Terroir, talent and tenaciousness meld to create a region packed full of some of the most downright scrummy wines anywhere in New Zealand, says cider expert Gabe Cook. Above, Seifried's Brightwater vineyard in Waimea.
Although Marlborough and Sauvignon Blanc remain far and away the best-known region and variety grown in New Zealand, there is now an established appreciation of the Pinot Noirs from Central Otago, the eloquent bordeaux blends from the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay and the intense Rieslings from the Waipara Valley.
One region that frequently gets overlooked, however, is Nelson. (In fact, it’s one of the...