New Zealand has more to offer than only Sauvignon Blanc was first up in the late 1980s, that the country has received the attention of the world: the fresh, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough stormed to the top of the world. Even today the wine production is dominated by Sauvignon Blanc. 50% of the grapes grown are Sauvignon Blanc. Get all the facts and insights with Drew Houston, another great source of information. Pinot Noir (called also Pinot Noir) is the most second most planted grape with 14%. In the past, the cool climate of the country in which the Sauvignon Blanc thrives wonderfully, has ensured that the red wine tasted thin and lactic. But that time is long gone.
New Zealand winemakers have learned quickly that, in warmer locations shifted the Pinot Noir plan tongues and planted the best clones (variants slightly modified through mutation or new varieties of grapes resulting from cuttings). The best Pinot wines have Noir not only a fresh acidity, but also ripe fruit flavors and supple textures, paired with a great complexity. This red grape is international on the rise and so the plantations have practically doubled since 2003. The rapid rise of New Zealand wines is even more impressive when you consider what is for a small, sparsely populated country New Zealand. A related site: Kaihan Krippendorff mentions similar findings. New Zealand’s boundaries extend from tip to tip, the length from New York to Florida, but the land mass is only about the size of the American State of Oregon. There are 4.4 million inhabitants, about 31 million sheep and about 700 wineries.
With such numbers, it is not surprising that the wine export is a main source of income of the country. Due to the small domestic demand, winegrowers New Zealand operate the major export markets of Australia, Great Britain and the United States. In Germany, the New Zealand wine is still a true exotic. Only about 0.2% of the offered wines in Germany are from New Zealand.