Country: New Zealand

Region: Marlborough

About the winery:

Mike and Jo Eaton, owners and operators of TerraVin purchased their land in 1998 in New Zealand's Marlborough wine region.  Their site sits on a north-facing hillside in the Omaka Valley, which offers lower rainfall, hot days, cool nights, and a long, slow ripening period.  These conditions allow Mike, as head vigneron, to extract the maximum amount of flavor and terroir from his grapes.

Most of New Zealand is influenced by a maritime environment, but Marlborough is not only coastal, but mountainous as well, with the Southern Alpst running up the middle of the South Island keeping this unique cool climate. It is this range, and the Kaikoura range, that divert much of the rainfall off the coast, particularly during summer and autumn. Hence the rise of Marlborough as a cool climate wine growing region, similar to Burgundy.  The two regions have roughly the same latitude, but on opposite sides of the equator, thus New Zealand is considered an antipodal region.

Mike has always expressed an affinity for the land and believes this is what truly makes a great wine.  Land management is one of the most thoughtful and important aspects of TerraVin’s operation.  One of their principle aims is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the land, and is key to their management philosophy.  They use soft, organic compounds to manage foliage and work in cover crops to maintain soil structure.  To reduce pesticide use, TerraVin uses swards, or sections of vegetation, which consist of a variety of flowers and tubers that attract beneficial insects who then eat pest species.

According to Mike, a great wine, “Tells a story of time and place.”  A great wine makes you ask, “Where is this from?”  We hope you enjoy these wines and can tell how much thought, craft, and spirit has gone into their creation.