Our Philosophy

Winemaking at Awatere River is a balance of head and heart; science has an important role to play, but numbers alone do not make good wine - that really comes down to artistry.

We, therefore, have great respect for the more intuitive old-world winemaking methods, particularly the French approach. We believe the less handling, the better, and we like to allow the wine to develop with little or no finings - an opportunity that is only presented when the wine itself is of a very high standard. We believe you can see and taste the expression of this philosophy in every glass of Awatere River wine.

"Wine is alive; it's moving and changing; both in the barrel and the bottle."

Louis Vavasour, Winemaker and Founder