NZ's most northerly wine region

Boulder Bay sea view

Chris Howard, winner of last year's wine writing competition, profiles the contemporary revival of Northland and the wineries of the Bay of Islands. See also how important this region once was.

At the centre of Northland wine’s renaissance is Rod MacIvor, proprietor of Marsden Estate. Rod and his wife Cindy moved to the northern centre of Kerikeri in the early 1990s with plans to grow kiwi fruit, a key crop in the region, along with citrus and avocado. Inheriting some grapevines when a local couple’s marriage fell apart, the MacIvors made some quick decisions and started the winery at...