New Zealand’s wine history is short but intense. It was not until the 1980s that it became famous for its sauvignon blanc. Montana (now called Brancott Estate) planted its first vineyards in Marlborough in 1973. Another pioneer was Cloudy Bay, founded in 1985 by Australian David Hohen, already known at the time for his Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Margaret River, Western Australia. Together with winemaker Kevin Judd, Hohen began making sauvignon blanc – and then chardonnay, sparkling and pinot noir – which would become among New Zealand’s most acclaimed.
In 2009, Kevin Judd moved on to create his own brand in Marlborough, Greywacke. But Cloudy Bay lives on; now, since 2003, as part of the French luxury company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy).
Read more: cloudybay
–
Travel: Come on a wine tour to New Zealand with BKWine.
See: See pictures and videos from New Zealand 2025 in the wine tour’s Facebook group.
