Planted area is now on two distinctively different sites: the Mudbrick Vineyard at Church Bay and Shepherds Point Vineyard at Onetangi.Plantings currently include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah Chardonnay and Viognier. Handpicking, hand plunging and gentle basket pressing reflect in the character of our wines. Our Chardonnay exhibits the vibrancy of dry hot Waiheke summers.
In addition to our Waiheke range, we also produce a Pinot Noir and white wines from other New Zealand regions.
Waiheke is diverse. Although it is identified by its geographical boundaries of being an Island it does have many different microclimates, different soils and characteristics. The purchase of the Shepherds Point vineyard in 1998 allowed us to secure one of the best viticulture blocks on Waiheke Island. The two blocks have quite varied terrain, with Mudbrick being planted on mostly North facing clay slopes and a closer maritime influence, and Shepherds Point laying on gently undulating terrain, within a valley, under the protection of the long Stony Ridge. One of the advantages of having two sites is that we can blend separate wines together to produce a more complex and rewarding result. Differences can be exemplified with our Merlot batches where Shepherds Point provides a strong leather character and Mudbrick gives dense chocolate and plum characters. Selection between and within these different sites adds greater complexity and reward.
Martin Pickering spent eight years at Goldwater Estate on Waiheke Island as an assistant winemaker before going to the Hawke's Bay where he achieve a degree in winemaking at the Eastern Institute of Technology. Once completing his degree Martin spent two years as a winemaker at Brookfields in Hawke's Bay. In between his time of working at Goldwater Estate and studying Martin travelled overseas and was involved in three vintages in California (Napa Valley) and a vintage on the Right Bank of Bordeaux before moving back to Waiheke Island to work at The Mudbrick.
A small note about the vines...
In our vineyards we realise that without balance there is little harmony. Together, the land, the soil and the people create our environment. With this in mind we have undertaken a programme of sustainable winegrowing.
It all starts at pruning time as the sou'wester whips the ears and smarts the cheeks! Each vine is pruned with respect to how it itself has performed the year before, more wood for the bolshy, less wood for the shy! The prunings are mulched back into the soil.
From budburst onwards, as the shoots appear they are tucked into vertical hedges to prevent damage. Just towards the end of flowering a leaf pluck is done by hand to remove all the leaves from around the bunches (this allows the light to shine on, and the air to circulate around, the developing fruit thus reducing fungal spoilage and increasing the development of ripe flavours and tannins). Hand harvesting is the norm for all our fruit, only the best and cleanest fruit makes it into the picking bins and on to the winery.
We hope you will enjoy the fruit of the vines as much as we do, preferably with good food and good company, but nevertheless.
