Marlborough wine region

Marlborough
Wine region
Wairau Valley vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand
TypeGeographical Indication
Year established2018
CountryNew Zealand
Sub-regions
  • Awatere Valley
  • Southern Valleys
  • Wairau Valley
Size of planted vineyards27,808 hectares (68,720 acres)
Grapes produced343,036 tonnes
Varietals produced
No. of wineries158
CommentsGI established 2018, commercial vineyards first established in 1973; data from 2020[1]

New Zealand vineyard area by region, 2020. Marlborough accounts for about two thirds of the total vineyard area in New Zealand.

  Marlborough (69.6%)
  Hawke's Bay (12.6%)
  Central Otago (4.8%)
  North Canterbury (3.4%)
  Gisborne (3.0%)
  Nelson (2.8%)
  Wairarapa (2.6%)
  Other (1.1%)

Data from New Zealand Winegrowers annual report.[1]

The Marlborough wine region is by far New Zealand's largest, accounting for three quarters of the country's wine production, 70% of its vineyard area and 85% of its wine exports.[1] A Geographical Indication in the north-east of the South Island, it covers the entire Marlborough District and the Kaikōura District of the Canterbury Region,[2] but in practice the vineyards are concentrated around the Blenheim and Seddon townships. Internationally, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is recognised as world class; wine writers such as Oz Clarke and George Taber have described it as the best in the world.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c "Annual Report 2020". New Zealand Winegrowers. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Marlborough Wine geographical indication". Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  3. ^ Rachman, Gideon (16 December 1999). "The globe in a glass". The Economist. according to Oz Clarke, a respected British critic, New Zealand sauvignon blanc is now "arguably the best in the world."
  4. ^ Taber, George (2005). Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. New York: Scribner. pp. 243. ISBN 978-0-74-324751-1. [Cloudy Bay is ...] what many people consider to be the world's best Sauvignon Blanc