06-Jun-2013
Harakeke Farm is the Upper Moutere vineyard and winery of Joanne Costar and Andrew Sutherland who planted 3 ha of vines on their 13 ha Wills Road site in 2006. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling are on north-facing slopes in clay soils. Joanne, and Andrew who was winemaker at Neudorf and Woollaston previously, see the Harakeke Farm wines as family made and expressing the vineyard, traditional and natural winemaking, and the season. The wines are made from very low-cropped vines, approximately yielding one bottle per vine or less, and are packed with complex flavours and well-structured. It is clear they are made with passion. Harakeke is the Maori word for ‘flax’; the low-lying areas of the farm are being replanted with flax and other natives. www.harakekefarm.co.nz