A TASTE OF HISTORY
Home to the very first grapes planted in the region a century ago, the Masterton Plains open to big skies and sweeping vistas below the Tararua Ranges.
Early Wairarapa settlers established large-scale farming dynasties, prominent among them the pioneering grape-growing Beethams. Family-owned properties are the backbone of this young wine landscape, possibly the harshest of the region’s climatic variations.
Flavoursome sauvignon blanc thrives in this bold open environment, as does the capricious pinot noir.
The moody mass of the towering Tararua Ranges dominates the valley. Early morning frosts sweep from snow-capped peaks across bare wintry vines, followed by crisp sunny days. Summer days can be scorching. This is the diurnal range in action - that essential contrast between cold nights and warm days that slowly builds flavour in grapes, note by complex note.
Differing soil profiles challenge winemakers as they coax the fine balance between crop quality and quantity from their vines. Roots stretch deeply into gravel river beds seeking nourishment. Local limestone with river-laid silt loam is now scientifically recognised as prime grape-growing conditions, especially pinot noir.
CIRCLE OF HISTORY
The first grapes were planted more on a romantic whim born of nostalgia than scientific evidence. Fortunately, those early viticultural instincts proved to be perceptive as connections between Wairarapa and Burgundy attributes strengthened.
The link may be as simple as the shared passion growers and winemakers bring to work, regardless of hemisphere, or as complex as interrelationships between earth and sky, soil and water.
Extending over a century, the link remains intact as the spiritual heirs of those early winemakers bring the dream of quality wine from the Wairarapa to life.