Producers
Alpha Domus
Alpha Domus is a small, family-owned winery founded in 1989 and run by the Ham family in Bridge Pa, Hawke's Bay. The winery focuses especially on red wines but produces superb quality across the board. They have a total of 20 hectares of vineyards, and all the winery's wines are made from estate-grown grapes. Every wine from the winery is certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, a testament to their long-term commitment to sustainable viticultural methods; for example, no chemical pesticides are used in their vineyards. The cornerstones of Alpha Domus include their high-quality red wines, Chardonnays, and excellent sparkling wines.
Linden Estate
Linden Estate is one of the few wineries in Hawke's Bay whose vineyards are located exclusively on hillsides rather than on the plains. The winery is situated in a stunning location in Esk Valley, and wine has been produced on the estate since the 1970s. All the winery's wines are made from their own grapes, cultivated on a total vineyard area of about 11 hectares. As many as eleven different varieties are grown in the vineyards, which is a significant number for a small producer. The winery is indeed one of the few New Zealand estates that produces varieties such as Pinotage and Grüner Veltliner.
Brookfields
If you only visit one winery in Hawke’s Bay, make it Brookfields. Brookfields is one of the region's oldest operating boutique wineries and has been with its current owners since the 1980s. The winery focuses especially on red wines and Bordeaux blends, and indeed, many of its wines are stylistically more reminiscent of their European cousins. In Hawke's Bay, Brookfields is particularly known for its excellent price-to-quality ratio and its extremely warm-hearted service. The winery's production volumes are small, with only about 8,000-10,000 cases of wine produced annually.
Albariño Brothers & Chateau Garage
Albariño has become a particularly trendy grape in New Zealand in just a few years. Albariño Brothers, which joined this trend, focuses solely and exclusively on producing Albariño. The brand, which started as a side business for winemaker Ollie Powrie and his two friends, has quickly gathered a solid fan base, and the winery's three Albariños can be seen extensively on the wine lists of Hawke's Bay restaurants. The winery's grapes come from both Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, and each of their wines is its own unique interpretation of this wonderful grape originating from the Iberian Peninsula. Ollie also makes wine under his own Chateau Garage brand (the winemaking actually takes place in the Powrie family garage), but only a fraction of this ends up outside Hawke’s Bay.
Ata Rangi
Ata Rangi is one of Martinborough's most awarded and esteemed wineries. The winery produces a diverse range of many wine styles, but Ata Rangi has become best known (both nationally and internationally) especially for its Pinot Noirs. Ata Rangi's wines are consistently made to be age-worthy, and therefore they wonderfully represent the earthy style of Martinborough. The winery's production volumes are small, and only a fraction of the wines end up being exported. All of Ata Rangi's wines are certified organic.
Black Estate
Black Estate is a pioneer in sustainable wine production, both in Canterbury and on the scale of New Zealand as a whole. Nicholas Brown and Pen Naish bought the estate in 2007, and right from the beginning, the focus of all operations has been on both environmentally respectful viticultural methods and the creation of top-quality wines. All of the winery's vineyards are certified for biodynamic farming methods. The focus of their production is on crisp Pinot Noirs, Chenin Blanc, and Pét-Nat sparkling wines, which are a rarity for New Zealand.
Luna Estate
Luna Estate owns one of the oldest Pinot Noir-producing vineyards in Martinborough. Indeed, the winery's Pinot Noirs have received several awards and accolades in New Zealand. Production volumes are small, as with other Martinborough vineyards, which is why only a fraction of the production ends up being exported. Luna Estate's vineyards are currently transitioning to fully organic farming methods.
Brennan Wines
Brennan Wines is located in Central Otago, the world’s southernmost commercial wine-growing region, with its first vines planted in 1994. Brennan’s vineyards are situated at a relatively high altitude by New Zealand standards. This location, tucked within a mountain-fringed valley, creates a distinctly continental microclimate for the area, despite the relative proximity of the sea. The estate remains family-owned, and its production volumes are small. While the primary focus is on Pinot Noir, the estate also produces limited quantities of other varieties, such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer.