GLADSTONE VINEYARD

THE STORY
The history of the Wairarapa encompasses the initial plantings of Pinot Noir in Aotearoa during the 1880s. William and Hermance Beetham, an English and French couple, recognized the region's potential for producing Burgundian-style wines, attributing it to the similar environmental conditions and landscape. Despite the uprooting of these vines in 1905 following the temperance movement, the revival of wine growing and making in the Wairarapa occurred in the late 1970s.

Gladstone Vineyard, established as a hobby farm in the mid-1980s with a modest 2.7 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc vines, underwent a significant transformation in 1996 when the Kernohan family acquired the property. Over the next two decades, the Kernohans dedicated themselves to crafting wines and implementing sustainable vineyard practices on the Home Block to ensure the production of premium grapes. In the early 2000s, their expansion plans included increasing the vineyard holdings of Pinot Noir and constructing a new winery to meet the growing demand for Gladstone Vineyard wines.

In the present day, the Home Block vineyard remains the core of Gladstone Vineyard's operations. Additionally, two more vineyards in the Gladstone area are now leased and managed by Gladstone Vineyard. The beginning of 2023 marked a change of ownership, returning Gladstone Vineyard to a family-owned and locally run business. The new custodians, a young family committed to creating fine wines in harmony with nature and the local community, have embraced the responsibility. The essence of Gladstone Vineyard lies in the individuals behind the label, and as the winery enters a new era, the passion, enthusiasm, and vision on which it was founded continue to resonate strongly.