‘There hasn’t been anything but bad news lately regarding business prospects for the wine biz, given global consumption trends and New Zealand overproduction. Last week we reported Kim Thorp’s worried assessment.
But at least Hawke’s Bay’s wine quality holds up … so here’s a bit of good wine news!
Global wine critic James Suckling has singled out the quality to price value of top New Zealand wines in his latest Top 100 list of the world’s best value wines, ranking Te Mata Elston Chardonnay Hawke’s Bay 2024 at #4 overall, and selecting it as the best value chardonnay in the world.
Says the review: “Showing why chardonnay is clearly the premium white grape in New Zealand over sauvignon blanc, Te Mata Elston Chardonnay Hawke’s Bay 2024 combines depth and balance with freshness and clarity. Its wide international availability further strengthens its value proposition.”
Nick Buck, CEO of Te Mata Estate, said “Chardonnay is the world’s favourite white wine style. For our Te Mata Elston Chardonnay to be singled out as the best value chardonnay and named in the Top 10 is fantastic, and the depth of quality to price on offer in New Zealand chardonnay is really reinforced with six wines selected in the Top 100.”
Besides Te Mata Elston Chardonnay 2024 at #4, the other NZ chardonnays are:
#15 Ata Rangi, Pōtiki Chardonnay, 2024
#18 Mount Difficulty, Ghost Town Chardonnay, 2023
#37 Paritua, Willow Chardonnay, 2024
#46 Pegasus Bay, Virtuoso Chardonnay, 2021
#56 The Landing, Chardonnay, 2024
New Zealand has a total of 13 wines named in Top 100 list, an amazing result for a country that produces less than 1% of the world’s wine. The other Kiwi wines included three sauvignon blancs, two pinot noirs, and two other varieties.
Nick adds “Eight of NZ’s 13 wines are from the excellent 2024 vintage which the James Suckling team have highlighted for its incredible quality, describing them as “the wines of a lifetime”.
One of the largest, and most respected, wine review websites in the world, JamesSuckling.com’s team reviewed 45,000 wines in 2025, commenting that the Top 100 Value Wines of 2025 may be one of the strongest lists yet.’
