Tim Turvey was told in 1988 when he bought his property at Te Awanga, HB, that it was " too cold to grow wine grapes". He took this as a challenge, and bought the bare land. The first vines were planted in winter 1988. With partner Helma van den Berg they planted 2500 trees, including avocados, olives, bay trees, lavender and citrus. Vineyard plantings were continued at 3 acres per annum. Tim and Helma grafted and planted the vines, rammed the posts, ran the wires and trained the young vines. To boot, they designed and built the winery and restaurant.

Fifteen years down the track the wine and vines are 'doing nicely now - thank you very much!'

The Reserve Chardonnay has achieved Super Classic Wine Status, and has taken Gold or 5 Stars in each vintage since 1992. Opened in 1991, the restaurant rates highly, consistently nominated in the top four winery-restaurants in the country and have become a winery dining institution.

Te Awa Farm is a unique place. The full name in Maori - Te Awa o Te Atua - means River of God, a reference to the mysterious subterranean streams over which Te Awa Farm is sited, and from which its single estate grown wines draw their subliminal character.

In 1992 the Lawson family, longtime grape growers, established the property on the corner of Ngatarawa Road and State Highway 50 with the express interest of growing premium grapes and making fine wine, especially the Bordeaux varieties. The land, subdivided from the original Longlands station stretches through from Ngatarawa Road to Gimblett Road now recognized as part of the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District.

The Te Awa Farm vineyard itself comprises just 43 hectares. Much of the skill - all of the quality of our wine - comes from a deep understanding of the rich diversity of soils that permeate through this small area. The diversity allows us to make a selection of supreme quality wines - rich in character, complexity, and, above all, sheer enjoyment.

The original site that the Mason family first planted back in 1986 is still producing, and while there has been some ongoing expansion both in to premium sites in the Hawke’s Bay and, more recently into Marlborough, expansion has never come at the cost of quality. The Sacred Hill team goes through an intricately detailed process of assessing soil types, aspect and climactic conditions before deciding on utilizing any piece of land for vineyards.

It's a great story. The genesis of CRAGGY RANGE WINERY began in 1987, when Steve Smith was smitten by a small parcel of land in the Tukituki Valley, part of the Hawkes Bay winegrowing region. With one of New Zealand’s most beautiful (and best stocked) trout fishing rivers to the East and the massive symbolic escarpment of Te Mata Peak to the West, this place was indeed very special. The Craggy Range formed the backdrop to the site and close investigation of the soils showed a parcel with stony clay rich soils that were just perfect for producing a high quality single vineyard Chardonnay wine. This piece of land had it all and more - Craggy Range was a great name for a winery.

All their wines come from their own estates, from vineyards they have planted themselves, and are made using techniques developed over almost two decades of experience.