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Awaroa Vineyard
Orapiu Grove Farm Partnership
324 Waiheke Rd,Waiheke Island
09 372 6579
Open weekends all year 11 am – 4 pm.
Also Jan – Feb: Thur – Sun, 11 am – 4 pm
Our premium quality organic wines are born in the vineyard. Using sustainable and organic practises we aim for a ripe concentrated style of red wine. We use meticulous vineyard management to ensure low yield while leaving the fruit out in the sun as long as possible to develop the best possible flavours for our wines.
In addition to our estate wines, we also purchase grapes from Hawkes Bay vineyards; Stell Vineyard’s BioGro certified organic grapes are used to produce a reasonbaly priced merlot and chardonnay, the merlot receiving a Bregato Gold Award.
Our vineyards are on gently sloping, west-facing hills in a valley system known as Awaawaroa Valley. The base of the valley contains the stream and the soil is a rich clay extremely suitable for the varieties grown. The climate here on Waiheke Island is similar to Bordeaux with rainfall, heat and sunshine hours suited to this style of wines.
Since we are a small organic vineyard, our time and effort is focused on viticultural practises that can enhance the quality and flavours of the wines. Our vines are hand harvested and gently foot crushed. After cold soaking at 4 degrees centigrade for a week the wines are fermented with introduced yeast. The fermenting wine is plunged by hand 6-8 times per day. Ferment is generally hot peaking at 33 degrees. Once ferment is complete the wine is left on its skins for an extra couple of weeks at warm temperature. During this extended maceration time the tannins soften. A gentle press into new oak barrels for the next 12 months or so before being bottled. After another 6 months the wine is ready for release.
While the wines are good drinking when released we generally recommend extra aging, which makes the wines more complex with softer tannins.
Awaroa Wines is a cooperative enterprise formed by the 7 partners at Orapiu Grove Farm. The skills and talents of everyone in the group have been key to the success of the enterprise.
The goal of the group has been to operate a commercial organic enterprise while protecting and enhancing the land and its ecosystems. The land includes natural springs feeding into the Awaawaroa stream and established bush including totara and kauri. There are large areas of kanuka and manuka with regenerating podacarps especially in areas that were once prevalent in weeds.
The vineyards were first planted in 1998 and the name Awaroa, meaning ‘long valley’ in Maori, was taken from the name of the stream and valley system.
In addition to the vineyard the property also has three olive orchards, producing a small amount of organic olive oil and preserved olives. Another small cottage industry produces organic skin care products, under the label Awaroa Wines is a cooperative enterprise formed by the 7 partners at Orapiu Grove Farm. The skills and talents of everyone in the group have been key to the success of the enterprise.
The goal of the group has been to operate a commercial organic enterprise while protecting and enhancing the land and its ecosystems. The land includes natural springs feeding into the Awaawaroa stream and established bush including totara and kauri. There are large areas of kanuka and manuka with regenerating podacarps especially in areas that were once prevalent in weeds.
The vineyards were first planted in 1998 and the name Awaroa, meaning ‘long valley’ in Maori, was taken from the name of the stream and valley system.
In addition to the vineyard the property also has three olive orchards, producing a small amount of organic olive oil and preserved olives. Another small cottage industry produces organic skin care products, under the label ‘Waiheke Blue’. The base of this skin care range is organic lavender oil extracted from a small lavender plantation.
As well as various commerical enterprises the land is also home or respite to the partners. The homes here have incorporated ecological principles, including solar water heating and wind and solar power systems.. The base of this skin care range is organic lavender oil extracted from a small lavender plantation.
As well as various commerical enterprises the land is also home or respite to the partners. The homes here have incorporated ecological principles, including solar water heating and wind and solar power systems.
