The Awatere Valley sub region of Marlborough offers a unique mesoclime, shaped by the strong coastal winds, low rainfall, intense sunshine and cool nights. Vines enduring these conditions yield vibrant, intensely flavoured grapes which can make vigorously fruit driven Sauvignon Blanc wines with a palpable mineral character. Distinctively Awatere Valley, a range of characters on the nose and palate transpire from the synergy between parcels of fruit, hand selected off choice sites.

A decidedly regional Pinot Noir, Drift are all about capturing the natural endowments of Marlborough and bringing the goodness of it all to the world. Minimal intervention is a priority, to ensure that the wines clearly expresses the uniqueness of the land. Drift take a decidely eclectic approach to constructing a wine that expresses the totality of all good things Marlborough. The palate is animate with ripe red cherry and raspberry flavours, perfumed by spice notes, supported by gentle tannins and juicy acidity, wrapped in a veil of supply seasoned oak.

The greater Marlborough region has two distinct mesoclimes which grow unique styles of Pinot Gris. Vines planted to good sites in Awatere Valley are stimulated by low rainfall and strong coastal winds, intense sunshine yet cool nights. Wairau Valley offers an abundance of sunshine, long autumns and crisp cool winters. Both yield harvests of world class white wine grapes. Drift take their pick of each, to create a wine with wonderful roundness of palate, a vibrant yet elegant expression of Marlborough, replete with the essential elements of Wairau and Awatere Pinot Gris.

The wines of Dog Point are a natural expression of the land whence they originate. Fruit is sourced off choice blocks dating back to the late 1970s. These older well established sites are a neighbour of the first commercial vineyard in Marlborough, established by Montana in 1973. Section 94 is a special bottling from a single superior block which produces a distinctly flavoured wine, attenuated to please those who would prefer not to drink a lychee flavoured, grass and gooseberry, Marlborough fruit bomb.

Dog Point took the wine world by storm, purely on the basis of its exceptional Sauvignon Blanc. One of the oldest vineyards in Marlborough, Dog Point sold grapes to other companies until they began bottling wine under their own label. Topography, the lie of land and quality of soils are crucial to the character of Marlborough's remarkable world class vintages. Dog Point's vines are mostly planted to free draining silty clay loams on the flatter aspects of Marlborough, salubrious soils which infuse grapes with luscious citrus and grapefruit flavours.

From plantings dating back to the late 1970s, older well established vines on free draining silty clay loams, yielding fully ripe Pinot Noir grapes with concentrated characters and exemplary varietal expressions. The superlative sites are managed by viticulturist Ivan Sutherland, the fruit is vinified into a robust Burgundian styling by James Healy, both contributed to the genesis at neighbouring Cloudy Bay. An ambitious collation of Dijon clones 777, 667 and 115, Pommard clone 5, Abel and 10/5 from the illustrious Dog Point Vineyard.

Dog Point combines the considerable experiences of Ivan and Margaret Sutherland with James and Wendy Healy, fully focused on crafting distinctive and expressive new world wines. The Grand Cru of Marlborough Chardonnay, seamlessly melded with layers of gunflint, toasty oak and nutty detail, infused with luxurious oxidative complexities. More in the style of a good Chablis than anything Marlborough, generous, delicious, powerful yet refined.

A very stylish Marlborough assemblage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Marlborough vineyards intentionally planted to create this very wine. Deutz Marlborough is the exquisite result of a winemaking partnership between the prestigious Champagne House of Deutz at Ay, and Pernod Ricard. Deutz marries the best of Marlborough grapes with Champagne methodology, presenting us with a multi award winning new world Brut Cuvee. Crisp, with impressive complexity and richness, yeasty and nutty flavours, excellent vigour and length.

The third release of this pure, single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Dancing Water is driven by the vision of Ross Trowsdale and Clare Bisso. Trowsdale studied viticulture and oenology, after which he travelled and worked vintages in the new and old world for a number of great producers, Pegasus Bay and Felton Road, Wyndham Estate and Cristom Vineyards, Weingut Stefanshof and Alois Kracher. These experiences have nurtured a love and respect for fine wine and the making of it.

In the crowded world of wine, New Zealand is paradise for Sauvignon Blanc and Marlborough sits at the heart of it all. The abundant sunshine, low rainfall, cool nights and long growing seasons, all contribute to the vibrant, zesty fruit flavours which make wines from this corner of the world so distinctive. The fruit is the focus of Crowded House, sourcing the finest possible from dedicated growers is fundamental. Marlborough's best vineyards form the foundations for Crowded House, a Sauvignon Blanc that's generous and in perfect balance.

An exclusively South Island Pinot Noir, sourced from a number of small growers in the esoteric and bohemian quarter of vineyards around Nelson River, with components drawn from good sites in Marlborough. A variety of clones, as well as some diverse microclimes, have provided a great spectrum of flavours to craft an elegant, distinctively varietal, engagingly complex wine. An exemplary, regionally focused Pinot Noir with gentle spice and ample cherry fruit, clearly planned with good food in mind. Raise a glass to all those dedicated, independent growers.

To make the best Pinot Gris possible, one needs to control every step of the winemaking. Crowded House source grapes from their very own estate vineyard in Marlborough. The unique profiles of the Pinot Gris from this single wonderful site, imparts a combination of delicate and exotic fruit characters. At the winery, the team simply allow the vineyard and grapes to express themselves with as little intervention as possible, permitting all the wonder and charm of Marlborough Pinot Gris to shine through.

From the lower terrace of Te Muna Road Vineyard in Martinborough, grapes are picked off several parcels of vine grown to stony, limestone influenced soils adjacent Huangarua River. Intervention in the cellar is minimal out of respect for the true character of a special vineyard, whilst exposing the textural elements for a more evocative style of Sauvignon Blanc, achieving a wine with distinctive fine, soft, chalky texture and great elegance.

Single vineyard winemaking and Pinot Noir go hand in hand, such is this noble varietals faculty for translating terroir into taste. This tempermental grape demands utmost sensitivity and care, the savoury, brooding characters of Martinborough Pinot Noir are revered and preserved by an artisanal winemaking team obsessed with quality. Eight clones of Pinot Noir, picked off more than forty different parcels on stony soils of the higher terraces at Te Muna Road Vineyard, are woven into a deep dark wine, unravelling layers of fruit and wrapped in silken textures.

The traditional Bordeaux cepage of varietal grapes, mostly Merlot with additions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Franc, grown to the Craggy Range estate owned property in the prestigious Hawkes Bay precinct of Gimblett Gravels. The complex mix is finely attenuated each year to accomodate the vagaries of vintage. Craggy Range make an opulent, solidly structured Merlot that's feted by impresarios the world over. Deeply coloured and highly aromatic, Gimblett Gravels is effusive ans profoundly structured, underpinned by signature dusty tannins.

The Cloudy Bay winemaking team suggested doing the unthinkable in vintage 1991. Why not ferment some juice with indegenous yeast, completely wild microflora, untrained and uncultured? This was uncharted territory in New Zealand and only nature could decide the outcome. A few barrels were set aside for trial, the juices quickly fermented into a pungent brew. Unperturbed, the winemakers let nature take it's course until spring, when the ugly duckling had morphed into a savoury complex wine of great intensity and voluptuous mouthfeel.

There are good reasons why the vista of Cloudy Bay dresses Marlborough's most internationally feted Sauvignon Blanc. Originally named and charted by Captain Cook in 1770, Cloudy Bay lies at the very northeast of New Zealand's South Island, where the auspicious vines of Wairau Valley can catch a glimpse of the sea. The quality of fruit is without peer and the winemaking itself is second to none. A Sauvignon Blanc of intensity, cohesion and complexity, match with newly made gazpacho, shucked oysters and brewed moules Marinere.

Pinot Noir thrives throughout the favourable precincts of Marlborough, where Cloudy Bay have planted the best clones on the choicest sites, to realize harvests of the finest fruit. Crop levels are carefully controlled to ensure the grapes are brimming wth great concentration of flavour, selectively picked and treated to a regimen of old fashioned, tried and true, minimalist vinification techniques. Cloudy Bay are always richly layered with complexity, fruit driven yet exquisitely dry, finely structured and supported by ripe, licorice textured tannins.

Cloudy Bay's Pinot Gris began life as a handful of vine plantings sourced from a French nursery in the mid 1990s. The cuttings were painstakingly propagated by the Cloudy Bay nursery crew and gradually planted out over three years at the estate's Mustang Vineyard. The impatient winemakers stood by, eagerly awaiting their first crop, harvested in 2004, it yielded a single barrel of wine. The style today is a profound expression of Pinot Gris, effusive with aromas of mandarin and pear, abundant flavour, fine texture and a gentle touch of residual sweetness.

The tradition dates back to 1770 when Cloudy Bay was charted by Captain Cook. Made in limited quantities and released at four years of age, Pelorus is one of New Zealand's flagship wines. Harvests of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are sourced from distinguished Wairau Valley vineyards to be fashioned into a sophisticated wine with tempting bouquets, exciting mousse and exquisite, lasting finish.

Innovation and meticulous attention to detail are the guiding principles of Cloudy Bay. The team is committed to producing wines of region, striving to enhance the pure, bracing flavours and stunning vibrancy, naturally afforded by the climate and soils of Marlborough. Cloudy Bay was a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. From their, intensively husbanded, holistically managed vineyards comes Pelorus, a deluxe Cuvee in collaboration with elite parcels of fruit, grown to the best vineyards in Marlborough's Wairau Valley.

Crafted to a combination of traditional, minimalist and exacting winemaking techniques by one of New Zealand's most prominent labels, Cloudy Bay is an engaging, mouthfilling and textural Marlborough Chardonnay. Layered with a generosity of citrus and stonefruit flavours, the fruit is enhanced by an attractive nuttiness and subtle oak influence. Cloudy Bay is delicious in its youth, generous with piquant grapefruit complexity, enhanced by a luxurious biscuit/ mineral richness.

Clifford Bay is situated on the northern coast of South Island, at the southernmost reaches of Cook Strait, adjacent to the North Island's Wellington coast. To the north are the stunning White Cliffs and beyond that lies Cloudy Bay. Clifford Bay's wines are all about clear expression of varietal flavour and defined Marlborough regionality. Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the Awatere and Wairau Valleys. All vineyards are managed to environmentally friendly systems and the Clifford Bay Winery is Sustainable Winegrowing of New Zealand certified.

The precious vines at Clifford Bay are nurtured throughout the growing season by an experienced, motivated and highly talented team. One of their most charming achievements is the subtle elegance of Pinot Gris grown to the low yielding site. The wine exudes aromas of pear, apples and spice followed by a well rounded palate with concentration of flavour. A lively finish exhibits the distinctive minerality which is so distinctive of Clifford Bay's rich and generous wines.

Unlabelled Sauvignon Blanc by one of Marlborough's most reputable estates. In a unique and distinctively recognizable growing region such as Marlborough, the most critical work to produce beautiful wine must be done in the vineyard. There is no substitute for well balanced fruit and the maker here has clearly spent time amongst the vines applying the most exacting standards of viticulture right up until harvest. Portions were treated to a luxurious fermentation in oak barriques and puncheons, which contributes a supple undertone of smoky savouriness.

A single vineyard effort by one of Marlborough's most devout winemakers, Clayfork offers a splendid array of ripe tropical fruit characters with a remarkable capacity to rejuvenate and refresh. This generous Sauvignon Blanc, fruit driven and vital, mates beautifully with all good cuisine and is the coup de grâce alongside shellfish mornay.

Central Otago's seminal winemaking estate, Chard Farm's magnificent storage cellar employs the old world technique of sitting barrels on bare earth pits that have been filled with gravel. This lets the cellar breath but more importantly keeps the humidity high, thereby preventing a lot of wine evaporation, known to those who are well abreast of things wine as the angels share. This is particularly important in the naturally low humidity climes of Central Otago.

Chard Farm was established in 1987 by Motueka brothers Rob and Greg Hay. They were the first to come into the area with the intention of setting up a commercial vineyard, settling on Chard Farm after an exhaustive search for a site which best emulated the cool continental climate and soils of some of the greatest wine producing areas of the world, most notably Burgundy and Alsace. The investigation lead to Central Otago, the long term goal being to craft the finest classic cool climate wines in a structured and generously proportioned old world style.

From deciding which rows to pick on what day, right through to the ferments, pressing and aging in oak, Catalina Sounds are meticulous in their pursuit of an exuberantly wild fermented, complex and structured wine. All the while keeping in mind that minimal intervention is the best approach to handling the noble but capricious Pinot Noir. Sounds of White demands Leading with its ripe red nose of forest berries, raspberry and cola notes, her palate is silken and elegant, such powerful fruit notes, all framed by ripe tannins and flattering oak, resolving on a long, technicolor, peacock tail finish.

The goal here is to construct a wine of intensity, complexity and great interest on the palate. Ultimately a wine that will evolve in the glass, revealing a variety of flavours, structures and classic Marlborough textures. The focus is on elegance rather than having any one element dominating the subtler characters and undertones. The fastidiously maintained vines produce clean, ripe fruit which translate into a deeply satisfying Sauvignon Blanc. Catalina Sounds is built to contemporary tastes, immensely flavoursome and ready to enjoy upon release.

Catalina Sounds prefer to allow Pinot Noir to express itself, for a wine that's structured and elegant, approachable and food friendly. Working to principles of sustainable land management and good governance of the environment, Pinot Noir grapes are de-stemmed into a mix of open fermenters and French oak to create an interesting, more savoury style. Strawberries, nutmeg and white pepper florals, lovely Pinot flavours of sour cherry and spice over a length of velvet tannins. Fresh and vibrant, the perfect food lovers Pinot, ideally alongside rillettes of duck or game bird cassoulet.

Pinot Gris is sourced from Ants Nest Vineyard, high up on a ridge overlooking Marlborough's Waihopai Valley, where Catalina Sounds have taken a very hands on role to husbanding vines. The team are devoted to fashioning highly expressive wines that stand the test of being fully approachable when young, whilst carrying the palate weight and quality of fruit to mate with fine faire and develop in the short term. Catalina Sounds exudes bright varietal characters of peaches and nut with the distinctive luscious lychee expression of Marlborough.

This elegantly aromatic expression of New Zealand Pinot Gris is sourced from cool ripening vineyards. A diverse range of soils and grape characteristics enable the winemakers to negotiate and construct an animated style of wine. Free draining stones over silt produce tighter, more highly structured wines. Richer soils with increased clay content yield fuller wines with varietal intensity. Gentle pressing and cool fermentation have preserved delicate spice notes, complemented by lush pear and light pineapple characters.

Montana was launched to international renown in 1990 when it won the Marquis De Goulaine Trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc anywhere in the world. Now considered the benchmark in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott by Montana is an assemblage of fruit grown to choice Marlborough sites. Three main terroirs predominate, on the northern side of Wairau Valley are young soils based on river silts and stone. At the southern end are older clay deposits, a divergence of terrains which yield Sauvignon Blanc harvests of unique and individual charm.

An assemblage of Pinot Noir from Brancott's Marlborough growers with a conspicuous component of fruit harvested off good vineyards in Wairau Valley. The alluvial soils of Marlborough produce fine aromatic wines with balanced, natural acidity. A dominance of classic varietal fruit characters, cherries, rhubarb and strawberry are all supported by hints of oaken spice and a fine velvet tannin structure, enhanced by the clonal complexity and expression of terroir.

Marlborough's natural endowments are breathtaking to behold, the vastness and bounty of this beautiful land stirs the imagination and yields no finer example of Sauvignon Blanc than Braided River. The principal vineyard for Braided River sits on the confluence of the mighty Wairau and Waihopai Rivers in Marlborough. Riper characters here are achieved at lower sugar levels, offering great intensity and style at moderate alcohol levels.

Located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, Hawkes Bay has been producing wine of the highest quality for over a hundred years. It's five rivers and significant protecting mountain range to the west provide a consistent water supply and climate. Stony, free draining soils produce distinctive, deeply fruited wine of refinement, structure and texture. In the vineyard Pinot Gris stands out for the distinct purple hue of its ripened berries. Braided River's winemaking team are passionate about encouraging the varietal's unique character to flourish and evolve.