Hawkes Bay

Hawkes Bay, located round Napier on the east coast of the North Island, is New Zealand's second largest region by plantings, with 4,500 has or 20% of the country's total in 2006, led by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (34%), Chardonnay (23%), Sauvignon Blanc (16.5%) and Pinot Noir (9%). 

It boasts a diverse spread of soils, from fertile alluvial to stony dry, resulting in an array of variously sized wineries from the small to the not-so-small; the region accounts for 12.5% of the country's 530 wineries, suggesting a happy balance between the two. 

Hawkes Bay continues to fine-tune its Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc Bordeaux-blends, offering some fine, fresh, pencil-shaving nuanced examples, particularly from the Te Mata Estate (`Coleraine'). The more recent success story seems to be that of Syrah, in a cool black pepper Northern.Rhône style.