WAIPARA VALLEY
According to Bob Campbell MW, Waipara is ‘one of the unsung heroes of the wine industry’. It is fast becoming renowned for producing premium wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Riesling. And thanks to our multi-award winning wine maker Scott Berry, we’re making some of that wine.
CLIMATE
The region is characterised by long, hot autumns and low rainfall. The region's heat and rainfall during the critical October to April growing season are similar to Marlborough. Yet while Marlborough's grape growers point to cool night and hot daytime temperatures as one of the region's key quality factors, in Waipara the disparity is even greater.
Growing season data (Oct-April) |
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Growing degree days
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117
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SOILS
The soils differ dramatically across the region, with the central and western side of the valley (where Mount Brown is located) having well-drained, low fertility, gravel soils. The hillsides on the eastern side of the valley are limestone-based clay soils. And in the south, the soils are gravel loams over alluvial sub-soils.
PLANTINGS
In 2008 there were 1,400 hectares of grapes and 20 wineries in Waipara, mostly producing Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Typically Waipara vineyards are making wine from low yields, with the region average just 33.5l/ha, which is half the overall New Zealand average.
