Marlborough

Wine Marlborough records the region's first vineyard, Brown Muscat planted by David Herd at Auntsfield in Fairhall in 1873, and its first winery, opened by George Freeth near Picton in 1880 and closed in 1958. Before 1973 Marlborough was known for sunshine, barley and lucerne. In August 1973 Montana began commercial planting at Brancott; the GI evidence notes that Montana first released Marlborough wines in 1976, and Wine Marlborough marked the 30th anniversary of the first Sauvignon Blanc vintage in 2009.

The Marlborough Grapegrowers Association was formed in 1980. Phylloxera was first recorded in 1984 and was widespread by 1992. In 1986 Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc won top trophies in London; contract winemaking began in 1991, and grower and winery numbers doubled in the 2000s. The GI application was filed on 27 July 2017 and registered on 26 February 2018.

Wine Marlborough places the region at 41.3°S, between Cook Strait to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east, protected by mountains. It describes a maritime climate with generous sunshine, cooling breezes and warm days followed by cool nights; New Zealand Winegrowers says Māori called the Wairau Valley 'the place with the hole in the cloud'. The GI evidence describes the Wairau plains as former swamp, where silt left by braided rivers formed soils suited to vines.

Three subregions differ. The Wairau Valley has old gravelly riverbed soils, with cooler, drier inland sites, stony early-ripening sites and sea-breeze coastal sites. The Southern Valleys (Omaka, Fairhall, Brancott, Ben Morvan and Waihopai) have heavier soils with more clay than the Wairau and grow cooler and drier to the south. The Awatere Valley, the most distinct, runs inland from the sea towards the Kaikōura ranges and is cooler, drier, windier and often higher.

Wine Marlborough links the maritime climate and the day-night range to slow sugar accumulation, preserved natural acidity and pronounced varietal intensity. New Zealand Winegrowers describes Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as pungently aromatic and herbaceous, with tropical fruit and mineral depth, and Pinot Noir as mid-weight, with dark cherry and plum and fine tannins; the Awatere's lower-yielding sites give distinctive Sauvignon Blanc and bright, aromatic Pinot Noir, and the Southern Valleys good Pinot Noir and aromatic whites. In the GI examination, IPONZ judged the evidence of reputation, led by Sauvignon Blanc exports, to be the strongest part of the case.

Marlborough is registered GI no. 1004, held by the Marlborough Winegrowers' Association and renewed in 2022 for ten years to 2032. The evidence gave 25,235 producing hectares, 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Pinot Noir; in 2016 there were 140 wine companies, 534 growers and 1,019 vineyards, and the region supplied 79% of the 2017 national harvest. The declarant stated that winemaking may take place outside the region; the grapes must still meet the 85% origin rule. Wine Marlborough names Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling as the main grapes. The Wairau, Southern Valleys and Awatere were not among the 18 GI applications filed in 2017.