10 Delicious New Zealand White Wine Bottles, Prices (2024)

Looking for some exceptional New Zealand white wine labels?

New Zealand is an upcoming player on the global wine scene, crafting opulent whites of unrivaled finesse and elegance. With its southern location and maritime influences, the country produces some of the world’s most distinctive white wine styles. 

If you’re craving a Sauvignon Blanc with a twist or an exciting new expression of Chardonnay, you’ve got to sample some of New Zealand’s prestigious white labels!

In this article, we’ll explore New Zealand’s leading wine regions and wine styles, the top 10 bottles to buy, and the best foods to pair with these delicious wines.

10 Exceptional New Zealand White Wines

Here are some of the best New Zealand white wines to buy in 2024:

1. 2014 Church Road Tom Chardonnay ($142)
2. 2015 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc ($70)
3. 2014 Pegasus Bay Riesling ($46)
4. 2016 Dry River Gewurztraminer ($45)
5. 2014 Hans Herzog Family Estate Grüner Veltliner ($38)
6. 2020 Smith and Sheth 'Cru' Heretaunga Albarino ($35)
7. 2013 Millton Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc ($31)
8. 2018 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Gris ($23)
9. 2019 Cable Bay Viognier ($22)
10. 2015 Alpha Domus Leonarda Late Harvest Semillon ($22)

1. 2014 Church Road Tom Chardonnay ($142)

This exceptional Tom McDonald winery Chardonnay has a smoky aroma with dominant white peach, apricot, stone fruit notes. The flavorful vintage also boasts a creamy texture and balanced acidity.

2. 2015 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc ($70)

With this remarkable Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, you can expect a crisp mouthfeel and refreshing passion fruit, citrus, and tropical fruit notes. The wine presents an addictive nose of grapefruit, peach and has low residual sugar.

3. 2014 Pegasus Bay Riesling ($46)

Here we have an exquisite New Zealand Riesling wine from the Pegasus Bay winery with an exotic palate of lime, honey, and stone fruit. An aromatic bouquet of citrus and gooseberry complement the wine’s refreshing acidity and minerality.

4. 2016 Dry River Gewurztraminer ($45)

This is a delicate Martinborough white wine known for its rose and orange blossom aromas in a delectable palate of tropical fruit, lychee, and white peach notes. 

5. 2014 Hans Herzog Family Estate Grüner Veltliner ($38)

Here’s a delicious Grüner Veltliner white wine with a punchy fruit flavour of rockmelon, quince, and ginger, complemented by a vibrant citrus and honey aroma.

6. 2020 Smith and Sheth 'Cru' Heretaunga Albarino ($35)

This magnificent New Zealand Albarino presents a heady nose of orange blossom and white peach with an irresistible flavor of passion fruit, gooseberry, and apricot. The wine has crisp acidity, mineral undertones, and a long finish.

7. 2013 Millton Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc ($31)

Here we have a superstar Chenin Blanc with low residual sugar and lingering apple, peach, and citrus notes. The wine boasts an equally addictive honeyed nose and zingy acidity.

8. 2018 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Gris ($23)

This unique Pinot Gris wine (also known as Pinot Grigio) offers compelling floral and nutty aromas in a sumptuous palate of white fruit and ripe Nashi pear. 

9. 2019 Cable Bay Viognier ($22)

The delightful Cable Bay Viognier presents crisp acidity, low residual sugar, and a citrus fruit flavour with arresting aromas of elderflower and orange blossom.

10. 2015 Alpha Domus Leonarda Late Harvest Semillon ($22)

Here’s a medium-sweet Semillon wine with nectarine, pineapple aromas, and a mesmerizing flavor profile of lime and grapefruit.

New Zealand White Wine Regions and Wine Styles

The main New Zealand white wine regions and their signature wine styles are:

1. Marlborough

Known for its flagship Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines, this is New Zealand’s largest wine region with over 20,000 hectares of vineyard plantations.

It is composed of three principal subregions - Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, and Awatere Valley. Varying clay soil types and cool, dry meso-climates characterize these sub-regions.

Besides Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, the region is also known for its aromatic Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio), and Gewurztraminer wine styles. The region is also known for its elegant Pinot Noir reds.

2. Hawkes Bay

This is New Zealand’s second-largest wine region with over 5,000 hectares of vineyards spread across the sub-regions in Hawke’s Bay’s coastal areas, hillsides, plains, and river valleys.

With varying altitudes, diverse soils, and a cool temperate climate, Hawkes Bay is home to the finest quality New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and full-bodied Chardonnay wines. 

Besides these, it also produces red grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

3. Central Otago

Central Otago is a beautiful wine region producing fruit-forward labels and offering sophisticated wine tours.

With close to 2,000 hectares of vineyards, it is a predominant Pinot Noir producer with smaller plantations of flavorful Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc white grape varieties.

Central Otago has an extreme climate and a distinctive mountainous terrain with varying altitudes. The notable sub-regions are:

• Gibbston
• Bannockburn
• Cromwell, Lowburn, and Pisa 
• Bendigo 
• Wanaka 
• Alexandra

4. Gisborne

With about 1,200 hectares of vineyards, Gisborne has a sunny climate with clay, silt, and limestone soil types. It is divided into the Ormond, Patutahi, and Manutuke sub-regions. 

The historic Gisborne region is renowned for its flavorful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer.

5. North Canterbury

North Canterbury boasts a long growing season with ample sunshine and a cool, dry climate. Spanning across 1,369 hectares, its picturesque landscape has gravelly and clayey soil. North Canterbury is divided into the sub-regions of Waipara Valley and Canterbury Plains.

The region is home to exquisite Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay wine styles.

6. Wairarapa

The Wairarapa wine region is defined by its cool winters, hot summers, and early morning frosts across its sub-regions of Masterton, Gladstone, and Martinborough. The area, with loamy and silty soil, has a little over 1,000 hectares of grape plantations.

It produces white wine styles of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. Diverse expressions of red wines like Pinot Noir and Syrah are also crafted in Wairarapa. 

Besides these regions, New Zealand also has a few other domains that produce both white and red wine styles. These include:

• Nelson
• Auckland (Waiheke Island, Kumeu)
• Northland
• Waitaki Valley

Best Food Pairings for New Zealand White Wines

The fresh, light, and delicate white wines of New Zealand pair beautifully with a variety of foods, including salads, green vegetables, roast chicken, flaky fish, and Asian dishes.

Enjoy the Breathtaking Freshness of a New Zealand White Wine!

With an eclectic mix of bold and elegant labels, New Zealand is a rising star in the white wine world. Get hold of a few bottles of New Zealand’s best whites to entice guests at your next dinner party.

But, if you’d rather build a portfolio of investment-grade white wines, take a look at the Vinovest website. It is an intelligent wine investing platform that lets you buy, store, and sell authentic fine wines from around the world easily.