Looking towards the ocean, Awatere Valley, Marlborough
The Awatere Valley is close to the mountains, but by the sea. The exposure sees Nor’West winds regularly over 30mph.
The soil in Marlborough was left behind, not so long ago, by glaciers in the mountains that overlook our vineyards. When the glaciers melted, fierce winds and floods carried the stones and silt down the river valleys where our vineyards are today.
The winds and floods were very random in the way they left stones, silt or clay in the Wairau, Awatere, Waihopai, Omaka and other famous Marlborough valleys. Put this together with the myriad Marlborough microclimates, and it's no wonder we get so many different wine styles to blend from all over the region.
The first vines were planted in 1973 with unparalleled development. Today it is one of the world’s foremost winegrowing regions. Sauvignon Blanc is the most planted varietal, followed by Chardonnay, then Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Most of the wine made under the Kim Crawford label is from this region: Sauvignon Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris/Grigio.
A number of sub-regions exist within Marlborough, each with a different flavour profile for different varieties. These include the main Wairau Valley, the lower Wairau Valley, Brancott Valley, lower Waihopai Valley, Dog Point, Dillons Point, Blind River and the Awatere Valley. Click here for a simplified map of the region.
"Wairau" is a Maori word meaning "many waters". This subregion is broadly defined by its proximity to the 170km long Wairau River that runs from the mountains in the west to the ocean at Cloudy Bay. Marlborough’s earliest vineyards were established on the characteristically alluvial river plains that include the acclaimed Rapaura region; home to some of the region’s most well known wine brands.
Kim Crawford's flagship wine "Spitfire" Sauvignon Blanc is from Wairau Valley and it's because of those cool nights and warm days that we can produce such a vibrant and mouthfulling wine, unsurpassed by any other wine region in the world (that’s what we think anyway).
The soils of the Ben Morven, Brancott, Omaka and Waihopai Valleys that lie to the south of the Wairau plains typically originated from glacial outwash. Less extensively worked by the river system these soils tend to have significant amounts of gravel but also exhibit higher levels of clay than the other sub-regions.
While the Wairau River moderates the viticultural climate, on the northern side of the Wairau River, cold air descends from the mountains into the Southern valleys creating a cooler, later ripening climate.
The Awatere Valley is close to the mountains, but by the sea. The exposure sees Nor’West winds regularly over 30mph.
There is a lower rainfall in the Awatere Valley (40% less than Central Wairau), heat summation over a longer period and less Spring frost risk due to turbulent katabatic air movement.
Marlborough’s valley floor was mainly formed by glacial activity during the Ice Age. The flooding and realignment of rivers in the valley deposited a glacial outwash that formed a level plain with deep, sedimentary soils varying from washed stone to gravel, alluvial silt and clay.
Maritime influences ensure relatively cool conditions during the growing season with afternoon sea breezes every evening. Mountains (up to 2600 metres) give protection from cold southerly storms.
Marlborough is one of the New Zealand’s sunniest and driest regions. The average daily temperature in summer is nearly 24ºC, but clear cool nights maintain high acid levels in the grapes.