North Canterbury

Where the Southern Alps tumble down to meet New Zealand’s most extensive lowlands, boutique producers craft outstanding Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay and much more.

Spanning nearly 200km of the South Island’s eastern coastline, with the magnificent Southern Alps to the west and sweeping Pacific Ocean to the east, vineyards are situated from Waimate in the south to Cheviot in the north, the area also includes the micro-climate of Banks Peninsula. North Canterbury wine offers a diverse range of styles and producers plus many attractive cellar doors.
Production was first established on the Canterbury Plains near Belfast in 1978 with vineyards to the south-west and north of Christchurch soon following. North Canterbury is now heavily planted with its wines regularly achieving critical acclaim for their subregional expression.

Exploration of new subregions inland towards Weka Pass, forecasts increasing depth, further cementing the region’s overall reputation for elegant, expressive Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Aromatics in particular, though numerous other varieties are planted with excellent results.

The cool, dry climate with good sunshine and long growing season promote full varietal expression; wines are renowned for their intense flavours, richness and complex fruit.