The Home Vineyard is located 6 kilometres north east of the Waipara Junction, in the Omihi sub-district of Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. The slope is a north facing sedimentary clay fan on a gentle hill side slope. The soils are mainly Awapuni clay loam with calcium carbonate deposits. The vineyard was planted by the late Russell and Kimiko Black. The Pinot Noir was planted in a 3.8 ha block. Un-grafted predominantly 10-5 clone and were planted in 1994 at a vine density of 1841 vines per hectare. The vineyard was irrigated once in 1998. The Chardonnay grows in the adjacent 3.8ha block. Un-grafted Mendoza Chardonnay vines were planted in 1994 at a vine density of 1841 vines per hectare. Organic and Biodynamic practices have been used since 2010. Damsteep Vineyard (formally Spye) is located in the north east of Waipara Valley at the foot of the Omihi Saddle, 10km north of our Home Vineyard. Riesling and Pinot Noir grow here with vine density of more than 5000 vine per hectare.

Pinot Noir is grown on a 5 hectare north east facing slope, with an altitude between 140 to 180 meters above sea level. The vines here were planted in 1999 and grow on clay overlying fractured limestone and sandstone soils.The Riesling vineyard is 2.2 ha and lies on a north facing slope below the pinot noir. The soil is in very dense brown/ orange clay and inter bedded with sandstones and subordinate limestone horizons. Planted by Russell Black and Daniel Schuster in 1986 at a vine density of 5000 vines per hectare. Netherwood’s soils are classified as Waipara Greensand which is a green grey richly glauconitic sandstone. Pinot Noir cuttings were planted here on their own roots and established and farmed without irrigation. The Chardonnay block is 0.8 hectares and was planted in 1986 on a south facing hillside. The vines are mass selection and thought to be cuttings of Mendoza Chardonnay. The vine density should be 5000 vines per hectare but half of them are Pinot Noir so it is hard to tell.

Organic and Biodynamic practices have been used since 2012. Distinct New Zealand Winelocally sourced × crafted with love Located in Takapau, Hawkes Bay Junction Wine is a purveyor of fine New Zealand Wines The Junction Vineyard is proudly owned by former All Black front row forward John Ashworth and family. It is located at the junction of State Highway 2 and 50 on the windswept stony gravels of the Takapau Plains in Central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.This small, boutique vineyard enjoys the long cool Central Hawkes Bay growing seasons, allowing son and winemaker Leith to produce award-winning, intense, aromatic wines. These wines have a unique and distinctive character we feel confident you will enjoy.Visitors are welcomed at the Cellar Door with plenty of kiwi hospitality and good wine. If you are coming through in a campervan or motorhome you are most welcome to pull in and stay overnight.John played 24 tests in the front row for the All Blacks. John played from 1977 through till his final tour with the famous 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers, retiring one year before the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

John's passion for wine was born during an All Black tour to France where he was given a Pinot Noir which he describes as having “gone to his toes”. In 1985 John and his wife Jo sold their farm in Canterbury to move north to Hawke's Bay. best chicken and wine recipeWhile looking for a new farm, John had had his eye out for a suitable spot to grow grapes. best rose wine usaNow he's showing they picked a winner when buying their Central Hawke's Bay property in 1986.  best prices on wine kitsPhone06 855 8321 or0274455245LocationJunction of Highway 2 & Highway 50, RD2 TakapauCentral Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. best selling italian wine

HoursWe're open afternoons or by appointment Cellar Door2014 Hawkes Bay A&P Cellar Door of the YearDrop in for a Tasting OUR CELLAR DOOR IS OPEN THROUGHT OUT THE YEAR.We do tastings at our country home cellar door. buy cooking wine under 21There's is a comfortable sit down area for larger groups. best wine bars villageWe are open most days and while it is not essential to book, we suggest you phone ahead of arriving to avoid any disappointment. best value wine boxes ukGroup books may incur a service charge.best new zealand white wineWEEKENDS 12noon -5pmOPEN MOST WEEK DAYS 12noon - 5pm (from November to March)PLEASE PHONE TO MAKE A BOOKING FOR OTHER TIMESPlanning a reunion or birthday celebration? best wine tasting tours in italy

Or perhaps a corporate get-together for team building. WE CAN COME TO YOU!!!What ever the occasion we would be delighted to come to you and stage a wine tasting. In addition, if you wish, John will spend a little time entertaining with insightful and amusing anecdotes about his time as an All Black front row forward.06 855 8321 or0274455245Junction of Highway 2 & Highway 50, RD2 TakapauCentral Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Kiwi Wines Worth Trying In 2015: An Expert’s Tips To mark the 2015 release of Michael Cooper’s best selling Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines, Cooper reveals which wines are worth trying in the coming months. What are some stand out new additions to the 2015 guide? The Best White Wine Buy of the Year is Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2014 (****1/2, $19.95). A full-bodied, fleshy, rich and dry wine with strong, ripe stone-fruit flavours and complexity from aging in French oak barrels, it’s the sort of wine for which you could easily pay well over $30.

The Best Red Wine Buy of the Year is Brancott Estate Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2013 (****, $17). If you are looking for a delicious, flavour-packed red that slips down easily and is highly affordable (when it’s on promotion, you can pick it up for less than $15), look no further. As a white-wine country, in terms of overall output, we grow grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris that are of French origin. But wine lovers who are feeling adventurous should try one of the emerging breed of New Zealand whites based on traditional Spanish, Portuguese, Austrian and Italian varieties. Albarino, from north-west Spain, yields apricot-scented, crisp, mouth-watering wines, usually served with seafood, but also enjoyable with Chinese-style chicken dishes. Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s favourite white-wine variety, produces tangy, slightly spicy, musky wines, good with fish and a stimulating aperitif. In terms of wine styles, rather than grape varieties, rosé is increasingly trendy and about 100 NZ rosés have been reviewed in the new book.

What about up-and-coming regions, and what varieties are they producing well? Waipara, in North Canterbury, is increasingly recognised for the high quality of its full-bodied, richly flavoured Pinot Noirs and scented, appetisingly crisp Rieslings. Arguably the most underrated region is Nelson, the source of some excellent – and often bargain-priced – Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminers, Chardonnays, Rieslings and Pinot Noirs. Will we be seeing more wines designed to be served with ice, such as Akarua’s Alchemy Ice and Moët Ice Impérial?As it melts, ice dilutes a wine’s flavour. The best way to cool a wine is to put it in the fridge for an hour or so. Serve it gently chilled, rather than cold. Which stickers or awards on wine bottles are worth paying attention to? With more than a dozen wine competitions in New Zealand, and lots of magazines organising comparative tastings, consumers are faced with a bewildering array of awards (including over 750 gold medals each year and countless five-star ratings.)

Some gold-coloured stickers have nothing to do with gold medals, but simply state in small print things like ‘Established 1965’ or ‘100 per cent estate-grown in Hawke’s Bay.’ The most important guide to wine quality is the reputation of the producer – go for wineries with a long-term reputation for quality. Is price a good indication of quality? If all else fails, price can be a rough-and-ready guide to quality. Beware of buying a wine simply because it is heavily discounted. Many wines are ‘priced up to price down’, and those ‘normal retail price’ $25 wines, discounted to $15, “Save $10”, typically taste just like a $15 wine. For their sheer value-for-money from one vintage to the next, my two favourites ranges of wine are Villa Maria’s middle-tier range, labelled Cellar Selection, and the Church Road range (from Pernod Ricard NZ, formerly Montana.) Designed to help the buyer to make informed choices about the best value and best quality wines available, Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines is firmly established as the most authoritative and sought-after guide to New Zealand wines.