A Visit to North Canterbury Wineries

North Canterbury is the 4th largest wine growing region in New Zealand with around 1500 hectares of grapevines. The plantings have remained reasonably static for the last decade. If we compare that to Marlborough, with over 30,000 hectares of grapevines, it has added another 6000 hectares of plantings since 2016. Central Otago has around 2100 hectares.

Under the geographic indication definitions, North Canterbury stetches from the Rakaia River in the south to Cheviot in the north. For residents of Canterbury is confusing because generally North Canterbury is considered to be north of the Waimakariri river. Grapevines were first planted in Canterbury by the French settlers at Akaroa in the 1840s, However these vines never flourished. Canterbury has also benefitted by having Lincoln University, located south of Christchurch, offering extensive programmes in winemaking and viticulture with interns and graduates flowing through into the region.

In the 1970s a group of academics and enthusiasts started to plant grapes around Canterbury, including at Kaituna Valley on the way to Little River, Banks Peninsula. The Giesen Brothers, newly arrived from Germany, established their first vineyards near Burnham in 1981.

Ed Donaldson, marketing manager Pegasus Bay.

Professor Ivan Donaldson, a neurologist, and his wife Christine believed in the future of wines in Canterbury and planted the first vines at Pegasus Bay in 1985.

The magnificent gardens at Pegasus Bay are the inspiration of Christine Donaldson.

Jump ahead to 2026, the Donaldson Family remains a leading force and inspiration to Canterbury wineries and consumers. Pegasus Bay and their regional label, Main Divide, are trusted Canterbury wines and their five styles of riesling are exemplars of this grape in New Zealand.

In the early 2000s, the Giesens sold their Burnham vineyard to concentrate on making wine in Marlborough. However, in 1997, Marcel Giesen and his partner Sherwyn Veldhuizen established their own 2 hectare vineyard back in North Canterbury, Bell Hill, in an old lime quarry near Waikari, on the road north to Hanmer.

View from Bell Hill Vineyards and Sherwyn Veldhuizen, winemaker & viticulturist.

Today this Bell Hill falls into an iconic class of Canterbury wines along with its near neighbour, Pyramid Valley, which was established by Mike and Claudia Weersing in 2000.

Amanda Kinch of Pyramid Valley.

Today, Pyramid Valley wines are made by Huw Kinch and their Botanical Collection remain their signature wines.

Pen Naish at Black Estate.

Back closer to Waipara, the largest sub-region of North Canterbury, Pen Naish and Nicholas Brown of Black Estate have established a leading Cuisine 2-hat restaurant to partner with its innovative wines. Greystone, also now with a restaurant to pair with its highly rated wines.