There is more than one New World. Historically the name always meant America. In the world of wines, it's Australia and - the subject of this article - New Zealand. These countries both came out as a success story in wine making, and for me, will be always associated with the unique fresh flavor of a Sauvignon Blanc, and my beloved screw cork! New Zealand, being slightly colder than Australia, has just recently (wine-ly speaking) come up as a wine-producing nation to reckon with. This, even though the first wines were made already in the 19th century. If anyone thinks this is nothing compared to the long tradition of France and rest of Europe, do not be mistaken. Despite the shorter time of experience, the wines from New Zealand are usually good, and are good competitors to the more expensive French wines.
As I mentioned, Sauvignon Blanc, especially the one from Marlborough (see picture), is something to recommend - it has a very refreshing, grassy, wet, fruity flavor. It has it all, and for this price (around $10) it's a bargain. Try to compare with some of the French Sauvignons and see how far up the price you'll need to go until you find something equivalent! But sauvignon blanc is not the only grape cultivated on New Zealand. Also in demand are the chardonnays, rieslings, gewürztraminers, and cabernet sauvignons. It's strange these wines have not been discovered earlier than 1980! I mean, what was the catch? Anyway, with the higher demand from the international scene, also the wine producing areas have grown from 130 to 1300 hectars! That's ten-fold increase in about ten years.
The famous wine producing regions of New Zealand include Marlborough (Southern Island), Auckland, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and Martinborough (all on the Northern Island). The wineyards are located in spectacular natural environments, with cliffs and mountains running all over (some parts of 'The Ring' movie were filmed here!). One famous wine region, the southermost region on the Southern Island is called Otago and produces an extremely good Pinot Noir, in part thanks to a stone-rich soil, cold winters and springs, and warm summers. Sort of a perfect condition for this requiring grape, I heard. One other aspect of good wine making tradition here is the quality thinking - less grapes (means more flavor per grape) and good production facilities. And of course, the screw cork - no fear for getting a corked wine anymore! Wish the French would commence this procedure as well, I mean, tradition in all honor but the corked wines are just too many.
An interesting story with Marlborough, usually famed for its sheep, is that 1973 a wine producer (Montana) started his plantation there, to the people's surprise. It turned out to be a winning move. Marlborough with its cold nights and hot days, dry river banks with plenty of gravel, and a rain-protecting mountains was perfect for the wine grape cultivation. The success of Marlborough is seen as a trigger for the other wine producers in New Zealand. After the initial international success, other producers followed. Both white and red wine is famous for its top quality and reasonable price. If you want to try some of the New Zealand wines, first choose the grape and then the region (my suggestion, that is). The colder Southern Island is best for grapes like Sauvignon blanc, riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot gris, and pinot noir. The wine regions on this island include Marlborough, Nelson, Canterbury, Otago. On the warmer Northern Island, the best grapes include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay. And the wine regions there are Martinborough, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Auckland, Northland, Waikato.