New Zealand’s oldest wine region, Hawke’s Bay is on the east coast of North Island and is dominated by the Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri river valleys.
Hawke’s Bay is the oldest wine region in New Zealand, located on the east coast of North Island and dominated by the Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri river valleys. The climate is warm and dry, with a Mediterranean style climate (warm dry summers with low rainfall and cool wet winters): ideal for growing variety of grape varieties.
Hawke’s Bay grows around 60% red wine varieties – mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The most popular white wine varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.
Both rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean, but the Ngaruroro has a more pronounced estuarine influence, having carved a wide flood plain in its path to the sea.
Rivers play a critical role in the development of vineyard sites, since they can have a large impact on the topography and therefore temperature variations. It is not just the river itself, but also its related tributaries that need to be examined. Two major rivers flow through Hawke’s Bay – the Ngaruroro River and Tutaekuri River. Both eventually make their way into the Pacific Ocean, but in different fashions. The Ngaruroro has carved a wide flood plain while there is little evidence of any river activity from Tutaekuri
The influence of these two rivers creates two distinct regions – the lower Ngaruroro flood plain (known as Gimblett Gravels) and all other areas above this, known simply as Hawke’s Bay
The soils are mainly alluvial silt loams with a deep layer of gravel overlying limestone, and sedimentary clay loams that sit on Imlay Formation soils formed from sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.
The soils in the region are derived from the alluvial deposits of three rivers that enter Hawke Bay: the Tukituki, Tutaekuri and Ngaruroro rivers. The topsoil is mostly silt loams (pH varies between 5.5 and 7.0), with a deep layer of gravel overlying limestone, and sedimentary clay loams that sit on Imlay Formation soils formed from sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.
The climate is temperate but maritime. Summers are warm but there is no shortage of sunshine hours during the growing season, and it can get quite hot in January and February which are often the driest months
Hawke’s Bay is a place of sunshine, beaches and some of the finest food in New Zealand. Chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah are among the varieties that thrive there. The climate is temperate but maritime. Summers are warm but there is no shortage of sunshine hours during the growing season, and it can get quite hot in January and February which are often the driest months. The autumns are short with plenty of sunshine to allow the grapes to ripen fully before being harvested. Winters tend to be cool, with temperatures too low for serious grape growth (the vines need a certain amount of time every year when they’re dormant). It all adds up to an ideal environment for grape growing.
Warm days and cool nights mean slow ripening and concentration of flavours in Hawke’s Bay grown grapes. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees C; summer rainfall averages 7.5 mm; January and February are the driest months
The average summer temperature doesn’t vary much throughout the country (about 14 degrees C), but summer rainfall can be highly variable, with Hawke’s Bay getting an average of only 7.5mm during ripening compared to Auckland’s 51mm.
As you can see, Hawke’s Bay is the driest region in New Zealand. The average summer temperature doesn’t vary much throughout the country (about 14 degrees C), but summer rainfall can be highly variable, with Hawke’s Bay getting an average of only 7.5mm during ripening compared to Auckland’s 51mm. This makes Hawke’s Bay the earliest ripening region in New Zealand. January and February are the driest months, and there is a consistent dry spell in December. Due to its dry and sunny climate, grapes grow quickly here, meaning that harvest for red wines usually begins around March 1st
Autumns are long and very dry, and while winters are cool they are rarely cold enough for extended periods of frost damage.
Autumns are long and dry, and while winters are cool they rarely have extended periods of frost damage.