Introduction

Neudorf is New Zealand's greatest wine producer, according to Tom Stevenson's Wine Report 2009. This UK publication has listed Neudorf in the top ten for the past few years but in the latest edition just released, Neudorf is number one!

Judy and Tim Finn planted Neudorf Vineyards in Upper Moutere Nelson in 1978, before the fine wine industry was established in New Zealand. Fresh from the ‘back to the land’ movement of the late sixties, they had a vision to produce beautiful wine. With a lot of self-belief and good friends on side, 31 years later they are doing just that!

The Vineyard

Vineyard management is driven by the Winemaker’s desire for ripe flavors with balanced acidity and concentrated fruit. A combination of high plant density (up to 5000 vines/hectare) and low production (2-4lbs per vine for Pinot Noir) helps achieve the quality of fruit to create long-lived, intense but elegant wines. The intensive management regime includes manual shoot thinning, leaf removal, bunch thinning and of course hand harvesting. Canopies are kept open to allow the sun and wind to penetrate, thereby reducing disease. Varieties grown include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Winemaking

Great wines have a basis of fruit concentration, length and sense of place - characters which can be formed only in the vineyard. The team at Neudorf believe their primary task is to grow grapes which express the site, to take the essence of that fruit and then preserve it as wine. On the way they may fine tune the balance and complexity in a number of ways but the aim is always to allow the site to speak.

In the winery they concentrate on texture, balance and for certain wines, complexity. Finesse is always a priority.

Neudorf has won a plethora of awards and is considered one of New Zealand's leading wine producers.