Waiheke Island is a renowned wine region that produces critically acclaimed artisan wines & is only a short ferry ride from downtown Auckland. Waiheke was established as a grape growing area from the early 1980’s as a premium district for producing high quality red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc. It has since expanded to include Syrah, Chardonnay & other varietals that perform particularly well in the warm, dry summer with a maritime climate & lengthy mild autumns. Waiheke is known as the ‘Island of Wine’.

SOHO’s Jomara Vineyard

SOHO’s Waiheke ‘JOMARA’ vineyard is located in Onetangi at the north eastern end of Waiheke Island. The vineyard focus is on ultra premium grape production with crop loads very low 1 to 2.5kg per vine. The vineyard is north west facing so it receives ideal sun & heat through the day & the gentle sea breezes have a cooling effect at night. These conditions ensure perfect ripening of fruit & beautiful concentration of flavours. Soil types are predominately clay loam with some volcanic ash & gravels.

Bright & long summer days with cool nights typify the climate in Marlborough & result in the ability to produce crisp, zesty whites & suave cool climate reds. Marlborough is defined by two districts, the Wairau & Awatere, both ancient riverbeds with free draining alluvial loam over gravelly subsoil. Within these sub regions are a varying & complex array of micro climate & soils. The long, consistent growing season, temperate pacific breeze & cool nights preserve the bright fruit characters, which encourage classic Marlborough wines. Sauvignon Blanc is still the region’s principal grape but the climate is cool & recently fine examples of Riesling & Pinot Gris have emerged. The regions is now the largest producer of Pinot Noir & acclaim is mounting for these fragrant, supple, mouth filling reds.
SOHO sources grapes from their own vineyards in the Wairau Valley (Brancott sub region). Additionally SOHO’s winemaker Dave Clouston tends to various special vineyards within the valleys enabling him to unleash Marlborough’s full potential, crafting wines of the land – pure, taut & focused.

SOHO’s Jomara & Yarrum vineyards

The White wines are mostly planted on free draining silty clay loams on the flats, soils that predominantly express citrus & grapefruit flavours. The Pinot Noir is on a clay loam soil on gentle, closely planted hill slopes which express cherry, plum & earthy characters. The clay loams are more moisture retentive soils, making use of Marlborough’s unrushed ripening season

Dramatic mountain valley vineyards of the world’s most southerly wine region have excelled in recent years, particular with vibrant cherry spicy flavoured & velvety textured Pinot Noir. Many sub regions have now been developed within the Central Otago region.

Gibbston vineyard

A cool sub region & has one of the slowest ripening seasons. A key factor in quality Pinot Noir from such a cool area is a long hang time of the grapes on the vine; this allows them to develop elegance & complexity of flavour.

The vineyard is planted in the true north-to-south direction, maximising the amount of sunlight hours the vines receive, contributing dramatically to the uniform ripening of fruit, a critical factor in Pinot Noir quality. Vineyard soils are mainly schist derived, windblown alluvial loess.

BENDIGO vineyard

The Bendigo vineyard is the newest vineyard and it has high elevation & good airflow. This means slightly cooler temperatures, which is important in these warmer sub regions, helping to prevent rots and mold. The wines from this very warm part of Otago are described as dark, rich & lush capturing the rock-reflected heat and ripeness of this special site.