Best New Zealand white wines: 8 award-winning bottles to try

The cool, maritime climate and long sunshine hours in the South Pacific ensure that New Zealand white wines retain plenty of natural acidity. Although the most defining area of wine production in the country is Marlborough, where some of the best Sauvignon Blancs are famously made, there are plenty of good white wines to be found from other grapes and in other regions. This year’s IWSC results showcased the quality of New Zealand sparkling wine, with the top three scores going to sparklers from three different producers.

The highest scoring wine in the list below was Oyster Bay’s Cuvée Brut that impressed IWSC judges with aromas of ‘cream and ripe stone fruits, and a delicate energy throughout, leading to an intense, lengthy finish.’

marlborough sauvignon blanc — Vineyards in Marlborough, where the majority of the country's Sauvignon Blanc is produced

Although it makes up 72 per cent of New Zealand’s wine production, Sauvignon Blanc only features once on this year’s list. Other New Zealand white wines like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Albariño are becoming more established, with Chardonnay in particular evolving from the heavily oaked style it was known for 30 years ago to wines that are fine and restrained, and offer good ageing potential. One such example is Man O’ War Vineyards Valhalla 2021, which scored 93 points from the IWSC for notes of ‘caramelised nuts, honey, spice and toast.’

Pinot Gris wines are fine here too, even though production has only been in place since the 1990s. New Zealand white wines made from the European grape are closer to Alsace than Italy in style – typically richer and more aromatic than Italian Pinot Grigio. In fact, a top-scoring New Zealand white wine in the below selection is Te Kano’s Life Pinot Gris 2022, which scored an impressive 93 points for its ‘pretty, zesty nose of flowers, lime and tangerine.’

Vineyard and mountains in Central Otago — Central Otago is home to several award winning wines on the list, including the gold medal winning Blanc de Noirs Brut from Mumm Central Otago

This year’s results also feature some rising-star styles like the gold-medal winning Yealands Estate Wines’ Single Vineyard Albariño 2023 which judges praised as being ‘incredibly refreshing, well balanced and a treat to drink’.

Although none appear on this top eight list, it’s important to note that plantings of Gewürztraminer, Arneis, Grüner Veltliner, Verdelho, and Viognier are making progress on the island and perhaps you’ll see a bottle or two on next year’s selection from the IWSC. In the meantime, read on for eight top bottles of New Zealand white wine as tasted and rated by the experts.

white wine grapes in a vineyard in new zealand

HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE WINES?

We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.

HOW DO WE SCORE THESE WINES?

Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.

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