Esk Valley is a boutique Hawkes Bay winery, led by veteran winemaker Gordon Russell. It is renowned for hand-crafted premium reds and elegant whites.

Esk Valley Estate was first established by Englishman Robert Bird in 1933 under the name Glenvale. Bird constructed the original winery and cellars and focussed on producing fortified wine styles that were popular at the time. Glenvale grew quickly and at its peak was the 5th largest winery in New Zealand.

Sir George Fistonich owner of Villa Maria saved and renamed the estate in 1986 with a focus on high quality wines from local Hawkes Bay vineyards. In 1988 a program to re-establish an abandoned terraced vineyard was undertaken. This vineyard on the north facing valley wall of the old winery site was planted in 1989 and the resulting wine, The Terraces, has become one of New Zealands most highly sought-after wines.

Our long-standing winemaker, Gordon Russell, was appointed in 1993 and has dedicated the last 25 years to developing our reputation as a boutique winery, renowned for hand-crafted premium reds and elegant whites made in a traditional fashion with as little intervention as possible to reflect site and season.

Esk Valley has always crafted award winning boutique wines using traditional hands-on techniques. This simple and artisanal approach was born of the original winery site with its old concrete vats, unique layout and absence of modern technology. In 2018 the limitations of this 85-year-old winery were reached and Esk Valley relocated its winemaking operation to an all new site situated in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District of Hawkes Bay.

Vinification

Stony vineyard sites in the Wairau Valley (40%) and further south in the cooler Awatere Valley were selected for this wine. The Wairau Valley fruit provides the blended wine with structure and tropical fruit notes while the Awatere Vineyard offers acidity and pungent notes of nettle, pea pods and gooseberry. The vineyards are all carefully managed and crop thinned in the pursuit of quality fruit.

The individual vineyard parcels were harvested and transported to the winery for immediate pressing to capture the freshness of the fruit. Fermentation was conducted at cool temperatures utilising selected yeast strains. At the completion of fermentation, the finished wines were left on lees and stirred to gain richness and complexity before blending and bottling.

Tasting Notes

This is an intensely aromatic wine in a classic Marlborough style. True to its origins its flavours are a medley of ripe tropical fruits and notes of citrus and fresh herbs. It is dry and medium bodied with a crisp refreshing finish.

This dry wine is a perfect match for seafood and many Asian inspired dishes.