Clearview Estate - our new winery of the month
If asked to imagine a great name for a winery, the words Clearview Estate would easily conjure up images of exactly that - a clear view. And it's an apt name for our new winery of the month, Clearview Estate, which is situated on the coast at Te Awanga, south of Napier, where it has an unimpeded view of the wild coastline.
Clearview Estate is one of Hawke's Bay longest established wineries and was first established in 1986 on the neglected Vidal's No.2 Vineyard at Te Awanga on the coast south of Napier. This property was first planted in grapes by Antonio Joseph Vidal from 1916 onwards. It's also home to the olive tree that is now over 100 years old and features in the Old Olive Block Vineyard.
This beautiful setting was the choice of business partners Tim Turvey and Helma van den Berg. They were inspired to breath new life into this old established vineyard by hand grafting their own vines, planting the first new vines in the winter of 1988 and making their first red the following year.
Today the winery is best known for many things, including top notch Chardonnays in a range of full bodied, popular styles, a dessert red called Sea Red, and also a bunch of big full bodied red wines. The first Chardonnay was released in 1991 by Turvey and van den Berg, and they have never looked back, adding a range of Chardonnays to their range in the meantime.
In the early years, the partners added three acres every year, grafting and planting vines, ramming posts, running wires, training young vines, and for many years completing all of the pruning themselves.
They continue to run and operate the business today and have also employed winemakers Matt Kirby and Rob Bregmen to continue the growth and high quality winemaking that has always characterised Clearview Estate.
* Clearview Estate winery has a cellar door and restaurant on site at Te Awanga.