Why New Zealand matters
A pair of cool, maritime islands at the bottom of the world, New Zealand is tiny in volume but huge in impact — it reinvented Sauvignon Blanc and makes some of the New World’s finest Pinot Noir.
- Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, born in the 1980s, became a global phenomenon.
- A cool, sunny, maritime climate gives wines piercing aromatics and high acidity.
- Central Otago is the world’s southernmost wine region.
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Key idea: aromatic intensity
Long, cool, sunny days let New Zealand’s grapes ripen flavour while keeping racy acidity — hence the explosive aromatics of its Sauvignon Blanc.