New Zealand is a unique region in the world of wine since it consists of  three relatively small islands isolated  in a far corner of the Pacific Ocean. It has no continental hinterland as has North or South America or Australia and for these geographical and cultural reasons it tends to produce wines and winemakers that have a determined individuality.

The country’s two main islands span more than ten degrees of latitude and the wine regions vary from a semi-tropical far north (the home of some benchmark Syrah wines) to the old river beds of Hawke’s Bay (where the summer heat ripens Chardonnay well  and produces some of the country’s finest Bordeaux blends) to the almost desert like mountain valleys of Central Otago, where severe frosts can threaten the survival of their Pinot Noir, a variety for which the region is forging an international reputation.

And there is everything in between.

The north eastern area of Gisborne harvests ripe fruit, especially Chardonnay, early in the season and the maritime influences in Nelson in the north of the South Island  give distinctive characters to their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Smaller regions such as Waipara, Canterbury and Martinborough all provide distinctive takes on their regional specialities but Marlborough, at the northern tip of the South Island, is the region around which New Zealand’s reputation rests. For it is here on the arid river flats of the Wairau Valley that the distinctive flavours of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc produced was pioneered  just over 30 years ago -  a flavour profile that remains internationally distinctive to this day.