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Hawke's Bay
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New Zealand
Esk Valley
Rugged Northern Soul
Located at the northern limit of the region, this spot feels a bit wilder than the perfectly manicured Gimblett Gravels. It is famous for alluvial soils and steep hillsides that produce intense reds with serious backbone.
Located at the northern limit of the region, this spot feels a bit wilder than the perfectly manicured Gimblett Gravels. It is famous for alluvial soils and steep hillsides that produce intense reds with serious backbone.
Located at the northern limit of the region, this spot feels a bit wilder than the perfectly manicured Gimblett Gravels. It is famous for alluvial soils and steep hillsides that produce intense reds with serious backbone.
Taste profile
Plush Reds
Savory Edge
Spicy Warmth
If you love Bordeaux blends that pack a punch, pull up a chair. Merlot and Malbec ripen beautifully here, offering plush dark fruit and spicy warmth. Winemakers leverage the heat to create wines that are generous but structured, often showing a savory, earthy edge. Syrah also thrives in these pockets, bringing black pepper and floral notes to the party without ever becoming overly heavy or jammy.
If you love Bordeaux blends that pack a punch, pull up a chair. Merlot and Malbec ripen beautifully here, offering plush dark fruit and spicy warmth. Winemakers leverage the heat to create wines that are generous but structured, often showing a savory, earthy edge. Syrah also thrives in these pockets, bringing black pepper and floral notes to the party without ever becoming overly heavy or jammy.
If you love Bordeaux blends that pack a punch, pull up a chair. Merlot and Malbec ripen beautifully here, offering plush dark fruit and spicy warmth. Winemakers leverage the heat to create wines that are generous but structured, often showing a savory, earthy edge. Syrah also thrives in these pockets, bringing black pepper and floral notes to the party without ever becoming overly heavy or jammy.
The vibe
Lush Scenery
Untamed Nature
River Valleys
Driving north from Napier, you hit a landscape that feels lush and slightly untamed. Rivers wind through the valley floor while vines cling to hillsides like they are holding on for dear life. It is a stunning, resilient pocket of land where nature dictates the rules and the pace is decidedly slower than the bustling city centers - bring your walking boots.
Driving north from Napier, you hit a landscape that feels lush and slightly untamed. Rivers wind through the valley floor while vines cling to hillsides like they are holding on for dear life. It is a stunning, resilient pocket of land where nature dictates the rules and the pace is decidedly slower than the bustling city centers - bring your walking boots.
Driving north from Napier, you hit a landscape that feels lush and slightly untamed. Rivers wind through the valley floor while vines cling to hillsides like they are holding on for dear life. It is a stunning, resilient pocket of land where nature dictates the rules and the pace is decidedly slower than the bustling city centers - bring your walking boots.
Who's who
Gordon Russell
Linden Estate
Petane Station
Gordon Russell is the legend who spent decades crafting iconic wines for Esk Valley Estate. Look out for the single-vineyard bottlings that showcase the distinct terroir. Linden Estate and Petane Station are also key players, producing small-batch gems that serious enthusiasts hunt down. It is a mix of heritage labels and passionate smaller operations making waves in a challenging landscape.
Gordon Russell is the legend who spent decades crafting iconic wines for Esk Valley Estate. Look out for the single-vineyard bottlings that showcase the distinct terroir. Linden Estate and Petane Station are also key players, producing small-batch gems that serious enthusiasts hunt down. It is a mix of heritage labels and passionate smaller operations making waves in a challenging landscape.
Gordon Russell is the legend who spent decades crafting iconic wines for Esk Valley Estate. Look out for the single-vineyard bottlings that showcase the distinct terroir. Linden Estate and Petane Station are also key players, producing small-batch gems that serious enthusiasts hunt down. It is a mix of heritage labels and passionate smaller operations making waves in a challenging landscape.
LOCAL TALES
The Concrete Cathedral
The Concrete Cathedral
The Concrete Cathedral
Before modern stainless steel tanks took over the world, winemaking was a bit more manual and gritty. For the longest time, this area was famous for massive concrete fermenters - huge, open-top vessels that looked more like bunkers than winemaking equipment. Winemakers would plunge the skins by hand, getting a serious gym workout while crafting some of New Zealand's most age-worthy reds. It was low-tech and high-sweat, proving that you do not need shiny gadgets to make world-class wine, just good fruit and a very strong back.
Before modern stainless steel tanks took over the world, winemaking was a bit more manual and gritty. For the longest time, this area was famous for massive concrete fermenters - huge, open-top vessels that looked more like bunkers than winemaking equipment. Winemakers would plunge the skins by hand, getting a serious gym workout while crafting some of New Zealand's most age-worthy reds. It was low-tech and high-sweat, proving that you do not need shiny gadgets to make world-class wine, just good fruit and a very strong back.
The Forbidden Garden
The Forbidden Garden
The Forbidden Garden
There is a specific steep, terraced vineyard here that holds almost mythical status among kiwi wine lovers. Known simply as The Terraces, this plot was carved out of a hillside that everyone else thought was way too steep to farm sensibly. Planted with Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, it acts like a giant solar panel, ripening fruit to levels of concentration that make critics weep with joy. It is rarely produced as a standalone wine, released only in perfect years, and managing to get a bottle feels like being inducted into a secret society.
There is a specific steep, terraced vineyard here that holds almost mythical status among kiwi wine lovers. Known simply as The Terraces, this plot was carved out of a hillside that everyone else thought was way too steep to farm sensibly. Planted with Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, it acts like a giant solar panel, ripening fruit to levels of concentration that make critics weep with joy. It is rarely produced as a standalone wine, released only in perfect years, and managing to get a bottle feels like being inducted into a secret society.
Mud And Glory
Mud And Glory
Mud And Glory
You cannot talk about this place without tipping your hat to resilience. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle roared through, burying vineyards and wineries in silt. It was a heartbreaking mess, but the community spirit that emerged was louder than the storm. Neighbors dug out neighbors, and winemakers saved what they could, determined to replant and rebuild. The vines here have seen struggle, and that fighting spirit is now as much a part of the terroir as the soil itself. When you drink a bottle from here, you are drinking survival.
You cannot talk about this place without tipping your hat to resilience. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle roared through, burying vineyards and wineries in silt. It was a heartbreaking mess, but the community spirit that emerged was louder than the storm. Neighbors dug out neighbors, and winemakers saved what they could, determined to replant and rebuild. The vines here have seen struggle, and that fighting spirit is now as much a part of the terroir as the soil itself. When you drink a bottle from here, you are drinking survival.
LOCAL WINE STYLES
New Zealand Chardonnay
Forget everything you know about heavy butter bombs. Kiwi producers have mastered a lean, mean, fighting machine that balances crisp acidity with ripe stone fruit. It is clean, precise, and dangerously drinkable on a sunny patio.
Forget everything you know about heavy butter bombs. Kiwi producers have mastered a lean, mean, fighting machine that balances crisp acidity with ripe stone fruit. It is clean, precise, and dangerously drinkable on a sunny patio.
New Zealand Pinot Gris
Forget the watery stuff you find in budget bins. This Kiwi rendition offers a textured, mouth-filling experience that feels like biting into a ripe pear while sitting in a spice market. It is lush and undeniably confident.
Forget the watery stuff you find in budget bins. This Kiwi rendition offers a textured, mouth-filling experience that feels like biting into a ripe pear while sitting in a spice market. It is lush and undeniably confident.
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