| Te Mata Estate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 39°40′15″S 176°54′50″E / 39.6708429°S 176.9138673°E |
| Wine region | Hawke's Bay |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Key people | John Buck CNZM OBE, Peter Cowley |
| Cases/yr | 30,000 |
| Known for | Coleraine, Bullnose Syrah |
| Varietals | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier |
| Tasting | Open to the public |
| Website | www.temata.co.nz  |
Te Mata Estate is an independent, family-owned Hawke's Bay winery and New Zealand's oldest, in continuous operation since 1895.[1] The winery produces everything on-premises at their Havelock Hills site near Havelock North, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Napier. Established in the late 19th century by the Chambers family, the winery and original vineyards were the first to be heritage-protected, and is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded wineries.[2]
The winery and vineyards are run by the Buck family: John Buck CNZM OBE, a former chairman of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and member of the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame,[3] as well as his three sons Jonathan, Nick and Tobias. Te Mata's flagship Coleraine wine is regarded by many as New Zealand's finest red wine, and is named after the Buck family's ancestral hometown in Northern Ireland. Te Mata Estate relies on its long-term senior management staff, a permanent vineyard crew and a team of hand-pickers led by senior viticulturist Larry Morgan, and the winemaking team has been led for over 30 years by Technical Director Peter Cowley.[4]
Te Mata Estate is especially notable because it has hand-harvested grapes from its own vineyards and produced, blended and labelled small-batch premium wines entirely on site in the original winery buildings since 1895. New Zealand's first legally protected wine-growing area, the Te Mata Special Character Zone in the Havelock Hills, was established by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in 1996, recognized and conserved on the basis of its unique wine-growing heritage value.[5]
- ^ Cooper, Michael (2002). Michael Cooper's New Zealand Wine Atlas (All ed.). New Zealand: Hodder Moa. p. 134. ISBN 9781869589219.
- ^ "Te Mata – The Estate". Te Mata Estate. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ Hooke, Huon (1 May 2012). "John Buck OBE of Te Mata Estate installed in NZ Wine Hall of Fame". The Real Review. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TMEhistorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Te Mata Special Character Zone" (PDF). Operative Hastings District Plan. Hastings District Council. 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2018.