VINEYARD

The Butterfish Bay vineyard is a total of 12.5 planted hectares on slopes overlooking Mangonui Harbour and features varieties specifically chosen for the prevailing climatic conditions in the Far North of New Zealand. The growing strategy is focused on quality not yield and only quality grapes are harvested.

WINE VARIETIES

Description of varieties as follows:

Pinot Gris

A mutation of the Burgundy variety Pinot Noir and a mainstay variety of Alsace. In New Zealand it has rapidly expanded to become our 3rd most planted white variety and is very adaptable to a wide range of climatic conditions. Being early ripening it generally avoids inclement weather conditions that may occur later in the vintage. At Butterfish Bay vineyard it is beginning to prove itself as a premium variety and adapting well to the more humid weather of northern New Zealand.

Viognier

A Rhone white variety rapidly growing in popularity in New Zealand with distinctive aromatic character. Although a more erratic cropper than Pinot Gris, it is proving well adapted to the Northern New Zealand humid climate. Low yields are leading to very ripe fruit and exceptional quality.

Cabernet Franc

A famous variety of St Emillion in Bordeaux and blended with Merlot and Malbec there. New French selections were planted at Butterfish Bay and are proving to produce high quality grapes and wine on the red clay soils there. Cabernet Franc ripens later than the white varieties and is proving to have excellent wet weather tolerence due to its tough skin. In warm years such as the 2009 vintage it will be bottled as a varietal wine or may be blended with Tannat to increase intensity.

Tannat

A variety grown in the Cahors area of France where it is blended with Malbec. Tannat produces wine with intense colour and high tannins and was chosen for Butterfish bay to be blended with other red varietis principally Cabernet Franc. It is proving to ripen well but in wetter years may succumb to bunch rot and may not always reach the high quality standards expected.
Other new varieties are also being trialled at the Butterfish bay vineyard to assess their suitability with a view to producing wines which are unique to the new wine region in the Far North of New Zealand.