.
Commercial viticulture became established in Marlborough during the 1970s after early planting by settlers from the 1870s onwards. This was led by Montana (now known as Brancott Estate), an Auckland-based wine producer that saw potential there and planted some of the first large scale commercial vineyards in 1973.
By the early 1980s, Marlborough wines had already found their feet despite initial difficulties posed by arid soil types and strong prevailing winds. This subsequently led to an oversupply of wines of average quality by 1985. A government-sponsored vine-pull scheme was therefore initiated. The programme involved uprooting hitherto dominant high yielding Müller-Thurgau vines which were replaced largely with Sauvignon Blanc thus paving way for Marlborough's eventual success story in winemaking.
Also, as a leading producer of Pinot Noir, Marlborough is most well known for Sauvignon Blanc. Even though the most planted grape variety is Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir has major importance because Marlborough accounts for largest plantings of the two. In earlier days Pinot Noir was pushed aside by Sauvignon Blanc whose commercial success had been higher than anticipated but with its versatile terroir now supporting a wide range of wine styles and varieties it demonstrates that it can produce immense variety over an increasing reputation in viticulture.
Marlborough is also renowned for other types of grapes. Among whites, chardonnay, pinot gris and riesling lead the pack with potential emerging in albariño even though it’s not widespread. There are also red varieties such as Syrah and Tempranillo besides Montepulciano that gain momentum although in less amounts.
Méthode Marlborough has made a significant contribution to quality sparkling wines particularly through méthode traditionnelle wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Some larger companies make their respective accessible sparkling wines using different white varietals thus adding to this region’s diverse wine portfolio.
Marlborough comprises various alluvial soils from Wairau Valley fed by Wairau River extends on through clay loam hillsides of the Southern Valleys, and reaching the arid landscapes of the Awatere Valley, where vineyards are influenced by Pacific winds.
This region’s climate is described by warm days and cool nights, influenced by the sea on the east and protected from the west by a chain of mountain. As a result of this climate structure, grapes ripen gradually, holding onto their acidity and slowly developing flavors until maturity.
In 2018 the Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) was initiated to protect the reputation of Marlborough wines against the variability of quality due to increasing global demand, especially the renowned Sauvignon Blanc.
AMW ensures that certified wines are made from 100% Marlborough grapes, guaranteeing authenticity.
