While the South Island is the powerhouse of New Zealand’s young wine industry, most of the focus goes to regions to each side of North Canterbury, which is where the following wines (reviewed below) come from.
If you haven't heard of Dunnolly wines, read on.
These wines are made from grapes grown in North Canterbury, inspired initially by a vineyard planted by Peter and Felicity Parish, whose daughter, Nicky Parish, heads up the winemaking for the Dunnolly wine brand today. It’s a role she has held since 2011; the year the family decided to stop selling their grapes to other wineries and try their hand at starting their own wine brand.
The family have quietly forged a market for their wines ever since, entirely from grapes grown in North Canterbury, which is often overshadowed by Central Otago Pinot Noir and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - the vinous superstars of the land.
North Cantabrian Pinot Noir has long been a quiet star in New Zealand’s wine galaxy, shining a strong light on the power and finesse of the variety, capturing both balance and intensity with vibrancy and weight. Dunnolly Pinot Noir holds all of that appeal, both in warm dry vintages and in lighter years.
The latest Pinot Noir comes from the 2025 vintage and shows a lighter side to North Canterbury Pinot Noir, which Nicky confidently harnesses, leading oak to play a supporting role in a wine that is supple and fresh, leaving a lasting impression of summer in the glass.
As well as winemaking, Nicky is the brand ambassador for Dunnolly and in her own time, she is, in her own words, ‘a weekend artist’. Judging by the wines, the art is also a space to watch.
The family has since sold its vineyards and sources grapes from long-established relationships across North Canterbury, which are transported to Marlborough where Nicky (and family) live and where she makes the wines.
Dunnolly.co.nz
Taste the wines - here are my reviews of four of their latest wines
18.5/20
2026 Dunnolly Pinot Gris RRP $24.99
North Canterbury's warm days and cool nights shine through in this lush, off-dry Pinot Gris with its fine threat of acidity woven through its generous aromas of ripe pear, white peach and baked apple on the palate. These plush flavours are followed by subtle spice and floral notes in a gently off-dry wine with a citrus freshness bringing balance to the layered flavoursome style. The 2026 Dunnolly Pinot Gris represents very good quality and great value for money.
18.5/20
2025 Dunnolly Reserve Chardonnay RRP $28.99
Dunnolly’s Reserve Chardonnay has a creamy, richly textured palate which unfolds gradually, revealing layers of flavour while retaining freshness and precision. Ripe peach and nectarine notes are finely integrated in a wine with beautiful poise and complex aromas from fermentation almost entirely in French oak barriques with regular lees stirring and nine months of aging both adding density and weight to the palate. The 2025 Dunnolly Chardonnay is a rounded, fleshy Chardonnay for drinking now and possesses the structure to evolve over five to six years.
17.5/20
2025 Dunnolly Pinot Noir RRP $32.99
North Canterbury Pinot Noir is one of New Zealand’s great wines and the 2025 vintage opens with intoxicating aromas of dark cherry, plum and fresh summer berries, all underpinned by gentle notes of dried herbs and spice. The 2025 vintage shows a lighter side to North Canterbury Pinot Noir which Dunnolly winemaker Nicky Parish confidently harnesses, allowing oak to plays a supporting role with supple fresh, fruit-forward flavours leading the palate and leaving a lasting impression of summer in the glass.
18/20
2026 Dunnolly Te Pae RRP $24.99
Te Pae offers a fresh interpretation of the classic New Zealand white blend. Combining Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, it brings together the aromatic vitality of both varieties with texture and generosity. The 2026 Dunnolly Te Pae is approximately 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Pinot Gris, each grape harvested and vinified separately before blending. Whole-bunch pressing and cool fermentation preserves fruit purity and freshness while refreshing acidity adds to the juicy fruit flavours and modern style, shining a light on the contemporary face of North Canterbury white wine.
