Canterbury wine region lies on the central east coast of South Island around the western fringes of the city of Christchurch and on the hills of Banks Peninsula.
The region, like other South Island areas, experiences a long, cool and dry growing conditions favoring the production of high quality wines based on Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. The free draining gravelly sub-soils rich in limestone also add to the character to the local wines.
Any mention of Canterbury as a wine region would be incomplete without a mention of the contribution of Lincoln University in the research of vine varieties particularly suitable for the local growing conditions.