History & PeopleOur people are the beating heart of our wine – the wine that defines New Zealand. From the Southern Valleys through to Wairau Valley and onto the Awatere Valley and Southern Marlborough, our diversity is epitomised by the many craftspeople who capture wines that are impossible to imitate, hard not to love and filled with passion and provenance.
Our History
Few would have predicted Marlborough’s rapid ascent to become one of New Zealand’s preeminent – and internationally renowned – wine-growing regions. The region’s winemakers and growers are celebrating 50 years of Marlborough’s official beginning as a wine region, and inviting the country to re-discover the depth of Marlborough wine.
Our Winegrowers
Grape growing and winemaking in Marlborough draws a diverse range of people to the region from around Aotearoa and also from around the world. Thanks to 50 years of commercial grape growing and winemaking, Marlborough is a regional centre with deep ties across the globe, and has a sophistication that belies its location.
Our Stories
Marlborough’s success in wine is due to the passion and dedication of the many pioneers, many of whom took a punt on grapes and wine, not knowing it would become the powerhouse regional industry it is today.
Climate & ViticultureLit by kei Puta Te Wairau, we are cradled by protective mountain ranges and the fresh coastal breezes of the Pacific Ocean. We respect our duty to guard our place, just as our place guards us.
We are committed to world-class sustainability and protecting / improving Marlborough, our home and our quality wines. That is why 97% percent of Marlborough’s producing vineyard area is certified by Sustainable Winegrowing NZ™ - a widely recognised world-leading sustainability programme. The perfect pairing for our world-class wine.
Climate
Situated at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, with Cook Strait to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east, Marlborough experiences a maritime climate. This provides a cooling influence which, coupled with some of the highest sunshine hours in the country, creates the perfect environment for grape growing.
Viticulture
Perfectly positioned at 41.3°S, a latitudinal mid-point within the world's wine belt, Marlborough lies on a comparable latitude to many of the world’s longest established wine regions. Its unique maritime climate and significant diurnal temperature variation slows the development of sugars, preserves the natural acidity in the grapes and gives rise to the extraordinarily intense varietal characters for which Marlborough wines are renowned.
Subregions
Key to Marlborough’s success is its ancient glacial deep, free-draining, stony soils. Marlborough has three main grape growing subregions, each having distinctive soils and climate characteristics. The diverse soils and meso-climates are revealing exciting new subregions, and it is within these unique subregions that Marlborough’s future lies.
Varieties & StylesMarlborough Wine is wine you know and love that continues to refresh and excite you. The sense of place in each bottle is palpable, full of surprise and delight. While we may choose Marlborough for Sauvignon Blanc, we find more around every corner, in every bottle and in every story – exploration is endless, and Marlborough has a wine to suit every occasion.
Sauvignon Blanc
A Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a sophisticated wine that cannot be replicated. Its premium purity and flavour intensity has rightly earned its place on the world stage – the respect and care of our producers have kept it there.
Pinot Noir
Climatically, Marlborough has the most consistent weather patterns of all of New Zealand's most proven Pinot Noir areas, with a generally stable period around the critical flowering window in late November and December and also during vintage in April. Importantly Marlborough has also benefited by being a relative late starter in its pursuit of high calibre Pinot Noir meaning the region is well covered with the latest clonal material.
Explore More
We are passionate innovators who seek to challenge ourselves and the expectations of what wine should be. We are not bound by tradition, yet the roots of our pioneers and the ones who came before us ground us, and we strive to honour the past whilst looking to the future.