Appellation · New Zealand
Auckland
Where the New Zealand wine industry began, and now a small region best known for Waiheke Island’s Bordeaux blends.
Waiheke Bordeaux blends that are ripe, structured and full-bodied; Syrah that is peppery and medium-weight.
About Auckland
Auckland is where New Zealand’s modern wine industry started, largely through Croatian and Lebanese immigrant families in the early twentieth century, and many of the country’s largest companies are still headquartered here.
The vineyard area is now small. Waiheke Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, is the notable part: warm, dry and sheltered, and capable of ripening Bordeaux varieties fully.
Humidity is the constraint, and disease pressure is higher than anywhere else in the country.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Auckland GI
- Type
- New Zealand Geographical Indication (GI)
- Set by
- New Zealand Geographical Indications Registry
- Recognised
- 2018
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
A registered boundary under the Geographical Indications Registration Act, with an origin percentage requirement. No varietal or production rules attach to it.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Hawke’s Bay Bordeaux blend
Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).
Try with roast chicken, fillet steak or grilled chicken.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Gisborne — The first place in the world to see the sun each day, and New Zealand’s Chardonnay region.
- Hawke’s Bay — New Zealand’s warmest major region, and its best source of Bordeaux varieties and Syrah.
Sources
Sources consulted
- New Zealand Winegrowers annual report — New Zealand Winegrowers