The narrative of New Zealand wine has long been dominated by Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. While this varietal remains the country’s economic and symbolic engine, recent competition results suggest a more complex and far more interesting picture. What emerges from the 2024–2026 judging cycle is a country no longer defined by a single aromatic shorthand, but by structural clarity, sub-regional confidence, and a quiet but decisive red evolution.
These shifts are not theoretical. They are evident in blind-tasting results at the International Wine Challenge, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Mundus Vini, and the Berliner Wein Trophy. More importantly, they are legible in the glass.
Marlborough Reconsidered: Reinventing the Icon Without Abandoning It
Marisco Vineyards – Waihopai Valley
Marisco Vineyards, founded by Brent Marris, has evolved from a commercial success into a reference point for how scale and terroir can coexist. Its recent recognition as Best New Zealand Producer at Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2025, alongside the IWC New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Trophy for The King’s Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2023, is not simply about consistency. It is about site selection.
The Waihopai Valley, cooler and stonier than the Wairau Valley floor, produces Sauvignon Blanc with compressed aromatics and a mineral-driven palate. Marisco’s wines demonstrate that Marlborough’s future lies not in louder aromatics, but in structural discipline.
The King’s Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2023 – tasting note. Nose: lime zest, green citrus oil, subtle jalapeño, crushed stone. Palate: dry, linear, driven by acidity rather than fruit volume. Structure: fine phenolic grip through the mid-palate, no sweetness padding. Finish: long, saline, mineral, quietly persistent.
Villa Maria – Elevating Awatere Over Wairau
Villa Maria’s status as New Zealand’s most awarded winery is well established, but its recent success at the IWC with the Reserve Coastal Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2024 marks a stylistic statement. Awatere Valley, with its wind exposure and lower yields, produces Sauvignon that is inherently more herbal, drier, and texturally firmer.
Villa Maria does not soften these traits. It frames them.
Reserve Coastal Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2024 – tasting note. Nose: tomato leaf, basil stem, dried grasses, coastal air. Palate: taut, chalky, vertically structured. Acidity: assertive but controlled.Finish: herbal, saline, deliberately austere.
This wine reframes Marlborough Sauvignon as intellectually engaging rather than immediately charming.
Giesen – Clayvin and the dual identity
Giesen represents a rare modern dichotomy in New Zealand wine: on the one hand, a technically accomplished leader in the no-alcohol category; on the other, a producer of genuinely serious, site-driven wines that challenge Marlborough’s white-only reputation. The intellectual centre of gravity sits firmly at Clayvin Vineyard, one of Marlborough’s earliest and most intentional hillside plantings.
Clayvin lies above the Wairau Valley floor, on elevated, free-draining slopes planted at higher density and farmed organically. The site naturally limits vigour and slows ripening, allowing phenolic maturity to arrive without aromatic inflation. That difference is immediately legible in the wines.
The Clayvin Pinot Noir opens with dark cherry and pomegranate skin rather than overt sweetness, layered with graphite and dried thyme. On the palate, it is compact and tension-driven, shaped by tannin rather than fruit volume. The finish remains dry, mineral, and persistent, refusing the soft landing often associated with Marlborough reds.
The Clayvin Syrah follows the same structural logic. Cracked black pepper, violet, and smoked herbs dominate the aromatic profile. The palate stays medium-bodied and savoury, restrained rather than generous, with a pepper-led, dry finish that holds its line. These wines do not attempt to imitate Rhône models; instead, they demonstrate that Marlborough can produce reds built on form and restraint when site selection is taken seriously.
Together, the Clayvin wines dismantle the idea that Marlborough’s potential ends with aromatic whites.
Lawson’s Dry Hills – Marlborough as a system
Lawson’s Dry Hills is one of Marlborough’s most strategically coherent producers, precisely because it avoids the temptation of a single flagship narrative. Founded by long-time growers Ross and Barbara Lawson, the winery was built around vineyard ownership and site control, treating Marlborough as a network of distinct environments rather than a single aromatic style.
That philosophy was validated by a rare Gold Medal Hattrick at Mundus Vini 2025, with three Sauvignon Blancs from different sites receiving Gold. What matters here is not the medals themselves, but what they reveal about the translation of place.
The Blind River Sauvignon Blanc, sourced from the Awatere Valley, reads immediately coastal and saline. Citrus peel and sea spray lead the nose, followed by subtle herbal notes. The palate is tightly wound and chalky, driven by acidity rather than fruit breadth, finishing dry and persistent with a distinctly maritime edge.
Consistency at Lawson’s is not repetition. It is a controlled system where site differences are allowed to surface without stylistic distortion.
Forrest Wines – low alcohol without compromise
Forrest Wines was conceived as a scientific project as much as a winery. Founded by Dr John Forrest in the late 1980s, it became globally influential by reframing one of the wine world’s most persistent challenges: alcohol levels. Rather than correcting alcohol after fermentation, Forrest addressed the issue in the vineyard, through canopy management and control of photosynthesis.
The result is most clearly expressed in The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc. Aromatically, it remains recognisably Marlborough, with citrus peel, fresh herbs, and restrained tropical hints. On the palate, the lower alcohol content does not result in dilution. Texture remains intact, acidity functional, and phenolics present. The finish stays dry, clean, and complete.
This moderation is achieved through biological processes rather than technological interventions, as evidenced by the wine's coherence.
Spy Valley – precision for export markets
Spy Valley was founded in the early 1990s in the southern reaches of the Waihopai Valley, an area once considered too dry and remote for large-scale viticulture. Those constraints became its defining advantage. Stony river terraces, low yields, and pronounced diurnal shifts produce fruit with naturally high acidity and mineral clarity.
The Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which secured Best Wine from New Zealand at the Asia Wine Trophy 2025, reflects that terroir logic rather than any attempt to tailor style. White grapefruit and lime dominate the nose, supported by a faint herbal lift. The palate is razor-sharp, mineral-driven, and uncompromisingly dry. The finish is clean, precise, and persistent.
This is export success rooted in geography, not adaptation.
Beyond Marlborough: regional voices assert themselves
Seifried Estate – Nelson
Seifried Estate is foundational to Nelson as a wine region. Established in 1973 by Hermann and Agnes Seifried, it demonstrated early on that Nelson’s combination of sunshine and maritime influence could support a wide range of aromatic varieties. The estate’s strength lies in curiosity tempered by restraint.
The Sweet Agnes Riesling captures this balance precisely. Lime blossom and white peach lead the aromatics, with citrus oil adding definition. The palate is off-dry but perfectly aligned with acidity, preventing sweetness from spreading. The finish remains poised and crystalline, confirming why Seifried continues to perform so well in German-leaning judging environments.
Domaine Boyar – Nelson Cliffs
Nelson Cliffs is a reminder that terroir expression can survive globalised ownership when execution remains disciplined. Awarded Grand Gold and New Zealand Revelation at Sauvignon Selection by CMB, the wine succeeds by stripping the conversation back to fundamentals.
Gooseberry, lemongrass, and fresh grass define the aromatic profile. The palate is straightforward, dry, and technically precise, with no attempt to impress beyond correctness. The finish is clean and accurate, reinforcing Nelson’s intrinsic strength as a Sauvignon source.
Paddy Borthwick – Wairarapa
Paddy Borthwick operates in Gladstone, Wairarapa, a region defined by stony river terraces and a cooler, wind-influenced climate. The wines here carry weight differently from Marlborough, favouring texture and savour over aromatic lift.
The Pinot Noir opens with dark cherry, forest floor, and dried herbs. On the palate, it is broader and more tactile than Marlborough examples, with integrated acidity and grounding tannins. The finish is savoury and calm, built for food rather than spectacle.
Greystone – Waipara Valley
Greystone is a site-first project in North Canterbury, established on limestone-rich slopes before the winery itself was built. The decision to experiment with vineyard fermentation reflects the belief that terroir extends beyond soil and climate to include microbial life.
The Vineyard Ferment Pinot Noir shows red fruit layered with savoury reduction and mineral notes. The palate is textural and coherent, held together by fine tannins and persistent acidity. The finish remains dry and mineral, confirming that complexity here is grown rather than assembled.
The red shift: New Zealand without apology
Church Road – Hawke’s Bay
Church Road, founded in 1897, is one of New Zealand’s historic estates, and its modern success is inseparable from Hawke’s Bay’s gravelly soils. The Merlot 2021, which secured the International Merlot Trophy, reads as a structural wine rather than a plush one.
Black plum, cedar, and dried herbs define the nose. The palate is firm and savoury, shaped by tannin and acidity rather than sweetness. The finish stays dry and composed, confirming Hawke’s Bay’s red credentials.
Te Mata Estate – Coleraine
Te Mata Estate occupies a singular place in New Zealand wine history. Established in 1896, its flagship Coleraine is not an outlier, but the logical result of decades of refinement on the Havelock Hills.
Cassis, graphite, and subtle florals lead the aromatics. The palate is layered yet restrained, with fine, precise tannins. The finish is long, calm, and authoritative, setting the ceiling for what New Zealand red wine can be.
McArthur Ridge – Alexandra, Central Otago
McArthur Ridge represents the continental edge of Central Otago. Located in Alexandra, the region’s coolest and driest sub-zone, the estate works with extreme diurnal shifts and naturally low yields.
The Brassknocker Pinot Noir 2022 opens with red cherry, cranberry, and spice. The palate is acid-driven and fine-boned, prioritising line over density. The finish is lifted and persistent, offering a clear counterpoint to richer Central Otago styles.
Kennedy Point Vineyard – Waiheke Island
Kennedy Point is one of Waiheke Island’s certified-organic pioneers, established in the mid-1990s, with a focus on Rhône varieties suited to the island’s maritime climate. Unlike many Waiheke producers, it resists excessive ripeness.
The Syrah shows black cherry, cracked pepper, violet, and dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied, structured, and dry, with chalky tannins and functional acidity. The finish is savoury and articulate, allowing structure to outlast fruit.
Hunter’s Wines – Marlborough
Hunter’s Wines belongs to Marlborough’s founding generation, established in 1979 and still family-owned. Its continued relevance lies in technical correctness and stylistic discipline.
The Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is herbaceous and citrus-driven on the nose. The palate is crisp, clean, and dry, finishing persistently without excess. It is a reminder that classic Marlborough, when executed precisely, remains globally competitive.
Closing Perspective
New Zealand’s recent performance does not signal reinvention. It signals maturity. Sauvignon Blanc has learned restraint. Reds have learned confidence. Sub-regions have learned to speak clearly.
What unites these wines is not style, but intent.
They are built not to impress instantly, but to hold their form.
And that is why they win.
