Wine & Whenua: Meet The NZ Winemakers Blending Māoritanga With Grapes
We're delighted to be featured in a stunning new article in the popular Viva Magazine, produced by the NZ Herald.
Wine writer and critic, Dr. Jo Burzynska shares an in-depth story about the emerging Maori winemakers and wine producers of Aotearoa-New Zealand, and we're so proud to be part of this story. Check out some of the highlights below:
Wine & Whenua: Meet The NZ Winemakers Blending Māoritanga With Grapes
A small but growing group of wineries are blending some valuable Māoritanga into Aotearoa’s wines. Viva’s wine editor Jo Burzynska has a kōrero with Māori winemakers who have elected to embrace the vine.
Te Pā
Positioned between the Wairau River and the Pacific Ocean, Te Pā's home vineyard holds profound significance for Haysley MacDonald (Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Rārua). With ancestors who landed here on the Wairau Bar 800 years ago and have worked these soils for generations, Haysley’s ties to the land run deep. Vines may be newcomers here, as elsewhere in Aotearoa, but he stands among a small but growing group of Māori connecting their culture through the land with wine.
“Sense of place and home is important to us,” says Haysley, a sentiment reflected in his winery’s name, te Pā, meaning ‘our home’. “We’ve been both unfortunate and fortunate. Māori in general were kicked off the best land in Marlborough and put on land considered the worst, which has actually turned out to be some of the best for growing grapes.”
When Haysley and his family began converting their dairy and crop farm into vineyards in 2003, the land’s proximity to water meant it wasn’t considered prime vineyard territory. However, the quality of the grapes it produced inspired Haysley to establish the Te Pā label in 2011. The critical success that followed has now led Te Pā to expand its initial 100ha planting to nearly 600ha of vineyards today.
This genuine connection to place has also helped the label thrive in the currently challenging wine market. “The world is changing,” says Haysley. “People want to know who’s behind the wines they drink, where they come from, and that it’s not made up. That’s been working for us.”
A taste of the whenua: 5 wines to try now
Te Pā The Reserve Collection “Seaside” Sauvignon Blanc 2023, $25
From the Seaside Block of Te Pā's Home Vineyard, you can taste the salinity in this elegant and edgy sauvignon. Full of fresh green herbs, with notes of basil and blackcurrant leaf, and zesty lime, it opens up wonderfully with time in the glass and food.
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Aroha nui to Dr. Jo Burzynska for the opportunity to be featured and cheers to the other Maori wineries and producers featured in this great article. If you would like to stock any of our wines, or learn more about our story, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you! Email mikela@tepawines.com and we'll come right back to you.
