Craggy Range Helps Hawke’s Bay Crowned New Zealand’s First ‘Great Wine Capital’
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island was named the country’s first member of the Great Wine Capitals network in 2023, with Craggy Range winery playing a decisive role. The GWC evaluates wine, dining, lodging, travel and cultural offerings to select ‘wine capitals’ and runs an annual Best of Wine Tourism competition. Craggy Range, set beneath the rocky Te Mata Peak with panoramic vineyards along the Tukituki River, combines striking architecture, outdoor sculpture, cellar doors, tasting-focused experiences, fine dining and vineyard accommodations. Its winery restaurant won top national honors (Cuisine Good Food Awards triple crown and Winery Restaurant of the Year 2025) and its head chef Casey McDonald earned Chef of the Year 2025. The estate’s Gimblett Gravels vineyards—gravelly, Greywacke-rich soils similar to Bordeaux’s gravels—produce intensely flavored reds (Syrah, Cabernet blends, Merlot) and excellent Chardonnays, while the Te Muna Road terraces supply acclaimed Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc with distinctive minerality. Craggy Range’s single-vineyard wines, now imported to Korea, have rapidly grown in popularity and critical recognition, helping raise global awareness of New Zealand wine and Hawke’s Bay terroir.
