{"id":534877,"date":"2026-07-20T08:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/534877\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T08:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:55:12","slug":"new-zealand-aromatic-whites-tailor-made-for-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/534877\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand aromatic whites: Tailor-made for summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

For New Zealand\u2019s<\/a> aromatic whites \u2018small but mighty\u2019 could become the catchphrase \u2013 excluding Sauvignon Blanc<\/a>, which obviously needs no introduction.<\/p>\n

Making up just a tiny fraction of New Zealand\u2019s total production, and often representing a labour of love for those who champion them, these aromatic varieties are nevertheless behind some of the country\u2019s most thrilling and distinctive white wines.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Collectively, they make up less than 8% of New Zealand\u2019s total planted area (including reds), bolstered considerably by the rise of Pinot Gris<\/a>, whose plantings are nearly five times that of Riesling <\/a>(see box), which in turn dwarfs Gewurztraminer<\/a>. Albari\u00f1o<\/a>, generating real excitement in recent years, still boasts just 65ha, while semi-aromatic Chenin Blanc<\/a> has dwindled to a mere 22ha, albeit in dedicated hands.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t a lot of these wines around, but they offer exceptional quality and remarkable value for drinkers willing to seek them out.<\/p>\n

Paul Pujol, winemaker and general manager at Prophet\u2019s Rock in Central Otago<\/a> \u2013 and formerly the winemaker at Alsace\u2019s Kuentz-Bas, the first non-family member to hold the position in the domaine\u2019s 200-year history \u2013 is a passionate producer of Pinot Gris and Riesling (alongside a soon-to-be-released four-variety blend including Gewurztraminer and Muscat<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u2018Outside Europe, there aren\u2019t many places you can achieve the vibrancy, purity, intensity and freshness, and the true cool-climate expression of aromatic whites that we get in New Zealand,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

He feels that the varieties have been overshadowed by Pinot Noir<\/a> and Sauvignon Blanc.<\/p>\n

Get our daily fine wine reviews, latest wine ratings, news and travel guides delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

NZ aromatic grapes planted area<\/p>\n

Source: NZ Winegrowers Vineyard Report 2026<\/p>\n

Pinot Gris: 2,668ha<\/p>\n

Riesling: 539ha<\/p>\n

Gewurztraminer: 156ha<\/p>\n

Albari\u00f1o: 65ha<\/p>\n

Viognier: 50ha<\/p>\n

Chenin Blanc: 22ha<\/p>\n

Muscats: 5ha<\/p>\n

Perfect conditions<\/p>\n

\n

\"Anna\n<\/p>\n

Anna Flowerday, Te Whare Ra<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Te Whare Ra)<\/p>\n

The quality and distinctiveness of these varieties stem from New Zealand\u2019s southerly, largely maritime-influenced growing conditions.<\/p>\n

These create long, cool, generally sunny seasons, often combined with significant diurnal temperature shifts, that intensify varietal expression while enabling a wide range of styles, from bone dry to botrytis-affected<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most wines are made with at least a few grams of residual sugar, offset by vibrant natural acidity that gives the best examples appealingly clean finishes.<\/p>\n

Winemaking is largely centred around the use of stainless steel containers to preserve fruit purity, though producers are increasingly turning to older oak, concrete and clay amphorae, with ageing on the fine lees adding texture and complexity.<\/p>\n

At Framingham in Marlborough \u2013 renowned for producing half a dozen (or more) Riesling styles each season \u2013 winemaker Andrew Brown notes that the commercial realities remain challenging.<\/p>\n

These wines largely depend on cellar door and retailer hand-selling to find their audience.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are passionate about making the best examples of Riesling we can; the scope may be restricted if we didn\u2019t have the cellar door as a sales channel,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

But he sees heads increasingly turning.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are some really great examples coming out of NZ at the moment \u2013 more textural, restrained and ageworthy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Anna Flowerday (pictured, above) of Te Whare Ra, whose Riesling and Gewurztraminer vines are among Marlborough\u2019s oldest, puts it simply: \u2018We truly believe that aromatic whites are the unsung heroes. Overseas visitors are constantly blown away by the quality.\u2019<\/p>\n

New Zealand’s finest non-Sauvignon aromaticsRelated articles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For New Zealand\u2019s aromatic whites \u2018small but mighty\u2019 could become the catchphrase \u2013 excluding Sauvignon Blanc, which obviously…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-534877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}