The Best Sparkling Wines of 2025 in New Zealand

She’s a hard road finding the perfect fizz, but our judges sipped their way through New Zealand’s finest examples to select those that’ll rule your Yule…

New Zealand has been producing sparkling wine since before car-less days, and that was a long time ago. Back then, the best the folk in Aotearoa could hope for were boring, sweet, flabby and decidedly unfabulous, yet today, happily, the world is finding out, in fizztastic fashion, that New Zealand creates stunningly superlative sparkling wine. Today New Zealand’s sparklers impress internationally, and experts around the globe are continually in awe of how producers create such excellence for so little money.

New Zealand is well on track to export close to 3 million litres of sparkling wine in the next year or two. That’s closing in on $20 million worth of sparkling wine amongst $2 billion of high-value wine exports. And it never fails to bring the grins whenever we put the call for entries out to our local sparkling community and assemble a team of expert judges to evaluate their wines, that inevitably there are examples that rock in at under $20.00 that receive Gold Medals.

Our top two attest to the exceptional skill of Lion’s Jane De Witt, who oversees seven brands and a smorgasbord of sparkling wine styles that all over-deliver where value for money is concerned. Yet there’s one thing our judges, and indeed our whole team at dish would love to do, and that’s get great sparkling wine out of the ‘special occasion cabinet’ and onto the ‘enjoy any time shelf’. Because in these tumultuous times, it’s important to remember that every day is a gift and even though times are tough, we still live in a jaw-droppingly lovely part of the world and that should be celebrated however and whenever possible.

All of our Top 12 Gold Medal winners were made in the ‘méthode traditionnelle’, which is where the delicate bubbles are produced when the base wine (usually created from chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier or blends thereof) goes through a secondary fermentation inside the bottle from which it’ll eventually be served. This is the ‘traditional method’ of making champagne in France. We also saw entries crafted in all of the different ways — charmat, transfer, carbonation and pét-nat — and you can learn about those methods in the Sip and Tell column on page 126.

No matter what the wines were made from or what method was used, our judges wanted to see wines that hit that sweet spot where fruit character, cleansing acidity, alcohol and texture knit together to create a seamless, seductive, sophisticated sparkling wine experience. And boy, did they find it.

A whopping 92 per cent of our entries achieved a medal, with 51 per cent scoring a silver or higher, stats that had our judges beaming, it was like all their Christmases had come at once. With the big day on the horizon, please let us introduce you to the best of the best and let loose with a bit of alliteration. Welcome to fabulous fizz that’ll take care of bizz and rule your Yule…

Verde Méthode Traditionnelle NV – $19.00 – Gold Medal – BEST BUY



Luminously diamond-gold in the glass, this insanely affordable wine opens with layers of lemon shortbread, crushed cashews, and elegant, elevated florals. All this rich generosity pours onto the palate, marrying lemon tart tautness with brioche, biscuity, breadcrust complexity. A firm, chalky acidity creates a salivating, long-lingering finish where the generosity and acidity are perfectly balanced. Stylish, nutty, and extremely elegant. It’s stunningly good value. Widely available.

Lindauer Special Reserve Brut Cuvée – $19.00 – Gold Medal – BEST BUY

This supermarket staple absolutely over-delivers. The lindizzle spizzle rezizzle is sophisticated, amber-gold and unfolds with creamy brioche and biscuity complexity. The palate is generous and impeccably structured, with a vibrant mousse that carries redcurrant and stone fruit, elegantly layered over a chalky, mineral core. Beautifully balanced, its crisp acidity and juicy weight leads to a wickedly delicious presence and reinforces its exceptional value for money. Widely available.

Hunter’s Marlborough Mirumiru Vintage 2020 – $42.00 – Gold Medal

Our judges were wowed by its stylishly nutty bouquet of almond croissant and apple blossom palate. It’s generously refined, where rich, creamy stone fruit and poached quince are seamlessly threaded by a line of fresh, citrus-kissed acidity. Subtle complexities of rising dough add spark, resulting in a beautifully weighted, fuller-bodied expression with a lingering, vibrant finish that masterfully reveals its richness. hunters.co.nz

Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Rosé Méthode Traditionelle NV – $24.00 – Gold Medal – BEST BUY

Pale trout pink, this wine dishes up striking elegance, where intricate notes of flaky pastry, crushed cashew, and subtle yeast autolysis unfold. The palate is defined by its refined texture; a delicate mousse delivers flavours of wild strawberry and redcurrant, seamlessly integrated with a bright, saline acidity. This energy carries through a long, precise finish, where a whisper of vanilla and summer berry lingers with impeccable balance and style. It’s a very sexy wine. Widely available in supermarkets.

Nautilus Cuvée Marlborough Méthode Traditionnelle Vintage Rosé 2021 – $50.00 – Gold Medal

Its pale, luminous apricot hue leads to berry brioche, soft cashew, and a subtle savoury nuance. Elegantly proportioned and beautifully balanced, it delivers a juicy burst of cranberry and raspberry that’s seamlessly underpinned by a fine, textural structure. This leads to a sustained, refined finish characterised by a hint of shortbread and crisp, vibrant freshness, which confirms its serious and stylish poise. nautilusestate.com

Kumeu River Kumeu Crémant – $50.00 – Gold Medal

Spun gold in the glass, it introduces a complex and toasty nose, where pronounced autolytic characters of rising dough and light lees are elegantly woven with riper notes of fig and apple blossom. The palate is textured and serious, carrying a vibrant bead that delivers flavours of baked apple and a distinctly delicious chalkiness. The structure shows good grip and cling adding weight and crunch, it’s a balanced example of considered chardonnay craftsmanship. kumeuriver.co.nz

Deutz Marlborough Prestige Cuvée Méthode Traditionnelle Vintage 2020 – $35.00 – Gold Medal

There’s delicious duality going on in this wine, including a bright, aromatic nose of lemon zest, white peach, and subtle, mealy autolysis. The palate is both generous and precisely focused, where flavours of grapefruit pith and crisp green apple are carried by a vibrant, linear acidity. Finishing with nuances of toasted nuts and a clean, textural grip, it has straight up, striking minerality and great length. It’s a sophisticated, tighter-styled expression that balances freshness with a compelling, complex core. Widely available.

Whitehaven Samantha Cuvée Marlborough Méthode Traditionnelle 2020 – $49.00 – Gold Medal

With its inviting nose of shortbread, soft bread crust, and developed, creamy characters it shows balance between generosity and refined restraint. The palate unveils lemon zest, green walnut, a prickly, lively mousse and tight acidity, which delivers a clean, dry structure and a finish marked by nutty complexity and a subtle, savoury length. It’s a soothing, settled, contemplative style. whitehaven.co.nz

Tohu Rewa Blanc De Blancs Méthode Traditionnelle 2017 – $39.00 – Gold Medal

This Blanc de Blancs roars with an energetic, lifted nose brimming with lemon zest, citrus blossom, and pretty floral notes underscored by a refined, biscuity complexity. The palate is both generous and precisely focused, delivering a rich, creamy wave of apple strudel and fig that’s seamlessly vibrant and linear. The finish is long and nuanced, where a subtle smokiness and creamy texture linger with impressive persistence. Focused, finessed and fanging with flavour. tohuwines.co.nz

Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Brut Méthode Traditionnelle NV – $25.00 – Gold Medal

Super sophisticated, this Kiwi classic shows a complex and stylish nose of toasted walnut, rich biscuit, and a distinctive citrus note. The palate is precisely focused and nicely weighted, offering bright flavours of lemon custard and nectarine that are seamlessly structured by a crisp, mineral backbone. This tension drives a long, elegant finish where the creamy complexity integrates, resulting in a wine of compelling character, impressive length and banging buoyancy. Widely available.

Peregrine Central Otago Méthode Traditionnelle NV – $60.00 – Gold Medal

Elegant, complex and weaving feisty, floral notes with soft spices and rich, toasty brioche characters, making this a magical sip. Buttery popcorn complexity and creamy biscuity layers lead to a palate that’s crisp, linear and defined by a chalky acidity that brings focus and drives a long, poised finish. Generously textural, sophisticated and stylish. peregrinewines.co.nz

Morton Estate White Label Premium Brut NV – $25.00 – Gold Medal

A Kiwi classic, the Morton White Label delivers a developed nose of buttered toast, baked biscuit, and subtle rising dough notes. The palate is rich and moreish, laced with apple, ripe citrus and soft, peachy plushness that speaks to its softer, off-dry style. Vibrant bead and appealing initial richness makes it a highly drinkable example of a food-friendly style. Widely available.

Our Tasting Panels operate under strict competition conditions at EIT Hawke’s Bay, and we thank The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction for the use of their glassware.