A long, narrow collection of islands in the southwest Pacific, of which there are two main islands, known simply as North Island and South Island

The climate is generally classified as cool temperate. However, as the country extends across 10 degrees of latitude, from deep in the Southern Ocean to the fringes of the sub tropical Pacific there is a considerable climate range within this zone.

Landform is steep and diverse, and the soils are for the most part very young, often just thousands of years old. A high mountain chain dissects both islands, and there are active volcanic regions in the centre and north of the North Island.

Winegrowing is predominantly on deep, free draining alluvial plains in the east of the country, to the lee of the mountains where the rainfall is relatively low.

This winegrowing climate is predominantly cool maritime, with a few pockets of marginally continental, cool climates in the deep south, and instances of warm sub-humid growing conditions in the far north.

New Zealand's winegrowing culture is very young, as the first recorded vineyard for wine production was established barely 150 years ago. Although there were isolated efforts made at commercial winegrowing in the late 19th Century, with some successes in Hawkes Bay and Auckland, temperance politics effectively closed that option in New Zealand for two generations.
The predominant British settler culture also conspired against table wine, the style for which growing conditions are most suitable, the preference being for sweet fortified wines as was the British middle class preference at the time, and for beer.

When wine did begin to emerge from the constraints of temperance to explore its indigenous potential, the industry was based on a beverage that was totally unlike any of the drinks that the rest of the world considered wine to be. Mostly made from cane sugar and water, fortified with raw spirit and coloured to suit market fashions, it was termed 'plonk' by cynical locals, who considered it the beverage of alcoholics and other unfortunates.

The miracle of modern New Zealand wine is the rapid transformation of that dismal situation into the vibrant wine culture that is now recognised as producing some of the world's better table wines, with high quality standards and striking characteristics.

Generally, New Zealand's wines are cool climate, aromatic and fine, fresh in character and deeply flavoured.

The stand out styles have been whites, especially Chardonnay and racy Sauvignon Blanc. Some very good Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling have also been produced, as well as excellent sweet wines of great clarity and freshness from naturally botrytised fruit.

Pinot Noir has become the leading red internationally, again aromatic, fine and with excellent depth of flavour, and both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines are proving to perform with style and fragrance in New Zealand conditions.

Some producers have also established a reputation for elegant bottle fermented sparkling wines blended from pinot noir and chardonnay, and the largest volume export label is in fact a sparkling wine.

New Zealand wines, a curiosity as recently as the 1980s, are now serious contenders on the World's fine wine markets.