Gisborne

Located on the North Island's east coast, Gisborne's flat fertile soils provided New Zealand's first commercial plantings during the `60s/70s, mostly of insipid German varieties such as Muller Thurgau, only to be levelled by phylloxera soon after. 

Gisborne remains the third largest region with 8.5% of New Zealand's vines (in 2006), yet with only 4% of the country's wineries given the nature of the bulk business it specialises in. 55% of the plantings were to Chardonnay in 2006 (even if in national/terminal decline), followed by Semillon (7%), Pinot Noir (5.8%) and Gewurztraminer (3.7%).