Craggy Range is a New Zealand winery operating from multiple sites across the country's premier wine regions, with significant holdings in both Martinborough in Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay on the North Island. The winery focuses on single-vineyard expressions from carefully selected sites, including the renowned Gimblett Gravels subregion of Hawke's Bay, known for its unique heat-retaining stone soils.

Martinborough has established itself as one of New Zealand's most respected Pinot Noir regions, though the area also produces excellent Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Hawke's Bay, particularly the Gimblett Gravels district, represents New Zealand's premier red wine territory, where the free-draining gravelly soils and warm microclimate favor Bordeaux varieties and Syrah. These contrasting terroirs allow producers to work with both cool-climate and warm-climate grape varieties.

The current range demonstrates this regional diversity, spanning from Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc and Kidnappers Chardonnay to Gimblett Gravels red blends including Sophia, a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Le Sol, a single-vineyard Syrah. The vineyard designations reflect the winery's focus on site-specific expressions from these distinctive New Zealand wine regions.

Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's second-largest wine region, located on the east coast of the North Island. The region encompasses diverse topography from coastal plains to inland valleys, with the Hawke's Bay itself providing a moderating maritime influence. Wine production here dates back to the 1850s, making it one of New Zealand's oldest viticultural areas, and today it accounts for approximately 20% of the country's total wine production.

The region benefits from a warm, dry climate with long sunshine hours and relatively low rainfall during the growing season. Soils vary considerably across the area, from fertile alluvial plains to free-draining gravels. The Gimblett Gravels district, formed by an old riverbed, is particularly notable for its stony, heat-retaining soils that provide excellent drainage. This subregion has gained recognition for producing some of New Zealand's most structured red wines, with the stones absorbing heat during the day and radiating it back to the vines at night.

Hawke's Bay is renowned for its Bordeaux-style red blends, primarily based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, which thrive in the region's warm conditions. Syrah has also found success here, producing wines with distinctive peppery characteristics. While red varieties dominate plantings, Chardonnay performs well in the region's climate, often producing full-bodied wines with good aging potential. The combination of diverse microclimates and soil types allows winemakers to craft wines with considerable complexity and regional character.

Gimblett Gravels is a sub-region of Hawkes Bay in New Zealand's North Island, located in the Heretaunga Plains near Hastings. The area takes its name from the distinctive stony riverbed soils that define its landscape, deposited by the Ngaruroro River over thousands of years. It was formally recognized as a distinct viticultural zone in the 1990s, emerging as producers identified the site's potential for premium winemaking.

The appellation's defining characteristic is its free-draining gravel soils overlaying deeper clay and silt layers. These gravels absorb and radiate heat, creating warm conditions that favor full-ripening of red grape varieties. Gimblett Gravels experiences a warm, temperate climate with adequate rainfall, and the soil structure naturally limits vine vigor, concentrating flavors in smaller yields. The region has become particularly known for Bordeaux varieties—Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc—alongside Syrah, all of which thrive in these conditions.

Wines from Gimblett Gravels typically display ripe, structured red fruit character with good aging potential. The gravelly terroir imparts a mineral quality and contributes to wines with firm tannin profiles and complexity. Merlot-based blends from the region tend toward fuller body with plum and dark cherry notes, while Syrah often shows peppery spice and darker berry characteristics. The combination of warm ripening conditions and well-drained soils generally results in wines with good concentration and balance rather than excessive alcohol or overripeness.