Appellation · New Zealand
Gisborne
The first place in the world to see the sun each day, and New Zealand’s Chardonnay region.
Chardonnay that is ripe, peachy and softly textured; aromatic whites with generous fruit. Rounder and less taut than South Island wine.
About Gisborne
Gisborne is on the east coast of the North Island, warm and fertile, and has long styled itself the Chardonnay capital of New Zealand.
Its climate is warmer and more humid than Marlborough, and rain at harvest is a genuine risk.
The Chardonnay is ripe and rounded, with stone fruit and a soft texture, and there are good aromatic whites.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Gisborne 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.
New Zealand Chardonnay
Serve at 10–12°C (lightly chilled).
Try with halibut, fillet steak or grilled chicken.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Hawke’s Bay — New Zealand’s warmest major region, and its best source of Bordeaux varieties and Syrah.
- Auckland — Where the New Zealand wine industry began, and now a small region best known for Waiheke Island’s Bordeaux blends.
Sources
Sources consulted
- New Zealand Winegrowers annual report — New Zealand Winegrowers