New Zealand's transformation into a wine producing country has been the outstanding success story of the last twenty or so years. The first edition of Hugh Johnson's World Atlas of Wine in the early 1970's made no mention of New Zealand and it was really only from this point that the industry got going.

Nowadays the country boasts over 400 wineries from the big boys like Montana, producing 35% of NZ's total production to the small, 'garagiste' wineries. In 1960 a mere 1000 acres were under vine but today the figure stands at 14,000 acres and this leap has been incredibly matched by a surge in quality too.