New Zealand arrived on the wine scene in the 1980s with one very loud calling card: Sauvignon Blanc so pungent and zesty it practically shouted across the room. Brilliant. Also, only the beginning.

Cool, maritime and dramatically beautiful, this is a country strung across two islands and a huge range of latitudes. That spread is exactly why it has far more to offer than its most famous export.

The Sauvignon That Started It All

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc changed the way the world drinks white wine: passionfruit, gooseberry, freshly cut grass and a zing of lime, all turned up to eleven. Love it or find it a bit shouty, there is no mistaking it, and at its best it is gloriously refreshing.

The Pinot Noir Plot Twist

The serious money, though, is on Pinot Noir. In Central Otago and Martinborough, New Zealand makes silky, pure, perfumed reds that stand comparison with far grander names. This is the wine that turned the country from one-hit wonder into genuine contender.

A Country of Two Islands

There is more still: taut Chardonnay, aromatic Rieslings and Pinot Gris, and increasingly good Syrah from Hawke's Bay. Wherever you land, the through-line is that cool-climate freshness that makes New Zealand wine so easy to love and so hard to put down.