| Region of production: | Hawke’s Bay GI |
| Winery Location: | Napier, Hawke’s Bay |
| Year Established: | 1933 |
Vineyard Holdings
N/A
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay (Hawke’s Bay GI): Whole-cluster pressed. Fermented in barrel using indigenous yeasts, followed by 11 months aging.
- Winemakers Reserve Syrah (Hawke’s Bay GI): Destemmed and fermented in open-top concrete tanks using indigenous yeasts.
- Winemakers Reserve Merlot Blend (Hawke’s Bay GI): Fermented using a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts. Aged in French oak barriques for 18 months.
- The Terraces (Hawke’s Bay GI): Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. Harvested from the terraced vineyard planted in 1940 and fermented in concrete tanks. Aged in barrel for 17 months.
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
Englishman Robert Bird brought vines to the Esk Valley in Hawke’s Bay in 1933, founding what was first called Glenvale Winery and Cellars. The area had been occupied for at least five centuries, formerly home to the hilltop Māori village Heipipi Pa. Seven years after Glenvale’s establishment, in 1940, Bird planted a steep, terraced vineyard, which today provides fruit for Esk Valley’s flagship Bordeaux blend, The Terraces. Falling into financial hardship in the 1980s, Glenvale was purchased by Sir George Fistonich of Villa Maria, and subsequently its name was changed to Esk Valley. The brand operates independently from Villa Maria’s other holdings, with Glenvale’s original concrete tanks still in use.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Esk Valley utilizes a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts. Concrete tanks dating back to the winery’s founding in 1933 are still used to ferment the top red wines.
Producer Website: Esk Valley