New Zealand Is Producing Some of the Most Elegant and Interesting Pinot Noirs

Sauvignon Blanc has been New Zealand’s most recognizable wine variety since the 1970s, often rivaled only in regional recognition by the Sauvignon Blancs of Sancerre.

Roughly 72% of the country’s vines are planted to the grape. Despite making up only 1% of the world’s wine production, New Zealand is now the sixth largest wine exporter in the world and growing constantly, with 2023 seeing a 23% rise in global sales. 

But over the last decade or so, New Zealand winemakers have been raising the banner for Pinot Noir. Across the country, from the North Island’s Wairarapa to Marlborough, Canterbury, and Central Otago, where some of the most southern vineyards in the world lie, the grape is used to produce incredibly elegant and interesting wines.

“I like recommending New Zealand Pinot Noir to wine drinkers who like their wines unhindered, prefer them perfumed rather than textured, [and] concentrated yet elegant,” says Paula de Pano, the sommelier and owner of Rocks + Acid in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The problem for many New Zealand producers? Unfortunately, Pinot Noir still plays second fiddle to Sauvignon Blanc. 

“New Zealand Pinot Noir is still a mystery for so many,” says Cameron Douglas, New Zealand’s only master sommelier. That’s slowly changing. “The wine has gone from relative obscurity to significant fame in a very short period,” he says.

“Pinot, over the last 20 years, has had a moment, or maybe it’s a tidal wave,” says Nick Daddona, an advanced sommelier and the founder of Boston-based WineKey, a wine education and consulting firm. “New Zealand’s diversity of terroir is allowing so many different styles and winemaking techniques to shine, and across it all, it’s high quality. Winemakers have worked hard to keep that street cred.”

Here’s what you need to know to fall in love with New Zealand Pinot Noir. 

The history of New Zealand Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir grapes have been planted in New Zealand since at least 1836, thought to be brought over from Europe by amateur winemaker James Busby and cultivated by Roman Catholic missions. But winemaking was slow to launch. In the late 1800s, wine was largely produced for religious use or personal consumption, never for commercial sale. This was further dampened by the temperance movement, which found its footing in the country in the early 1800s and lingered well into the 1960s.

By the ’70s, New Zealanders had warmed back up to wine and the Marlborough region was placing big bets on Sauvignon Blanc.

“[At that time] winemakers from New Zealand started traveling the globe in the off-season to make wines in other parts of the world,” says Douglas. “They would learn new skills and techniques and share what they’d made from their own vines.” 

Plantings of Pinot Noir increased, and people started wising up to the wines. Winemaker exchange programs brought global producers down under, sommeliers started taking New Zealand’s Pinot Noir abroad, and international educational programs (like WSET) dedicated more time to New Zealand’s signature red wine.

Pinot Noir’s ascension was slow, but people have started to embrace the variety in the region. “From the clays and stones of Marlborough and the limestone of North Canterbury to the schist and sandy loams of Central Otago, Pinot Noir loves our soils,” says Douglas. 

What differentiates New Zealand Pinot Noir?

“New Zealand’s terroir provides a balance between fruit, herbaceousness, and earth,” says Daddona. “Fruit is predominantly red, with a soft herbaceousness.”

Different details and nuances will bloom depending on where the wine is made. “I love New Zealand Pinot Noirs because the best ones taste so clearly like where they come from,” says Alex Ring, the wine director at Chicago’s Sepia and Proxi. “There’s a unique intensity to the fruit flavors. They’re not ripe and jammy like some California Pinots. The fruit is shifted into sharp focus in a way that is unmistakably New Zealand,” he says.

Look to the North Island for ripe flavors, herbaceousness, and earth. Douglas finds “the dark red clay and stones of Wairarapa [in the north] offer soft mineral and earthy qualities with perfumed, heady wines.”

 In the south, Douglas finds savory, dried herb, and rich dark cherry notes in wines from Central Otago, a region known for extreme sports (it’s a bungee jumping hotspot), extreme winemaking, and equally dramatic vistas. 

“It’s a mountainous region — think Lord of the Rings, and you get the idea,” says Daddona. “That brings out purple and red fruit along with earth, followed by a whisper of herbs. Many can develop tea-like flavors that work wonderfully with bright, fresh cuisine.”

The best New Zealand wine region for Pinot Noir? It depends on the style you’re in the mood for.

“If I had to hang my hat on a single region I don’t think I could do that,” says Douglas. “I love Pinot Noir from the Wairarapa, but ask me tomorrow and I’d change that to Central Otago. I have tasted some important and exciting wines from Marlborough and Nelson, and North Canterbury has some deeply rich and very romantic expressions of Pinot Noir.” 

New Zealand’s distinct terroir is one of the reasons the red grape has done so well there.

“I think it’s the intense climate and dramatic mountainous terrain of Central Otago that set the stage for remarkable Pinot Noirs,” says Charles Reynard, sommelier at Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn in New Orleans. “This region is just beginning to showcase its potential.”

That underdog appeal, combined with the geographic diversity, has wine nerds enamored. 

“What excites me most about New Zealand is its relative youth compared to traditional wine regions,” says Reynaud. “The absence of entrenched traditions and the lack of influence from big money brands means that winemakers are free to experiment. They’re producing wines that authentically reflect their terroir and the people who craft them.”

“It’s this spirit of innovation and authenticity that makes New Zealand a thrilling region for Pinot Noir enthusiasts,” he continues. “I am here for it.”

Wines to Try:

2022 Escarpment Noir Pinot Noir ($35)

Larry Mckenna was one of the first producers to lean hard into Pinot Noir when others were chasing Sauvignon Blanc. He’s been hyping up the grape’s potential for thirty years and he almost single-handedly heavy-lifted the grape into its current spotlight. Though he retired in 2022, his legacy as the “Prince of Pinot Noir” still lives on through Escarpment, the Pinot-focused brand he started in 1999. 

Bright ruby fruit, fresh strawberry, and a crisp freshness make this bottle an all-weather option.

2023 Two Paddocks Picnic ($42)

One of Daddona’s go-to Otago producers is Two Paddocks, a certified organic winery founded in 1993 by actor and winemaker Sam Neill. 

Cherry and apricot orchards break up vineyards and help with soil biodiversity. The winery owners have also made an effort to attract native birds and animals to rewild the property. Picnic is an excellent gateway wine. Also search for The Fusilier, a wine named after Neill’s father, which offers up a more brambly and complex structure.

2019 Love Block ($28)

Also from Otago, in the southern part of the South Island, Loveblock is an easy entryway into the world of New Zealand Pinot Noir. It’s distributed widely but made consciously. The winery is currently converting all its vineyards to organics. Expect crowd-pleasing notes of cherry and plum layered with violet. 

2021 Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Alma Pinot Noir ($66)

Family-owned Hawke’s Bay producer Te Mata keeps careful watch over some of New Zealand’s oldest vineyards, some of which have been cultivated for over 125 years. This site-specific wine exclusively highlights grapes from one terraced vineyard in the Tutaekuri River Valley. 

Deep crimson, this wine is wildly floral with notes of wild strawberries, lavender, forest berries, and ripe cherries. 

2019 Villa Maria Taylors Pass Vineyard ($33)

Another single vineyard expression that shows off the breadth of New Zealand Pinot Noir, but this one comes from Marlborough: a hotspot for Sauvignon Blanc. 

Ripe raspberries and dashes of cinnamon shine and are balanced by lingering notes of red cherries and dried herbs.

2022 Kumeu River Village Pinot Noir ($24)

Kumeu River is big on firsts. Founders Mick Brajkovich, wife Katé, and son Maté, all Dalmatian immigrants, were some of the first to rally behind New Zealand’s winemaking credentials in the 1940s. Then, the winery moved to prove that screw top closures can seal up world-class wine. Through it all, they’ve made expressive wines influenced by their Dalmatian heritage, Burgundian winemaking traditions, and their New Zealand backdrop.