Marlborough

New Zealand's answer to Napa Valley, Marlborough is a veritable engine room, that in 2006 accounted for 47% (10,419 ha) of the country's vines &andover 60% of the islands' production; yet it is home to only 20% of the country's 530 wineries. 76% of the vineyards are planted with Sauvignon Blanc.

Located on the north-easterly tip of the South Island at a latitude of 41.3 degrees South, the Marlborough flats are protected from the tropical nor-westerlies by the Richmond Ranges, separating Marlborough from Nelson. It is similarly protected from the frost-bearing Antarctic south-easterlies racing up the eastern coastline by the Kaikoura Mountains. The region consequently experiences low rainfall, together with high sunshine hours and a significant diurnal shift between day and night temperatures, preserving the aromatics.

The Marlborough viticultural zone now being delineated actually consists of three sub-regions. The fertile alluvial soils of the Wairau Valley on the northern side, site of  the original Marlborough settlement in 1880 and subsequently to Montana in 1973, is constantly fed by a subterranean acquifer, resulting in an easy, tutti-frutti style of Sauvignon Blanc, as best exemplified by Hunter's wine. 

The Southern Valleys zone on the opposite side of the Valley comprise drier stonier, poorer soils and clay knolls (such as those of the Bramcott Valley), delivering a fuller, more structured & defined, gooseberry, limy Sauvignon Blanc with more bite & poise; Cloudy Bay (who put the region of the world map in 1985), Dog Point, Isabel Estate and the Winegrowers of Ara all inhabit this stretch of the Valley. 

Lastly the Awatere Valley, which is located across the Kaikouras on black ancient volcanic soils amid a cooler climate, with harvests often running two weeks behind those in the Wairau Valley; the Awatere style of Sauvignon Blanc is tin peachier and richer than elsewhere, with Vavasour a fine example.

Although most wines are vinified in stainless-steel & released within 12 months of the harvest. Some enterprising growers are trialling the use of oak barrels, especially when vinifying superior parcels of hand-harvested fruit. Dog Point's Section 94 is one such wine.

The region is also home to the country's small sparkling wine industry, employing the traditional method to vinify Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Some producers have sought to diversify into still Pinot Noir production whilst using inappropriate Swiss clone. A glance at what's been happening in Central.Otago and in Martinborough however has persuaded those serious producers to plant a greater selection of clones, notably 667, 777, Abel, 115, as well as the common Pommard UCD5 & 10/5. The result has been a shift from the classic Marlborough Pinot Noir spicy red fruit, almost Cote de Beaune character towards a fuller, fleshier, smokier, black cherry Cote de Nuits style.