Five of New Zealand’s 10 major wine regions occupy the South Island, from Nelson and Marlborough at the northern tip, to pinot powerhouse Central Otago furthest south. Nelson, in the northwest, is ...

Gibbston Valley in Central Otago wine region on the South Island in New Zealand. Photograph by Rolf_52, Alamy Stock Photo The Central Otago wine region, specifically stunning Gibbston, is also ...

You also come to New Zealand wine country for the legendary landscapes ... things you’ll notice when you arrive to Otago on the South Island is The Remarkables—a towering saw-toothed mountain ...

Not so. Until only 50 years ago, this verdant north-east slice of New Zealand’s South Island was populated by sheep; the first to plant commercial vines there was the Montana winery in 1973.