Early settlers in Marlborough planted vines as early as the 1870s. A small block of Brown Muscat was planted in 1873 by David Herd, but in 1931 his son pulled up the last of the vines, and no others were recorded in the region for the next forty years. Commercial wine-making began in earnest only in 1973 when the first large-scale vineyards were planted by Montana Wines, at the time New Zealand's largest producer. Meanwhile in 1975 Daniel Le Brun, a Champagne maker, emigrated to New Zealand to begin producing méthode traditionelle in Marlborough. Wineries in the Marlborough region were producing outstanding Sauvignon Blanc by the early 1980s, and in 1985 the Sauvignon Blanc from Cloudy Bay Vineyards finally garnered international attention and critical acclaim for New Zealand wine. Wine writer George Taber recounted in 2006 that Cloudy Bay is "what many people consider to be the world's best Sauvignon Blanc" and Oz Clarke wrote that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is "arguably the best in the world." The suitability of the region and later success of Daniel Le Brun's sparkling wines were also sufficient to attract significant investment from Champagne producers. New Zealand's plantings of Sauvignon Blanc experienced enormous growth in the 21st century, driven almost exclusively by investment in the Marlborough region. It expanded from of vineyard area in 2003 to in 2018, a five-fold increase in just 15 years.
Climate and geography
The soils in the Wairau Valley and the wine-growing districts surrounding Blenheim are primarily free-draining alluvial gravels. The valley is situated between the Richmond Ranges to the north and the Wither Hills to the south, which protect it from extreme weather conditions. These two factors make the valley ideal for viticulture. The climate is usually sunny and warm in summer and autumn, resulting in a long growing season, and the cool night-time sea breezes provide the temperature variation required for good characterful wines. It can also be very dry, and younger vines often require some degree of irrigation. Extensive planting has been undertaken on the river terraces and flood plains on the valley floor, although some wineries are using organic practices to also dry-farm vines on north-facing hill slopes.
Sub-regions
Broadly, there are three sub-regions. The Wairau Valley is the river flood plain around the town of Blenheim, with deep alluvial gravel soils and river terraces. The Southern Valleys are to the south, and include the north-facing hill slopes of the Wither Hills, with largely glacial loess soils. Awatere Valley is to the south-east, around the town of Seddon, with a generally cooler climate. It accounts for about a third of the total Marlborough vineyard area.
Winemaking and regulations
Marlborough was established in 2018 as a New Zealand geographical indication under new legislation. In the same year, several Marlborough wineries formed Appellation Marlborough Wine to further protect the integrity and quality standards of Marlborough wines through a certification process. To qualify, wines must be made entirely from sustainably grown grapes from Marlborough, comply with cropping rates set annually, and be bottled in New Zealand. Marlborough also hosts significant production of méthode traditionelle sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, sufficient to attract investment from large Champagne producers Mumm, Deutz, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. In 2013 several Marlborough producers established Méthode Marlborough, a collaborative organisation to standardise and promote the brand both domestically and internationally.
