The Region & Terroir

Golden Bay is situated in the extreme northwest corner of NZ's south island and of the Nelson wine region. It has great natural beauty and fine beaches and is fast developing as an art centre, tourist and holiday venue.

Nelson has already established itself as a significant wine region and Golden Bay with its clear unpolluted atmosphere, moderate climate with long sunshine hours and generally favourable soils is set to play an increasing part in the developing Nelson region. Interest is growing here in the planting of early ripening red and aromatic white wine varieties with a number of small vineyards already established.

The soils of the Golden Bay Wines vineyard are free draining gravelly alluvium overlying limestone bedrock which outcrops in interesting karst formations in the more elevated areas. The vineyard slopes gently downward in a northerly direction ensuring maximum sunshine exposure. Golden Bay generally and our vineyard site in particular is sheltered from the prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds but the vineyard does receive moderate land/sea breezes which materially assist in maintaining low humidity around the vines.

The moderate to warm climate with long summers and cool winters provides ideal conditions for cool climate viticulture.