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In the first episode of the new series of Uncorked, and the first to go outside of Australia, Stuart samples the wines from the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. Spectacularly beautiful, the journey takes in the waterways, valleys and vineyards of New Zealand’s most successful wine region.

It’s a reasonably young region in terms of winemaking - most of the 60 odd wineries have sprung up from sheep and cattle country since the 1970’s. The region is most famous for its Sauvignon Blanc, a varietal which loves warm days and cold nights. That aside, varieties like Pinot Noir and Gewurzttraminer are fast gaining popularity.

To kick off his visit to Marlborough country, Stuart goes greenshell mussel harvesting in the Marlborough Sounds and lunches on the mussels (steamed in Sauvignon Blanc) while enjoying some of the region’s wines care of Isabel Estate and Giesen Wines. Isabel Estate wine maker Patricia Miranda and Giesen Wines’ Andrew Blake and Dave Tyney explain how the region has come to be known for its Sauvignon Blanc wine (largely because of the climate and soil).

Stuart then heads south to Seresin Estate. Seresin produce five distinct blends of Pinot Noir and their own olive oils. Winemaker Clive Dougall explains the subtle differences between the various wines of their different vineyards. Even grapes located within 50 metres of each other, can have subtle colour and flavour differences based on the quantity of clay in the soil.

Next, Stuart visits the boutique winery: Te Whare Ra (a Maori name meaning: ‘house in the sun’). It’s run by Jason and Anna Flowerday, a couple with two sets of twins under three. Stuart samples their Gewurzttraminer (‘a voluptuous white’) and a new blended white they’re producing called Toru (meaning three in Maori) - this mixes three grape varieties: Gewurzt, Riesling and Pinot Gris. Anna serves up two delectable looking dishes: a Prawn and Chilli Spaghettini and a Red Curry with Cashews and Lychees… explaining how the Te Whare Ra wines work well with the spicy flavours.

Stuart overnights it at The Vintners Retreat Resort which has great views across the famous winery: Cloudy Bay. So naturally that’s the next stop and as Stuart sips on a personal favourite Chardonnay the winemaker Nick Lane discusses the way Cloudy Bay Chardonnay has changed in character over the years, from a fruit driven wine 10 years ago to today’s smokier, more subtle drop.

Next on the agenda is the annual Pinot Noir tasting - where 21 international benchmark Pinots are tasted by wine lovers from all over the world. The tasters have no idea what they’re drinking or it’s value, so it’s interesting one of the standouts turns out to be a local Pinot ‘Resolute’ from the winegrowers of Ara.

Following this Stuart heads to the Wairau River with Paul Bourgeois the winemaker from Spy Valley Wines - who uses the Wairau River as a fridge for wine samples. He then visits the Spy Valley winery, with its super modern facility and award winning architecture.

The further you get from the river, the higher the clay content in the soil, so Stuart makes a point of visiting Auntsfield Estate - which is nestled in the southern hills above the valley. This is the oldest commercial winery in the district and only features blends from this one region. In a shed built in 1873, the young winemaker Luc Cowley explains how Auntsfield is a little softer and richer than typical sauv blancs and therefore a great wine to have with food.