Critic picks

Wine Enthusiast's top-rated wineries in North Island

Wine Enthusiast scores on the 100-point scale. Its 72 ranked North Island producers run from 88 to 91 points, each with at least two rated wines.

Ranked by Wine Enthusiast's mean score across every wine of theirs Wine Enthusiast has rated. Highest average first; ties go to the producer with more wines rated.

72
Producers Wine Enthusiast rates
91
Top score
231
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 191Smith ShethHawke's Bay, New Zealand4 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  2. 291ObsidianNorth Island, New Zealand2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  3. 390StonecroftHawke's Bay, New Zealand4 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  4. 490Te MataHawke's Bay, New Zealand12 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  5. 590Escarpment VineyardWairarapa, New Zealand3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  6. 690Church RoadHawke's Bay, New Zealand2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  7. 790LongridgeHawke's Bay, New Zealand2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  8. 889Craggy RangeHawke's Bay, New Zealand20 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  9. 989Esk ValleyHawke's Bay, New Zealand19 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  10. 1089AnthemNorth Island, New Zealand3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  11. 1189ParituaHawke's Bay, New Zealand2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  12. 1289Te Awanga EstateHawke's Bay, New Zealand7 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  13. 1389Wild RockHawke's Bay, New Zealand3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  14. 1489ButterworthMartinborough, New Zealand2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  15. 1589Villa MariaAuckland, New Zealand56 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  16. 1689Alpha DomusHawke's Bay, New Zealand12 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  17. 1789Trinity HillHawke's Bay, New Zealand6 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  18. 1889Matahiwi EstateWairarapa, New Zealand7 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  19. 1989Elephant HillHawke's Bay, New Zealand14 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  20. 2089Te KairangaWairarapa, New Zealand5 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  21. 2189Ata RangiWairarapa, New Zealand17 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  22. 2289Lagoon HillMartinborough, New Zealand5 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  23. 2389Tuhi WineHawke's Bay, New Zealand2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  24. 2488Te AwaHawke's Bay, New Zealand14 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  25. 2588UrlarWairarapa, New Zealand8 wines ratedDISTINCTION→

How we choose

Wine Enthusiast rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Wine Enthusiast score across every wine of theirs the critic has scored. A producer needs at least two such wines to appear: the guard stops a single lucky score on one bottle from outranking an estate with dozens of rated wines. More on how the list works

Frequently asked

How many North Island wineries has Wine Enthusiast rated?
72 wineries in North Island, New Zealand have at least two wines scored by Wine Enthusiast. Only those appear here.
Which North Island winery does Wine Enthusiast rate highest?
Smith Sheth, at a 91-point average from Wine Enthusiast, followed by Obsidian and Stonecroft.
How is this list ranked?
By Wine Enthusiast's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Wine Enthusiast-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Wine Enthusiast's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

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