Producer of the Year – Susie & Peter New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026
Pegasus Bay are no strangers to glowing praise, but they are particularly chuffed about a recent accolade they received being named PRODUCER OF THE YEAR in Susie & Peters NZ WINES OF THE YEAR 2026.
For those of you that don’t know Susie & Peter, they are both UK based MW’s and have a very popular podcast called Wine Blast. They tasted through over 200 wines from NZ’s best producers to assemble the list. See the list here.
Winery notes (2025 Vintage)
"It has a bright gold tint. Beautiful florality wafts from the glass, with aromas of honeysuckle and elderflower, entwined with impressions of marmalade, pineapple, ginger and lemon meringue pie. The palate is richly textured, with commanding weight and depth, backed by a luscious personality. Ripe fruit is underlain with taut acidity and engaging phenolics, adding intensity and focus on the long, succulent travel.
Aria is part of Pegasus Bay’s reserve series and is the sister wine to our Bel Canto dry riesling. After an extended hang time, the bunches were hand selected with a portion of noble botrytis and a ripeness of approximately 28 Brix. The grapes were then gently pressed, and the juice fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity. At all stages, from fermentation to bottling, it was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its naturally dissolved carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine and accentuates its freshness."
5 Stars & 97/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, February 2026 (2025 Vintage)
"This is gorgeously styled and immensely appealing on the nose with aromas of dried apricot, honey, orange marmalade, and potpourri. The delicious palate offers excellent weight and creamy texture, splendidly supported by seductive sweetness and bright acidity, making it wonderfully balanced with a multi-layered mouthfeel. At its best: now to 2037."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, February 2026 (2025 Vintage)
"A wine of character, presence and power. This wine is just so delicious, it’s salivating and sweet, silken in texture and vibrantly taut with its acid line. Flavours of apricots and limes, quince and apple, sweet flowers and honeysuckle. A classic wine for Aotearoa New Zealand and Pegasus Bay. Delicious, succulent and new. A wine to enjoy either form day of purchase through 2035+ or ideally from 2029 through 2035+."






































