Arona

We are certified under Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand which means that the vineyard, winery and bottling are all certified sustainable. If a New Zealand wine doesn't state that the wine's sustainable, then either they don't care enough, or it isn't certified sustainable. but we try to do more... Our microclimate reduces the incidence of disease. Continuous care and careful soil management help us reduce chemical use to a minimum. We compare very well to the average New Zealand vineyard, with just 65% of the average treatments. We do this by being big enough to own the equipment to do it ourselves and being small enough to live and breathe the vineyard environment. That means we monitor and react, rather than assuming the worst will happen and applying prescribed treatments based on calendar spraying. If it doesn't need to be done, then we don't do it. Our mantra of Minimal Intervention drives us to keep our vines healthy and productive with minimal impact on our environment. Muritai", meaning "Sea Breeze" in Maori, nestles between the bluffs of Blind River half a mile from the sea in the cooler Awatere Valley. There are recognized differences between the wines of the Awatere and Wairau valleys. Awatere wines are fresher and mineral while Wairau wines are more tropical and rounder. Blind River's most recognizable element is a flinty, smoky minerality. Muritai was planted, mostly, in 2004.

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