We offer wines from 3 different producers in the North Island - the Amor-Bendall winery in Gisborne, The Cottier Estate in Wairarapa, and Mystery Creek Wines in Waikato - small family estates, handcrafting quality wines with passion.

All these producers make lovely wines - all are quality-driven, and all are family controlled. The grape varieties in our range are predominantly those you would expect from NZ - Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, with some Chardonnay and a handful of others.

Our supplier for wines from the Wairarapa area is the Cottier Estate, situated in Dakins Road at the centre of the prestigious Gladstone wine growing area. This producer is superbly endowed with all the great characteristics that combine to produce premium wines: soils consisting of light alluvial river deposits, underlaid by a shingly river gravel substrate, which provides a beneficial free-draining environment for the vines; gentle rolling land down to river plains, allowing easy access to the vines for vineyard machinery and human workers alike; finally, Cottier is situated at latitude 41 south, offering an ideal microclimate with rainfall of 800 mls/year, warm summer days with cool nights and long gentle autumns allowing the grapes to mature to perfect ripeness. The Cottier family originate from France, and in 1858 a Cottier ancestor, Francois, set sail from Plouerjec, France, to Lyttelton, New Zealand, where he laboured as a whaler off the shores of the South Island. Determined to be a success in his chosen land, Francois became Francis and fervently saved his pennies. Tired of the brutality of whaling, he bought land in Canterbury. Francis wrote to his siblings and ailing mother in France about his adventures, telling them he wished to replicate some of his homeland by planting a small vineyard. He urged his brother Pierre to leave France, to join him in New Zealand and to bring cuttings from French vines. The phylloxera outbreak in Europe meant that this wasn't possible, and Francois' dream could not be realised. Three generations later however, Francois’ great grandson, Peter Francis Cottier, his wife Yvonne, daughter Katherine and sons Sam, Luke, Joe and Nick, have adopted the hardy seaman’s dream in establishing the Cottier vineyards in the early years of the 21st century. Three nineteenth century whaling harpoons represented on the Cottier label are a nod to Francois and his adventurous spirit. They are also a reminder that times change – the slaughter of whales 150 years ago lured many young men to New Zealand’s shores. Now, the beauty, gentleness and magnificence of those same species attract the awe and wonder of travellers, adventurers and tourists alike.

Mystery Creek wines is a progressive, niche producer based in Waikato on the North Island. It was established in 1999 by Garry Major and has 4 hectares of it's own vines along the shores of the Waikato River, and additionally sources fruit from other high-quality producers, some in other regions. Soil types in Waikato are Horotiu sandyloam over free draining river shingle, planted on a gentle north facing slope. Wines are produced from varieties including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Merlot, Pinot Gris, and Syrah.