Land

Vineyard

Our vineyard comprises 30ha of rolling land near Tasman Village in the top of the South Island. The gentle north-facing slope, the Moutere clay soils, and the mild maritime climate are what appealed to us when we purchased the land in 1999.

Everything that goes into producing a high quality wine begins in the vineyard.

Read more about our varietals, how we planted the vineyard, how we maintain strong vines and healthy soil, and how all of the work matters at harvest time.

Green and white grapevine flower with vibrant green leaves in the background
View onto the two-storey Blackenbrook winery. The bottom half is concrete with large arched doors and the top burgundy red coloursteel. Around the winery are lush green paddocks and in the background we can see the Richmond Ranges and blue sky.

Winery

Nestled into the hillside of the Tasman vineyard, our European-style winery is a direct reflection of everything we stand for – minimal interference with natural winemaking processes and treading lightly on Mother Nature. This results in pure and genuine wines.

Designed by Daniel, the 600m² building can process up to 150 tonnes of grapes each harvest.

Resource conservation was core to the design. The winery is powered by solar energy and cleaned with treated roof water. And because it’s built into the hillside, it benefits from natural insulation and only uses minimal energy for heating and cooling.

The winery is also a fantastic spot to welcome visitors during our Tasting Days at Labour Weekend and Easter.

Winemaking

Daniel’s winemaking philosophy is about simple processes and minimal interference. He wants to let the land and the fruit be expressed naturally.

All our fruit is hand-picked. Not only is this more gentle than machine-harvesting, but it also removes two steps from the typical winemaking process - de-stemming and pumping the must.

At the winery, juices and young wines are transferred using gravity. Because of this gentle handling, the fining process has been largely eliminated. We have minimised mechanical handling and cut sulphur additions to the bare minimum.

For more detail about Daniel's innovative and customised winemaking process, read on.

Winemaker Daniel Schwarzenbach standing in front of white Blackenbrook wine boxes. He is smiling, wearing an olive green jersey and a cap.
Winemaker Daniel Schwarzenbach holding a perfectly ripe bunch of Pinot Noir grapes. Only his two hands cradling the grapes are visible. In the background there is a grey picking bin full off juicy, dark blue Pinot Noir grapes.

Sustainability and certifications

Sustainable practices are the focus of everything we do at the winery and in the vineyard.

As a result, we have gained certification from Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, and five of our wines are also certified by the New Zealand Vegetarian Society.

Read more about our sustainable practices and the certifications for our wines.