WINEGROWING
IN PURSUIT OF MAKING GREAT WINES
From the heart of Marlborough, but a world apart...
Hans Herzog Estate is a true artisan wine estate where a holistic approach to farming is not just a phrase but a way of life. Absolutely everything is done by Hans himself with the help of equally passionate people including his wife, confidante and collaborator Therese, who supports him in his relentless drive for quality and perfection. Hans himself holds 500 years of wine making lineage, selling up the family estate in Switzerland to move to Marlborough. Of course, you don’t offload 500 years of winegrowing history to do something by halves and absolutely everything what Hans does is of 'über' quality.
His vineyard means everything to him, paring down the crop until there is very little left, but what is left has the goodness, warmth, light and indeed magic each vine draws from the terroir. All for itself.
Despite a Master’s degree in Oenology, Hans sees himself as a vigneron rather than a winemaker. He loves to spend his time amongst the vines and working the land and tending the vines with immaculate detail reflecting the traditional and holistic approach of his ancestors.
From hand-pruning to hand-picking and all the hard yards in between, tasks are done according to the astrological calendar. Together with extremely low yields, the reward is exceptionally concentrated, healthy and vibrant fruit. The result is some of New Zealand’s most age-worthy wines expressing the unique terroir and climate of our beautiful Marlborough.
Along with the more traditional Pinot noir and Bordeaux varieties, Hans successfully planted Pinot gris, Viognier and Montepulciano, varieties rarely witnessed in New Zealand in 1994. With the overwhelming success of the very late ripening Montepulciano, Hans holds the ‘green card’ to plant nearly any variety, as he has done.
The World's Most Complex Vineyard
Defying conventions: mastering 20+ varietals on one vineyard and crafting excellence in every bottle!
Welcome to our Vineyard of the World, where we passionately create exceptional wines, drawing from a diverse array of grape varietals nurtured on our extraordinary single estate vineyard.
Any grape variety thrives best when provided with a combination of several vital factors wherever in the world. Terroir, which includes macro-climate, micro-climate, and the human influence, play a pivotal role in the success of vineyards
worldwide. While some may wonder how each wine achieves excellence within such diversity, we invite you to reconsider, explore and appreciate the results for yourself.
Our vineyard encompasses all these vital factors, enabling the thriving cultivation of a wide range of grape varieties. These factors include our unique terroir, Marlborough's maritime macro-climate, with an optimal temperature range of 25 to 32°C during the growing season, the distinctive micro-climate nurtured by the adjoining Wairau River, and topographical features such as an altitude of 28 meters.
