In the upper reaches of the Waimata Valley, 25km north east of Gisborne, lies New Zealand's smallest commercial vineyard. Hidden away in the Gisborne ranges, this family-run vineyard of 0.27ha sits in a natural amphitheatre by the Waimata River. The vineyard is part of a 9.1ha property, which also produces olives, pecans and hazelnuts, plus myriads of other fruit and nut trees. A small lake and areas of native trees have been planted to enhance the farm and encourage wildlife back to the area.
Against the advise of viticultural experts who thought it would be impossible to grow grapes organically here, a small experimental block of 250 mendoza chardonnay vines were planted in 1994. To reduce the risk of disease, the grapes are trained on a Scott-Henry trellising system with a very open crop canopy maintained throughout the season. This canopy encourages light and air through the vines and allows the sun to play on the grapes all year-round. Daytime temperatures are usually higher and nightime temperatures lower than those found in the main grape growing area of Gisborne. This wide diurnal variation enhances the intensity and flavours of the grapes. This, and the unique "terroir", help to produce a wine that is very distinctive from those normally found in the Gisborne region.
The first modest vintage of just two barrels of wine was produced in 1998. Wine writers Bob Campbell MW and Michael Cooper seemed to be impressed and both gave it four stars. This encouraged further plantings of chardonnay and in 1998 three hundred more plants of Clone 15 were added to the vineyard. There is still room for further plantings over the next few years, to a maximum of 1.0ha.
Last Updated 07/03/2007
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