Our place
Our two vineyard sites and winery are located in the Waipara Valley, on the East Coast of New Zealand’s South Island
Waipara Valley has a unique micro-climate not seen anywhere else in New Zealand. The wide, gravelly valley floor, formed by an ancient glacial river bed, is sheltered on both sides by limestone-derived clay hills. The valley provides protection from the weather fronts to give us long, warm autumns to perfectly ripen the fruit. Our wine making philosophy starts from the vineyard and ends in the vineyard. Good wine is only made from good grapes.
Church Road
Church Road houses our winery, production facilities, warehouse, and administration. It also features two 15-acre vineyards planted with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, situated on the valley floor north of Waipara township. These vineyards, at the lowest altitude of our sites, experience cooler temperatures, resulting in slower vine growth and later fruit ripening, which enhances the flavor depth.
Pilgrim
This close-planted 60-acre vineyard has 70,000 vines on it, roughly planted half Pinot Noir and half Pinot Gris. Located on the northeast side of the Waipara Valley the site is on west facing gentle slope. These vines produce fruit that delivers elegant, complex wines with great fruit expression. The vines are in Omihi soil which is a deep clay loam derived from calcareous and sandstone rock, with no rock or stones in the first metre of soil. These soils are imperfectly drained and unlimited rooting.
