OUR VINEYARD

Waitaki Braids owns an 8.2 hectare vineyard on Grants Road, in the heart of the Waitaki Valley viticultural region. Stephen Cozens, as one of the region’s developers, was instrumental in securing this specific site following extensive viticultural analysis of the valley’s heat accumulation, wind patterns and soil data.

The site has solid chalk at its rear boundary, having originally been used as a limestone quarry. As the site nears the Otiake River, the soil changes progressively through a mix of chalk and clay to increasing levels of river gravels with fines of limestone.

Waitaki Braids has planted a mix of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay with a variety of clones and rootstocks appropriate for limestone soils and the extended growing season.

The soil variation across the site provides a variety of influences with individual varieties and rootstocks having been specifically planted to produce identifiable characteristics for our wines.