Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.

Roaring Meg is one of Central Otago's most popular wines and is named, cheekily, after a lady of the night during the infamous gold rush days in this southern region, in the 1800s. 

Pinot Gris is the most popular and widely planted white grape in this region, although it pales in comparison to Pinot Noir, which makes up over 80% of the area's vineyards. Gris is a soft, smooth and approachable white wines, such as this lightly spicy version with a good balance of fresh southern acidity, thanks to the cool climate here. 

All the grapes from this wine are from our Dry River Estate vineyard, with the majority from our first planted vines in 1979. These are dry-grown vines yielding very small bunches and berries. The idea is for this wine to transcend varietal archetype, where the wine is the wine, standing outside its category.
We want to bring you a distinctive Dry River expression of Pinot Gris. The wine is perfect to enjoy young with food, but will further improve over the next five years.
Wet stone, mineral notes and riper characters of kiwi fruit, pears and stone fruit greet the nose. Further complexity is driven by long maturation on lees in old oak barrels, bringing out cashew nuts and a touch of cream and vanilla. The palate is seamless with transparent tannins and densely-packed fruit that brings the focus to middle and finishes effortlessly.

2024 - Bright and fragrant, this Pinot Gris opens with vibrant notes of orange zest, warm apricot, and a whisper of ginger, layered with delicate green melon and soft pear. A subtle floral lift, reminiscent of wildflowers, enhances the bouquet. On the
palate, rich, pastry-like phenolics create depth and texture, evoking the comforting warmth of a crackling fire. A touch of residual sugar lends a silk-like smoothness, while hints of popcorn and brown sugar add contrast and structure to its opulent breadth. The finish is indulgent and lingering, leaving an irresistible, moreish allure.

A little old oak fermentation adds flesh and weight to this medium sweet style of Pinot Gris, which has rich flavours and characterful spicy white pear aromas. This North Canterbury Riesling has residual sugar between 10 and 20 grams per litre, which is beautifully balanced by fresh acidity which adds purity and tension to this lively wine.

This is made from organically certified grapes grown on the banks of the Waipara River in North Canterbury.

The region's cool nights and hot days add length to the ripening season, which makes it easy to ripen grapes with rich flavours. 

* Terrace Edge was named the New Zealand Organic Vineyard of the Year in 2018 and this year was named Aotearoa New Zealand Organic Winery of the Year.

VINEYARD - The fruit from this wine was sourced from a single Waipara Valley vineyard.  The fruit is left on the vine to ripen until the berries start to lose moisture and shrivel, concentrating the flavours and producing a rich style of Pinot Gris. 

SOIL TYPE - Alluvial gravels

WINEMAKING - The fruit was hand-picked and meticulously hand sorted. The juice was fermented warm by indigenous yeasts in aged French oak barriques.

TASTING NOTES - Wonderfully fruited and fragrant, the bouquet shows mango, golden peach, poached pear and rich floral aromas, leading to a splendidly flavoursome palate offering opulent fruit flavours with spicy nuances, finishing long and delicious. Gorgeously styled with rich tones of ripe fruit intensity backed by juicy acidity. Sam Kim - Wine Orbit.

This is a richly textured and dry Pinot Gris. Aromas of pear and white peach are complemented by a subtle herbal character. Light, balanced acidity on the palate leads to a fresh, mineral finish.

Certified biodynamic wine.

Clean and crisp, dry Pinot Gris from Marlborough that is predominantly fermented in stainless steel to preserve the bright green fruit flavours, but also has a portion that is fermented in barrel to provide texture and complexity. Five months on the lees also gives the wine further flavour and builds texture in the wine, adding weight and complex, smooth and notes of creamy flavour. 

From Jules Taylor...

Forget what you think you know about Pinot Gris and try this tasty little treat. Jules conjures up some winemaker witchcraft to coax every last ounce of personality out of this subtle little grape. Modern clones combine with traditional wild ferments, barrel aging and lees stirring to supercharge the aromas and textures of this wine. The end result is a flavour-packed mouthful of peach and citrus with an elegant spicy dry finish: a wine that will keep everyone happy.

Bold, dry deliciousness and peachy perfection with just a hint of hint of spice come together in the perfect party pour.

Tasting Notes
Nashi pear, nectarine, mead and spice greet the nose with a dry, textural and weighty palate, creating a complex and flavourful wine. Made in a dry style.

Vineyard
Moy Hall & Blue Earth vineyards
From low cropped 22 to 28-year-old vines

Vinification
Whole bunch pressed.

Central Otago makes famously dry, concentrated styles of Pinot Gris and Te Kano Life Pinot Gris is an excellent example. Flavours of peach and pear flesh out the body with ginger and spicy aromas adding depth. 

The grapes were hand harvested from the Jerome vineyard which has naturally low vigour and sandy soils, which produce smaller than usual grapes with intense flavours, which produce this structured and complex Gris. 

Pinot Gris is the fourth most planted grape in New Zealand with a massive 2,488 hectares nationwide, inching slowly up to Chardonnay’s 3,167 hectares. It’s huge growth from just 157 hectares of Pinot Gris as recently as 2001, but numbers aside, it’s the taste that counts and Greywacke is next level in flavour. 

The grapes in this wine are from the Wrekin Terrace Vineyard in Brancott Valley where they grow on gravel over clay-loam soils, typical of the Southern Valleys in Marlborough. Three clones of Pinot Gris were all hand picked separately at high ripeness levels to provide rich fruity flavours in the finished wine, which was fermented in a combo of old French oak barriques and stainless steel tanks, all with wild yeasts to a finished 14.4% ABV with 10 grams per litre of residual sugar. 

Fresh, full bodied, off dry and intensely concentrated; one for the large glass on a decadent spring evening. 

A  very aromatic Pinot Gris with a nose exhibiting quince, dough, pear apple and cream. The palate is rich and intense with flavours of pork fat, apple and stone ruit - brought together in a bright acid frame.

Established in 1864 by Jean Désiré Féraud, Monte Christo is the birthplace of Central Otago wine. Our wines are made with 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from our vineyards across three distinct sub-regions, the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa. Utilising sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention methods in the winery, the outcome is elegant, refined, and impeccably balanced wines epitomising the terroir of Central Otago.

Tasting note Dry, medium-bodied and luscious, with pronounced notes of fresh yellow apple and pear, white peach, melon and honeysuckle.

VINEYARDS

Vineyard: Davishon (69%)

Subregion: Alexandra Basin 

Elevation: 160m 

Clone(s): 6, Mystery clone 

Soil: Blackmans alluvial sand, silt and gravels derived from schist and sandstone 

WINEMAKING

Brix: 22.3

Fermentation: 80% stainless steel and 20% neutral French oak

Aging: Four months in stainless steel Cases

A field blend of Pinot Blanc from the Bentwood Vineyard and Pinot Gris from the neighbouring Cross Hares vineyard. Picked on the same day.

Whole bunch Pinot Gris placed gently in amphora with direct press Pinot Blanc pressed atop. Fermented on skins in amphora for 6 months. The wine was then settled and blended with a puncheon of pinot blanc.

Apricot yoghurt, soft chalky tannin, crystallized ginger, peach ice tea salivating acidity.