The World's Best New Zealand Wines

When it comes to wine, New Zealand is easily best known for the green, fresh, slightly in-your-face notes of Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from Marlborough.

Clean, aromatic and highly acidic, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc took the world by storm and still remains one of New Zealand’s key areas of export. However, when it comes to New Zealand’s best wines there's not a savvy in sight. Instead, the list of the country's best wines is a hymn to the classic grapes of Burgundy with very little else to break it up.

Pinot Noir dominates the list. And while there is a good sample from Central Otago, it’s surprisingly not the most represented region – despite the region’s reputation for the grape. In fact, of the six Pinot Noirs represented on this list, only two are from the hallowed vineyards of Central Otago; it's Martinborough that takes the crown, having three on the list.

So what, according to our database, are the best wines currently made in New Zealand? Although much of the below list is a reshuffle from last year with eight of the wines making a return albeit in a slightly different order, there are still two newcomers to the list with Neudorf Chardonnay and Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah dropping off. 

Bear in mind that our scores are an aggregate of the many scores from the critics we list on Wine-Searcher, and as some wines have more reviews then others, there can sometimes – on the surface – appear to be discrepancies. These occur because we weigh the aggregated critic score according to how many scores each wine has received. So, a wine with an aggregated score of 93 points across 100 reviews will be rated higher than one with a score of 93 across 50 reviews. Similarly, wines with an ostensibly higher score across a lower number of reviews will not be ranked as high.

The World's Best New Zealand Wines on Wine-Searcher:

This year, taking top spot is Escarpment's Kupe Pinot Noir from Martinborough. Named after the great Polynesian explorer who came from Hawaiki and discovered Aotearoa (AKA New Zealand), it seems a fitting tribute for this wine to top our list. Unlike many of the wines to top our best-of lists, Kupe also comes in relatively affordable at a reasonable $71 which, when considering the equivalent in the best-of list for Burgundy – currently topped by DRC at $24,946 – New Zealand's best seems very reasonable indeed.

Second in place is the ever-reliable Ata Rangi Pinot Noir, which consistently makes it into lists for top wines from New Zealand. Again from Martinborough, Ata Rangi estate – whose name in te reo Maori means "Dawn Sky" or "New Beginning" – is famed for its Pinot Noir and its wines are one of the few recognized Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa, or Grand Crus of New Zealand. Considering their Pinot Noir has an average price of $60, this has to make it one of the cheapest grands Cru about.

Next is the only entry from Canterbury, Bell Hill Pinot Noir. Alongside a touching tribute to their late cat, Tom Schmooze, Bell Hill produces four wines, two Pinot Noirs and two Chardonnays and it is their standard Pinot Noir that features on this list. At $182 a bottle, it is by far the most expensive on this list but, on a global scale, it is still good value.

Fourth on the list is Felton Road with their Block 3 Pinot Noir, a classic expression of Central Otago Pinot Noir. Number five moves away from Pinot Noir to Syrah from Gimblett Gravels in Hawke's Bay. Trinity Hill is long recognized as one of the pioneers in the region, producing a range of wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and, of course, Kiwi stalwart Sauvignon Blanc. But it is the top Syrah that makes it onto this list, flying the flag for the grape variety.

Still in the Gimblett Gravels, is the only Bordeaux blend to feature on this list, the inimitable Te Mata Estate Coleraine. Established in 1896, Te Mata is one of the oldest and most recognized producers in the Hawke's Bay, having built a reputation on complex Bordeaux blends, although their single varietal wines like Pinot Noir, Syrah and their whites are also very well well-recognized. Despite the fanfare, however, Coleraine remains fairly reasonably priced at $69.

Representing the only whites on the list – and no not Sauvignon Blanc – is West Auckland's Kumeu River. The Brajkovich family – originally from Croatia – have long been recognized as world class producers of Chardonnay – and very reasonably priced too, with the Hunting Hill being the most affordable on the list at $52.

Penultimate place is taken by another Ata Rangi, this time their McCrone Block Pinot Noir which – at $56 – is also the second-most affordable wine on this list, making it again great value as well as highly regarded.

Last is Rippon Tinker's Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir from Wanaka, the only other wine from Central Otago. Rippon is arguably one of New Zealand's most picturesque estates with striking panoramic views across Lake Wanaka, known for both their Pinot Noir and aromatic varieties. The Tinker's Field is named after the estate's founder Rolfe Mills (AKA Tink) and is considered a powerful but restrained expression of Pinot Noir.

All in all, flying in the face of New Zealand's reputation for Sauvignon Blanc, this best-of list is an ode to reds – namely Pinot Noir with a dash of Chardonnay. Aside from the obvious leaning to reds, what else is striking about this list is just how reasonable some of the wines are.

For a country's best offerings, New Zealand punches well above its weight when it comes to value for money.