Gisborne is a wine-producing region on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The small, seaside city is 80 miles (130km) north of Napier in Hawkes Bay and is the first wine region in the world to see the dawn. Gisborne is not hugely well known outside of New Zealand but its wines are highly regarded internationally – particularly those made from Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer.
Gisborne is New Zealand's third most prolific wine region, after Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. Vineyards stretch inland from Poverty Bay on the east coast, with most viticulture taking place in the Ormond Valley and around the small town of Patutahi. The Waipaoa River snakes its way through the valley on its way to the ocean.
©NZWA/Villa Maria Estate
The vineyards are heavily influenced by their coastal location, a sheltered macroclimate and plentiful sunshine during the growing season – Gisborne is one of the most reliable areas in New Zealand for growing grapes. Sea breezes during the summer help to moderate the intensity of the region's sunlight and extend the growing season, adding complexity and acidity to the berries.
Sites on south-facing slopes are generally made up of silty loams with some elements of limestone and run down into flat, riverside vineyards of heavy clay soils. The soils, while free-draining, are capable of retaining water, and many of Gisborne's wine estates are dry-farmed. Low annual rainfall means that the vines are not overwhelmed with water, leading them to produce smaller, more-concentrated berries.
Viticulture began in Gisborne in the 1800s by happy accident, when vine-carrying settlers landed in Poverty Bay mistakenly believing it to be Hawkes Bay. Gisborne's wine industry took off commercially in the 1920s and it remained a bulk-production operation for much of the 20th Century. In the 1970s, the region's wines began to attract international attention, and some Gisborne Gewurztraminer even made its way into the wine cellar of the Queen of England. Prior to the explosion of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the 1980s, Gisborne was New Zealand's largest wine-producing region.
Today, the region is still used for bulk production – grapes for the large-scale Lindauer sparkling wines are sourced from here – but is also home to a thriving boutique industry. Producers from all over New Zealand have vineyards in Gisborne or source fruit from the region to make 'Gisborne' wines.
More than half of the vines in Gisborne are Chardonnay, but aromatic varieties, notably Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Chenin Blanc, perform admirably in the region's terroir as well. Gisborne red wines are usually made from Merlot or Malbec, and Gisborne Syrah is beginning to attract attention.
