The River

The Opawa River runs along the southern boundary of our family vineyard and is the lifeblood of the property. It is this river, over the centuries, which has flooded and deposited fertile silt loam onto our vineyard sites. Its waters are home to abundant plant, bird and fish life; most importantly Whitebait, a local delicacy in Marlborough and perfect with a glass of our Zephyr Riesling.

Aspect and soil

The soils of our site are fertile, the aspect is north facing and the sub-region is described as ‘early country’, sheltered from the harsh southerly weather patterns, sitting in the lee of the Wither Hills to the south east of the Wairau Valley floor.

Our vineyard is only three kilometres from the high tide mark and the vineyard is approximating 10 metres above sea level. Being close to the sea, in some years we see a very unique flavour profile in some of our wines. There is a distinctive umami note, a salty influence that creates a unique sense of place from this single vineyard site.

The soil structure is Kaiapoi silt loam. It has a fertile soil profile, which borders the Opawa river. As you move north, away from the river, the soils become more clay loam in structure.