waipara

Fantastic New Zealand wines from Canterbury and Waipara. The North Canterbury wine region covers nearly 200 km of the South Island’s eastern coastline, with the magnificent Alps to the west and the vast Pacific Ocean to the east. The cool, dry climate with plenty of sunshine and the long growing season encourage full expression of the grape varieties; the wines are known for their intense flavors, richness and complex fruit. Exploration of new sub-regions inland from North Canterbury toward Weka Pass forecasts increasing depth, further cementing the region’s overall reputation for elegant, expressive Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and especially “Aromatics,” although numerous other varieties are planted with excellent results.

Wine sub-regions in North Canterbury include the Waipara Valley and Canterbury Plains. The Waipara Valley is an exciting, fast-growing subregion about an hour’s drive north of Christchurch. It produces some of New Zealand’s most exciting wines, for example, from the Riesling grape variety. The soils consist of gravel and clay.

Precise research into the sites and the mesoclimate produces increasingly distinctive Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Although the drying wind called the “North Wester” can be a challenge, the surrounding hills provide shelter and a slightly warmer climate than the rest of Canterbury.