Marlborough Wine Guide: Grapes, Appellations & Producers

Wairau Valley

Classic, exuberant Sauvignon

Soil: Free-draining stony riverbed soils on the broad valley floor; sunny, cool nights.
Style: Pungent, tropical, zesty Sauvignon Blanc in the classic Marlborough style; some Pinot.
Top sites: The stony Rapaura and Renwick sub-zones.
Vintages: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Producers: Villa MariaSaint Clair

Tip · The Wairau Valley is ground zero for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc — the exuberant, passionfruit-and-gooseberry style that made New Zealand famous in the 1980s.

Value pick

Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc · ~$15

Textbook Marlborough Sauvignon — passionfruit, lime and zing at an unbeatable price.

Collector pick

Greywacke ‘Wild Sauvignon’ · ~$35 · 2021

A wild-fermented, barrel-aged Sauvignon from Cloudy Bay’s founding winemaker — serious, textured Marlborough.

Awatere Valley

Cooler, saltier, more herbaceous

Soil: Higher, drier, windier valley nearer the coast; cooler than the Wairau.
Style: Tighter, more herbaceous and saline Sauvignon Blanc; crisp aromatic whites.
Top sites: The exposed coastal terraces of the Awatere.
Vintages: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Producers: YealandsAstrolabeVavasour

Tip · The cooler, windswept Awatere gives a leaner, more herbaceous, saline cut of Sauvignon Blanc — a tighter foil to the riper Wairau style.

Value pick

Yealands Awatere Sauvignon Blanc · ~$16

Crisp, herbaceous, saline Awatere Sauvignon from a sustainability-led estate.

Collector pick

Astrolabe ‘Awatere’ Sauvignon Blanc · ~$28 · 2022

A precise, mineral, single-valley Sauvignon showing the Awatere’s cooler character.