New Zealand wine explained. From Marlborough to the Gimblett Gravels.

A young, cool-climate wine country

Wine was made in New Zealand in the 1800s, but only on a tiny scale. Everything changed in the 1980s, when Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc burst onto the world stage. The country lies about 2,000 kilometers southeast of Australia and has a broadly cool, maritime climate, with the North Island generally warmer than the South. Long sunshine hours and cool nights let grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity.

Of about 36,000 hectares of vines, around 28,000 are white, mostly Sauvignon Blanc, and about 7,900 are red, mostly Pinot Noir. Hosts Susie Barrie MW and Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the World 2007, also take a fun detour into why wine is made from grapes rather than kiwi fruit.

Marlborough and its three subzones

Marlborough, at the northeastern tip of the South Island, is almost synonymous with New Zealand wine. Its Sauvignon Blanc is pungent and zesty, with gooseberry, green pepper and tropical fruit and racy acidity. Three subzones are worth knowing. The Wairau Valley is slightly warmer, so wines lean toward passion fruit and mango. The Southern Valleys are cooler and later-ripening, with grassier, more herbal wines. The Awatere Valley is cooler, drier and windier, giving higher acidity, an intense green character and a minerality often compared with Sancerre.

Can two experts tell them apart? Susie and Andreas taste a Wairau, an Awatere and a Sancerre blind. See how they get on, and why the producer and site can matter as much as the subregion. They then pair a benchmark Marlborough Sauvignon from Saint Clair, one of the region's pioneers, with a green salad of asparagus, fava beans, herbs and pistachios.

Pinot Noir: Martinborough, Central Otago and Canterbury

Pinot Noir is New Zealand's most planted red. In Wairarapa, at the southern end of the North Island, Martinborough was identified in a 1979 soil report as similar to Burgundy in climate and soil. A long, dry autumn helps low-yielding vines, and the wines combine concentration and elegance. Central Otago, in the south of the South Island, has the most continental climate in the country, with vines on cooler hillsides; its Pinot is dramatic and expressive, from black cherry to wild herbs.

Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island, has its best sites in the sheltered Waipara subregion, known for Pinot Noir and Riesling. Hills shelter it from cool easterly winds, and hot summers followed by dry autumns give the grapes time to ripen.

Andreas admits New Zealand is the one wine country he has never visited, and asks for an invitation on camera. Susie, meanwhile, remembers a family trip where her two-year-old daughter's first full sentence was a protest against yet another winery visit.

Hawke's Bay and the Gimblett Gravels

On the North Island's east coast, Hawke's Bay is historic by New Zealand standards, with vines from the 1850s. It is best known for Chardonnay and red blends, and makes impressive Syrah. A huge flood in 1867 left behind about 800 hectares of free-draining, infertile gravel now called the Gimblett Gravels. The stones store heat, which suits Syrah and Bordeaux blends.

The experiment: train your sense of smell

Wine tasting is said to be mostly smell. Susie shows how to train your nose by linking smells to memories, using rubber bands, an old book and rusty metal before moving on to a classic wine aroma. Andreas then runs through the main aroma families: fruity, floral, herbal, spicy, earthy, roasted and chemical.

Two blind tastings test what they have learned, with a venison dish with beetroot and blackberry to match. The episode helps you prepare for WSET Level 3, with regions, grapes, climate and tasting skills explained.