A gift from our tūrangawaewae

From our tūrangawaewae in Te Tauihu, the top end of the South Island of New Zealand, we present our Tohu Whenua Single Vineyard series. Each wine is an expression of the distinct contours and complexities from special corners of our standing place - Whenua Matua vineyard drenched in the sun on the slopes of the Moutere Hills of Nelson, and Whenua Awa perched high on the remote terraces of Upper Awatere Valley, Marlborough.

Both our vines and our people are sustained and defined by roots entwined in this part of the land; whenua which bore the footprints of our ancestors, and which we tend now in anticipation of the steps of our grandchildren's great grandchildren. Our inherited values underpin our treatment of the land and the wine - we take care to tread lightly and minimise our impact, and enhance and celebrate the characteristics that make it, and us, special.

Defined by our lands, guided by our inherited values, and grounded by our connection. Savour an insight into some of the beauty and complexity of our tūrangawaewae, and how it is woven through time as a part of us and our legacy.

Kaitiakitanga, commitment to our whenua

Striving to be better kaitiaki or guardians is intrinsic to our being as Maori and also for those who choose to work with the whenua.

Kaitiakitanga is key to who we are. Our 500-year intergenerational plan is only the beginning.

Of the 120 hectares that make up Whenua Matua and Whenau Awa, 74 hectares are cared for through the planting of native vegetation. 10,000 seedlings have tripled in natural reproduction, new water ways have attracted indigenous wild life, and abundant biodiversity is contributing to our thriving vines and wines.

New for this Whenua series, is our transitioning of natural processes into three of our sub blocks – Araroa, Tohu & Arapoto blocks. This in-conversion process sees us using natural herbicides by spreading mussel shells undervine and as well as grape marc which returns a considerable amount of nutrients and organic matter to the land.

It is the land that shapes who we are.

Whenua Matua vineyard

Whenua Matua, ‘significant lands’, is our vineyard located in the Upper Moutere region of Nelson. Set amongst the sun-drenched slopes of Upper Moutere, Nelson with spectacular views of our maunga Wharepapa and Pukeone, it is here that our roots run deep.

The changing angles and orientations of our Whenua Matua vineyard blocks lend themselves to the complexities of winemaking. Each parcel of land has intricacies that require experience and time on the whenua. Knowledge that only comes from spending time connecting with and getting to know the land. Intricacies that come through in each Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Albariño.

Terroir characterised by ancient clay soils and generous sunshine, Whenua Matua demands its vines work hard to anchor their roots, intensifying expressions of the land with every year.

These single vineyard wines hold great structure, exceptional varietal characteristics and texture.

Whenua Awa vineyard

Whenua Awa, ‘river lands’, is our vineyard to the east of Te Tauihu.

Rising majestically behind Whenua Awa vineyard, Tapuae-o-Uenuku has watched over our land and people since we first arrived here, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

High on the remote terraces of the Upper Awatere Valley, this high-altitude site sits on the fringes of grape growing possibilities.

Set 230m above sea level, where winds are strong, braided rivers powerful and frosts harsh, Whenua Awa grows. It is the fight, the struggle, for the vine’s roots to go beneath the loess soil and river stones in search of the mineral-rich papas clay, that ultimately gives the fruit its concentration and complexity.

Each bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling speaks of its parcel of Whenua Awa. Challenged by the cold climate and low growing days, the vines are strong, and so we do little.

We were pioneers in the Upper Awatere Valley, one of the first vineyards in the region. We were confident that the land would provide for us.

We trust that what is in the land is all that we need. It is this minerality and texture, that speaks of the possibilities of our whenua.

Jonny Hiscox, Vineyard Manager Whenua Matua

Kia ora, My name is Jonny Hiscox. I’m the vineyard manager for Whenua Matua vineyard in beautiful Upper Moutere, Nelson.

My role really is to make sure that on the vineyard, we produce the best tasting grapes to go into our Tohu Whenua Matua wines.

The thing I most love about my job is the sense of achievement every year when we harvest the grapes. I’ve been at Whenua Matua since the first planting of vines and I gave all the blocks in the vineyard their names. Parts of our vineyard lay on Nelson Tenths land (land from our ancestors) so I feel privileged to be kaitiaki of a site that has significant historic value to Tohu and Kono.

It’s really cool to see the vineyard name on the label and acknowledge the land these grapes come from. The Tohu Whenua Matua wines style can be described a bit different to the mainstream wine and very sophisticated.

Mondo Kopua, Assistant Vineyard Manager Whenua Awa

We have always had a deep spiritual connection to the wellbeing of our land and consider ourselves kaitiaki of our whenua.

In line with our tikanga, we believe that it is our responsibility to do right by our land; to work in harmony with it, never against it; and to use and develop it without compromising its integrity. So, we created the Whenua Series as a testament to the love and respect we have for our environment.

By using sustainable practices that nurture and protect, we have enriched the soils and biodiversity of Papatūānuku while also enhancing the quality of our vines. And the result is the incredible flavours of our Whenua Series, which perfectly captures the signature notes of our land.