If you are a white-wine lover, you probably buy from a short list of three grape varieties – sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot gris. Together, they account for 96% of the national white-wine vineyard.
But why not be adventurous? There are plenty of other fascinating white wines to explore, such as albariño, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer, grüner veltliner, pinot blanc, riesling and viognier. Or try one of the rising tide of white wines made from dark-skinned, red-wine grapes, typically labelled as “blanc de noir” or “blanc de noirs”?
Astrolabe Wrekin Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2023
★★★★★
This classy Marlborough wine was hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel tanks and old oak barrels. Attractively scented, with mouthfilling body, it has strong yet delicate, vibrant, peachy flavours, a distinct touch of complexity, fresh acidity and a finely textured, dry finish. Well worth cellaring. (13% alc/vol) $28-$32
Alba Martin Rias Baixas Albariño 2022
★★★★½
From the Atlantic coast of northwest Spain, this invigorating, crisp, dry wine is vividly varietal. Aromatic, it is medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant, with citrusy, spicy, vaguely salty flavours that reveal very good intensity. (12.5% alc/vol) $26-$35
Babich Family Estates Organic Marlborough Albariño 2023
★★★★½
Certified organic, this highly approachable wine was estate-grown in Wairau Valley, tank-fermented and matured on its yeast lees for four months. Made in a dry style, it is full-bodied, with generous, peachy, slightly spicy flavours, and is fresh, crisp, vigorous and lingering. (14% alc/vol) $22-$25
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Riesling 2023
★★★★★
This highly characterful, organically certified wine was fermented and lees-aged in small, oval, stainless steel tanks, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Pale gold, it is fragrant and full-bodied. It has rich, peachy, slightly spicy and gingery flavours, a balanced acidity and a dry finish. A distinctive wine, intense and vigorous, it is already drinking well. (13% alc/vol) $40
Blackenbrook Nelson Gewürztraminer 2023
★★★★½
Estate-grown at Tasman, this hand-harvested wine was mostly handled in tanks; 5% of the blend was aged in oak barrels. Pale and perfumed, it is mouthfilling, with fresh peach, lychee and spice flavours showing excellent delicacy, and a dryish, finely balanced, smooth finish. (13% alc/vol) $23-$25
Blank Canvas Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2023
★★★★★
This distinctive, savoury, Wairau Valley wine was hand-picked and fermented in tanks and French oak puncheons. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling, fresh and dry, with strong, citrusy, spicy, peachy flavours showing excellent delicacy, complexity and length. Already highly enjoyable, it should break into full stride 2026+. (13% alc/vol) $33-$39
Brown Brothers Ginger & Lime Spritz
★★★
Very easy to enjoy, this is a Victorian “wine-based beverage, with added flavour and colour.” Highly aromatic, it is a light-bodied, low-alcohol style, buoyantly fruity and moderately sweet. Fresh acidity and a gentle stream of bubbles keep things lively. (8% alc/vol) $15-$17
Dancing Petrel Northland Arneis 2022
★★★★
Grown in the Far North, this hand-harvested wine was cool-fermented in tanks. Bright, light lemon/green, it is aromatic, medium-bodied and vibrantly fruity, with strong peach, lychee and spice flavours, fresh and vigorous. (12.7% alc/vol) $30
Domain Road The Water Race Bannockburn Dry Riesling 2022
★★★★★
Drinking well in its youth, this richly scented wine was estate-grown and hand-picked. Light lemon/green, it is intensely varietal and very finely poised, with generous, vibrant, peachy, citrusy flavours, fractional sweetness, invigorating acidity and a long finish. Best drinking 2026+. (12.5% alc/vol) $23-$27
Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2022
★★★★½
This youthful, vigorous wine was handled in tanks and old oak barrels. Bright yellow/green, it is fragrant and mouthfilling, with very good intensity of ripe, peachy flavours showing a distinct touch of complexity, and a dryish, finely balanced finish. Worth cellaring. (13% alc/vol) $25
Greystone Waipara Valley North Canterbury Riesling 2024
★★★★★
Greystone sees this “medium” style of riesling as “the truest expression of the variety for us”. Certified organic, it is lively and beautifully poised, with concentrated, vibrant, citrusy flavours, gentle sweetness and mouth-watering acidity. Already delicious, it should be at its best 2027+. (12.5% alc/vol) $29-$32
Hans Herzog Marlborough Mistral 2019
★★★★★
Powerful and highly distinctive, this is a Rhône Valley-style blend of marsanne (60%), viognier (30%) and roussanne (10%). Fermented and matured for 18 months in a single French oak puncheon, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Weighty, sweet-fruited and dry, it has notably concentrated stonefruit and spice flavours and is complex, vigorous and lush. Currently highly expressive, it’s certified organic. (14% alc/vol) $69
Hawkshead Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2023
★★★★½
This full-bodied wine has vibrant peach, lychee and pear flavours, gentle spicy notes, a touch of complexity, balanced acidity and a dryish finish. Full of youthful vigour, it’s still unfolding. (13% alc/vol) $34
Johner Estate Gladstone Light Riesling 2024
★★★★★
This lively, youthful, light-bodied wine (only 8% alc/vol) was estate-grown in the Wairarapa. Vibrantly fruity, with strong, lemony, appley flavours, it is a medium-sweet style, balanced with mouth-watering acidity. Already approachable, it’s well worth cellaring. (8% alc/vol) $25
Jules Taylor Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2023
★★★★½
Grüner veltliner is viewed by Jules Taylor as “the illegitimate lovechild of pinot gris and riesling”. Instantly attractive, this characterful wine was mostly tank-fermented, with some use of old French oak casks. Vibrantly fruity, it is medium-bodied, with vigorous, citrusy, gently spicy flavours, a vaguely salty streak and a harmonious, dry, lingering finish. (12.6% alc/vol) $22-$24
Kōparepare Marlborough Riesling 2024
★★★★
Still very youthful, this is a light-bodied (9% alc/vol), vividly varietal wine. It has strong, fresh, lemony, appley flavours, a distinct splash of sweetness and finely balanced, appetising acidity. Vigorous and harmonious, it’s well worth cellaring. (9% alc/vol) $21
Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Riesling 2020
★★★★½
Offering fine value, this single-vineyard wine has a fragrant bouquet, showing bottle-aged complexity. Medium-bodied, it has very good depth of lemony, appley flavours, slightly toasty notes, gentle sweetness, lively acidity and a lengthy finish. (11.5% alc/vol) $20
Main Divide North Canterbury Gewürztraminer 2024
★★★★½
Bargain-priced, this invitingly perfumed wine was fermented and briefly aged in old oak casks. It is mouthfilling, with strong, peachy, spicy, slightly gingery flavours, considerable complexity, a gentle splash of sweetness and moderate acidity. Already very open and expressive, it’s an ideal introduction to gewürztraminer’s delights. (13% alc/vol) $18-$22
Māori Point Central Otago Riesling 2022
★★★★★
From mature vines at Bendigo, this wine was fermented in a mix of oak casks and stainless-steel tanks. Bright, light yellow/green, with a fragrant, complex bouquet, it is medium-bodied, with incisive, peachy, citrusy, vaguely toasty flavours. It’s crisp, dryish and lingering. (11.8% alc/vol) $28-$30
Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Central Otago Riesling 2022
★★★★★
Light and lovely, this distinctive wine was partly (41%) fermented in old oak casks. Bright, light lemon/green, it is fresh and lively, with strong, peachy, citrusy flavours. It shows considerable complexity, has gentle sweetness and a finely balanced, persistent finish. (11% alc/vol) $30-$35
Mondillo Central Otago Riesling 2023
★★★★½
Estate-grown at Bendigo, this is an attractively scented, vigorous, medium-bodied wine. Still unfolding, it has concentrated, peachy, citrusy flavours, a sliver of sweetness, balanced acidity and a finely poised, tightly structured finish. (12% alc/vol) $30-$32
Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Riesling 2024
★★★★
Bargain-priced, this light-bodied, strongly varietal wine has vigorous, lemony, appley flavours which are fresh and strong, and gentle sweetness balanced by tangy acidity. Still very youthful, it should be at its best 2027+. (10% alc/vol) $17
Paddy Borthwick Wairarapa Riesling 2022
★★★★½
Grown at Gladstone, in northern Wairarapa, this single-vineyard wine is vibrant and crisp, with penetrating, lemony, appley flavours and a dryish, lingering finish. Worth cellaring. (12% alc/vol) $22-$24
Passage Rock Reserve Waiheke Island Viognier 2023
★★★★★
This powerful wine was barrel-matured. Light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and savoury. It has generous, peachy, gently spicy and toasty flavours, a hint of apricot, a slightly oily texture and excellent complexity. (14% alc/vol) $50
Pegasus Bay Muscat 2019
★★★★½
This rare, estate-grown wine is made in a sturdy Alsace style, hand-harvested ultra-ripe at Waipara. Invitingly perfumed and weighty, it has concentrated, vibrant, peachy flavours, gentle sweetness, balanced acidity, and a long life ahead. (14.9% alc/vol) $30
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Orange 2023
★★★★★
Made by an age-old method, orange wines are white wines fermented on their skins, in the manner of red. Blended principally from pinot gris and sauvignon blanc and handled in concrete, clay and oak vessels, it is amber/brown, with a powerful surge of apricot and spice flavours, dry, savoury and complex. A wine to ponder over, it’s already delicious. (13.5% alc/vol) $40
Riverby Estate Marlborough Riesling 2023
★★★★
Lemon-scented, this single-vineyard wine was grown at Rapaura. Fresh and crisp, it has very good depth of citrusy, slightly appley flavours, a sliver of sweetness and a lingering finish. (12% alc/vol) $22
Rock Ferry Orchard Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Blanc 2020
★★★★★
Certified organic, this powerful, savoury wine was hand-picked at Rapaura, in the Wairau Valley. Fermented and aged in a concrete, egg-shaped tank (mostly) and an oak puncheon, it is fragrant, full-bodied and vibrantly fruity. It has concentrated, peachy flavours, fresh acidity and a fully dry, seamless finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $30
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 28 Camp Block Marlborough Pinot Blanc 2022
★★★★½
Grown west of Renwick, this very easy-drinking wine was tank-fermented and aged on its yeast lees. Medium-bodied, it has strong, fresh, peachy, gently spicy flavours, dry and well-rounded. Generous and very harmonious, with a distinct touch of class, it’s a drink now or cellaring proposition. (12.5% alc/vol) $33
Seifried Nelson Wurzer 2024
★★★★½
A German crossing of gewurztraminer and muller-thurgau, wurzer is extremely rare in New Zealand. This is a top vintage. Buoyantly fruity, with a gently spicy bouquet, it is medium-bodied, with good vigour and intensity of peachy, spicy flavours, a splash of sweetness and lively acidity. (12.5% alc/vol) $26
Smith & Sheth Cru Heretaunga Albariño 2023
★★★★★
Drinking well in its youth, but also worth cellaring, this vigorous wine was handled in stainless-steel tanks and old French oak barriques. It is mouthfilling, crisp and dry, with a strong surge of peachy, slightly spicy flavours, gently seasoned with toasty oak, and a finely balanced, lengthy finish. (13% alc/vol) $33-$40
Te Kano Central Otago Blanc de Noir 2023
★★★★★
Certified organic, this white wine is from pinot noir fermented without contact with its dark grape skins. Fresh and full-bodied, it is crisp and dry, with strong, vibrant peach, pear and spice flavours. (13% alc/vol) $27-$33
Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings Bannockburn Central Otago Blanc de Noir 2024
★★★★
Handled in stainless-steel tanks, this organically certified white wine was made from pinot noir. Full-bodied, it is lively, with very good depth of peachy, citrusy, spicy flavours, a vague hint of ginger and a dry, crisp finish. (13% alc/vol) $28-$30
Tohu Single Vineyard Whenua Awa Awatere Valley Marlborough Riesling 2019
★★★★½
Still youthful, this light lemon/green wine shows excellent intensity, vigour and length. Medium-bodied, with strong, fresh, lemony, appley flavours, firm acid spine and an almost dry finish, it is likely to be long-lived. (12% alc/vol) $24-$26
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Marsanne/Roussanne 2024
★★★★★
Currently on early, limited release, this blend of traditional Rhône Valley grapes was fermented and matured in seasoned French oak barrels. Weighty, rich and harmonious, with deep, vibrant, stonefruit and spice flavours, a subtle seasoning of oak and gentle acidity, it has a chardonnay-like weight and texture. (13.5% alc/vol). $40-$55
Two Rivers Juliet Marlborough Riesling 2023
★★★★½
Delicious in its youth, this light-bodied wine has vibrant peach, lemon and apple flavours showing excellent delicacy and intensity, a gentle splash of sweetness, appetising acidity and a finely poised, long finish. Best drinking now onwards. (11% alc/vol) $22
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Riesling 2022
★★★★★
Full of ageing potential, this is an intensely varietal wine. Finely scented, it is light-bodied, with vibrant, citrusy, slightly appley flavours showing excellent delicacy and concentration, a sliver of sweetness, steely acidity and a lasting finish. Best drinking 2027+. (10.5% alc/vol) $33-$40
Vergence White by Pegasus Bay Mk 3
★★★★★
Full of personality, this is a multi-vintage, Waipara blend of “ultra-ripe”, estate-grown sémillon (60%), matured in old oak puncheons, with smaller amounts of sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, muscat and riesling. It is a fresh, distinctive, highly appealing wine, full-bodied, with ripe, tropical fruit flavours showing very good complexity, a touch of tannin, and a dryish finish. It’s not at all a traditional recipe, but it works! (13.9% alc/vol) $26-$30