Our guide to the best wines and wineries in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

Best wineries in Hawke’s Bay 

Compared to the rest of New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay’s winemaking history is ancient, stretching back to 1851 when French missionaries planted the region’s first vines and established the country’s first winery (Mission Estate, which is still operating today), although their earliest wines were made for sacramental purposes. In 1896 and ’97 respectively, Te Mata Estate and McDonalds (now Church Road) set up wineries in the region, followed within the decade by Vidal Estate and Glenvale (now Esk Valley). By 1920, Hawke’s Bay was exporting wine to Auckland, Wellington, and other of the country’s major towns. Production continued to increase steadily over the decades, but it was cabernet sauvignon that really kicked things off in the ’60s and ’70s. As well as its oldest region, Hawke’s Bay is among New Zealand’s warmest, and the capacity for red grapes to ripen here with some modicum of reliability has meant the region is famed for its high-quality Bordeaux-style blends, and, increasingly, syrah, instead of pinot noir like the rest of the country. 

Best Hawke’s Bay cellar doors to visit 

As New Zealand’s oldest wine region, and the only one to specialise in Bordeaux varieties, cellar doors in Hawke’s Bay offer some unique tasting experiences. With over 35 to choose from, we’ve narrowed it down to five. 

Supernatural Wine in Hawke's Bay.

Craggy Range

One of the region’s best-known producers, Craggy Range, at the base of Te Mata Peak, makes a range of wines including several red blends from premium sites in Gimblett Gravels and a chardonnay from Te Awanga. Tastings are quite involved and need to be booked, and the onsite restaurant, helmed by an ex-Cutler & Co chef, is a regional drawcard.

Mission Estate

Home to the region’s oldest vines and its first established winery, a visit to Mission Estate is essential, even if just for the history. Tastings are held in the converted seminary, the onsite restaurant is open daily, and walks through the grounds are encouraged.

Te Mata Estate

While Mission Estate may be older, Te Mata Estate, established in 1896, claims to be the region’s first commercial winery. Pop in for a tasting – wines made from the Havelock Hills vineyards are from the oldest vines – or book in for the heritage tour, which includes a walk through the Awatea Vineyard and the estate’s underground cellars, followed by a private tasting of the more premium wines.

Church Road

One of the region’s more premium producers, Church Road has been making wine almost as long as Te Mata Estate. Its cellar door and winery are in Napier, but it has vineyards all over the region. Get the most out of your visit by booking in for the TOM experience, which includes a tasting of their flagship range held in their underground museum. For a more relaxed experience, summer sessions are held outdoors once a month between October and April.

Smith & Sheth

Helmed by Steve Smith MW, who established Craggy Range, and Brian Sheth, Smith & Sheth is a negociant label which crafts wines from Hawke’s Bay’s best vineyards. In the heart of Havelock North, their Village Oenothèque (French for wine library) offers several tasting experiences, not only of Smith & Sheth’s wines but also for Central Otago’s Lowburn Ferry and renowned North Canterbury producer Pyramid Valley.

What type of soil is in Hawke’s Bay? 

Like most of New Zealand, the climate in Hawke’s Bay is maritime, but protection from the Ruahine and Kaweka ranges keep it temperate and allow a wider range of grape varieties to flourish here. Of its subregions, those along the coast – including the northern Esk River Valley and Te Awanga in the south – most reap the benefits (including long growing seasons and early ripening reds) of the temperate climate, and their wines display saline characters due to the subregions’ proximity to the sea. The soils in Hawke’s Bay are among the country’s most diverse, ranging from rich alluvial to arid and gravelly. Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay’s ‘grand cru’ subregion, harbours its least fertile soils – pure gravel beds with lenses of silt and clay – and thus produces its finest wines. Soils in Bridge Pa, adjacent to the Gravels and far enough inland to also miss the sea breeze, are similarly gravelly but overlaid with loess, volcanic ash and greywacke. Bridge Pa’s soils are thought to be the oldest on the on the Heretaunga Plains. Other subregions of note include the limestone hills of Havelock, and the cool Central Hawke’s Bay, which sits inland at an altitude of up to 300 meters.

Hawke’s Bay wines 

Although chardonnay and sauvignon blanc are the most planted varieties in Hawke’s Bay, the fact that around 90 per cent of the country’s cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah are planted here mean the region has built its reputation on its reds as much as its whites.

Paritua Vineyards in Hawke's Bay.

Hawke’s Bay chardonnay

While chardonnay is made in every region across New Zealand, its spiritual home is arguably Hawke’s Bay, where warmer temperatures lead to riper fruit and more opulent styles. These wines tend to be fuller bodied and elegantly textured, with peach, melon and citrus characters which are balanced by finely tuned acidity.

Hawke’s Bay sauvignon blanc

Like with chardonnay, sauvignon blanc in Hawke’s Bay tends to be riper and thus displays more tropical fruit flavours than examples from cooler regions. The country’s trademark, zesty acidity is muted but still on show, particularly in the cooler areas.

Hawke’s Bay pinot gris

Pinot gris is typically rich, powerful and concentrated, although is made in a range of styles.  

Hawke’s Bay gewürztraminer

Hawke’s Bay’s sunny, mild climate produces wines that are rich in ripe stonefruit, sweet citrus, jasmine, ginger and Turkish Delight. They tend to be fuller bodied with layered, almost oily textures.

Hawke’s Bay red blends 

Hawke’s Bay’s signature red wine is a Bordeaux-style blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon (plus some malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot), distinct from New Zealand’s other wine regions where pinot noir is usually the red grape of choice. As plantings would suggest (975ha of merlot and 183ha of cabernet), wines tend to be merlot-dominant (à la Bordeaux’s Right Bank) and are fresh and fragrant with firm, ripe tannins, and develop complexity with age. Cabernet-dominant blends are well structured with classic blackcurrant, spice and mint characters.

Hawke’s Bay pinot noir

Usually grown on elevated, inland sites, pinot noir from Hawke’s Bay range from fruit-forward expressions with lots of dark cherry and plum characters, to more savoury examples. 

Hawke’s Bay syrah

If its red blends are comparable to Bordeaux, its syrah is comparable to those from the northern Rhône Valley – elegant and perfumed yet dark and weighty, with supple tannins, plum and black pepper flavours and lingering spice. Around 343ha are planted to it, which is almost 80 per cent of the country’s holdings.

Hawke’s Bay rosé

Rosé from Hawke’s Bay tends to be made from either merlot or syrah, and lean more towards the robust, spicy and savoury end of the spectrum.

Hawke’s Bay sparkling wine 

Richer, weightier base wines produce complex, refined styles of sparkling wine. 

Hawke’s Bay itinerary

Whether you want to wine and dine, get out into nature or relax by the beach, this coastal region offers plenty. Your preference might dictate where you stay – the town of Hastings is great for foodies, while Havelock North is closest to the famous Te Mata Peak – but it’s the seaside town of Napier in Hawke’s Bay’s north, about an hour’s flight or a five-hour drive from Auckland, that is the region’s most popular. World-famous for its art deco architecture, strolling through Napier can make you feel like you’re on a film set. Walking is the best way to experience it, either with a tour guide or alone with a map. Stop for a bite to eat along the restored Marina Parade, and keep an eye out for the ‘Sea Walls’; a collection of murals painted on walls around the city. On Saturday mornings, immerse yourself in the best seasonal produce (Hawke’s Bay is known as New Zealand’s fruit bowl) at the Napier Urban Farmer’s Market in Clive Square, then spend the afternoon exploring Ahuriri beach.

About a 30-minute drive south of Napier, five or so minutes past Havelock North, on the western boundary of the Heretaunga Plains subregion, you’ll find Te Mata Peak. According to Māori legend, a giant named Te Mata, who was leader of the Waimārama tribe, was tricked into biting a path through the hills to prove his devotion to a Pakipaki chief’s daughter, Hinerakau. The giant choked on the earth and died, but his bite marks resulted in the Gap or Pari Karangaranga (echoing cliffs). His fallen body became the peak. From the summit, which can be accessed a number of ways depending on your energy levels, you can enjoy panoramic views of the Ruahine, Kaweka and Maungaharuru ranges, as well as Cape Kidnappers, which incidentally is home to the world’s largest gannet colony and another of the region’s must-sees, particularly if you’re into bird watching. The Ruapehu volcano can also be seen on a clear day.