NZ wine's beginnings

The Landing, Northland with vines

Winner of last year's wine writing competition Chris Howard reports on an atmospheric but rarely publicised corner of the wine world. See also his account of Northland wine today. Above, The Landing.

We sweat and cry salt water, so we know that the ocean is really in our blood.’ Teresia Teaiwa

To understand the present it is necessary to go outside of it. Emile Durkheim

Northland map
Northland in the far north of the North Island

Aotearoa New Zealand’s far north is off the map for most wine lovers, even within the country. Yet Northland is where New Zealand wine began two centuries ago and, after...