Cloudy Bay winemaker Tim Heath feels that the label's Chardonnay is New Zealand's "dark horse".

Sauvignon Blanc makes up around 50 per cent of Cloudy Bay's production, but Mr Heath told the Drinks Business that Chardonnay deserves a much higher profile around the world.

He explained: "The Chardonnay especially stands out as a very good expression of serious, crafted wine.

"It's not Burgundy, but it's leaning more that way than Australia or California – and it's the same with our Pinot Noir."

Mr Heath went on to say that the industry in Marlborough is growing up after a huge devaluation in the wake of the financial crisis, with a wide diversity of styles appearing.

Another senior winemaker at Cloudy Bay, Nick Lane, recently told the New Zealand Herald that the country has developed sophisticated wine tastes in a very short space of time, since Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc first broke through in the 1990s.

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