Matahiwi Estate is a family owned New Zealand winery located in Masterton, in the heart of the Wairarapa. A few kilometers North of Martinborough, it is sheltered by the Tararuas mountain range.
Brief history: Matahiwi Estate is located in the very heart of the Wairarapa and we pride ourselves on being an award-winning family-owned winery. We have adopted an extensive hands-on approach to our winemaking, in line with those used by the finest international wine producers whilst utilising the latest developments in technology.
Romeo Bragato, an Italian viticulturist & oenologist, was contracted by New Zealand’s Department of Agriculture in 1895 to advise on planting & pruning vines in New Zealand. He reported the ideal growing conditions that the Wairarapa & other regions in New Zealand offered for grape growing. French wife of early settler, William Beetham, was so inspired by our region when she left her Burgundian homeland to live in New Zealand in the 1880s. They produced the region’s first Pinot Noir vintage in 1897. Prohibition came into force in the late 1900’s which saw an end to winemaking in the region.
Location: We are the northern-most vineyard in the Wairarapa region.
Climate: A relatively long and dry growing season characterises the region, with summer days typically reaching 28-32 C. The diurnal difference increased markedly in late summer and early autumn, resulting in relatively cool temperatures in the last month of ripening – ideal for premium Pinot Noir production.
Soils types: The vineyard soils are typical of the band of free-draining, fine alluvial loams running through the Opaki/Gladstone areas and south to Martinborough, coating the ancient riverbeds of the Waingawa and Ruamahanga Rivers.
Vineyards and grape varieties: There are 75 hectares on the home vineyard of which:
- 48ha are Pinot Noir
- 20ha of Sauvignon Blanc
- 5ha of Pinot Gris
- 2ha of Chardonnay
Winery: The state-of-the-art Matahiwi Estate winery was designed by award-winning Wellington architects Bevin + Slessor, in response to the demands of site, climate conditions and the needs of a specialist Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc producer.
Viticulture: We produce wine according to the criteria of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ).
Inter-row plantings promote healthy soils and bio-diversity in the vineyard. The flowering buckwheat and phacelia attract natural predators for some vineyard pests, while clovers, oats, chicory and vetch provide nitrogen and other nutrients to vines when they are mown or cultivated into the ground.
The winery continually tests different viticulture and winemaking methods, including organic regimes on certain Pinot Noir blocks. To a large extent homegrown mulches and products made from seaweeds and humic acids replace hard fertilisers. Sheep wander among the vines in winter.
We use a mix of machine- and hand-harvesting.
People: The winery is owned by the Scott family. Head of the family Alastair Scott had a life-long dream to own his own winery and produce award-winning New Zealand wines. On returning home from working and living overseas, he made that dream a reality. He is also the Member of Parliament for the region.
Head winemaker Jane Cooper met Alastair back in 2002 and has been working in the business since. She was already an established winemaker with her own label. Jane has overall responsibility for all aspects of production, as well as running the winery. She has 21 years industry experience and has done vintages in Australia, Chile and Italy.
Wines: We produce Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay across three brand tiers:
- Holly wines are the reserve range Holly, the cream of the crop. These are a very special to us and have won numerous awards over the years. They retail between $26.99 and $38.99.
- Matahiwi Estate range wines are considered a premium brand, also award winners. They represent a purity of the vineyard. They retail between $19.99 and $26.99.
- Mt Hector wines are our largest retailing range. The intent is to represent good value for money. They retail between $14.99 and $18.99.
Cellar door information: open by appointment
Find out more information about this producer on their website Matahiwi.co.nz