| Wine region | |
 Wairau Valley vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand | |
| Type | Geographical Indication |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2018 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sub-regions |
|
| Size of planted vineyards | 27,808 hectares (68,720 acres) |
| Grapes produced | 343,036 tonnes |
| Varietals produced | |
| No. of wineries | 158 |
| Comments | GI 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.
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]
- ^ a b c "Annual Report 2020". New Zealand Winegrowers. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Marlborough Wine geographical indication". Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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