TE WHARE RA
Located in Marlborough, Te Whare Ra is our longest running direct import from the Southern Hemisphere. We met Jason and Anna Flowerday (owner, winemakers) early in 2011 and instantly connected with them and their wines. We believe their wines to be the pinnacle of quality in Marlborough. Te Whare Ra (TWR for short) means “house in the sun” in Maori (NZ’s indigenous language). The vineyard was planted in 1979 and contains the oldest surviving vines in the region. Jason and Anna bought the property in 2003. Both come from grape growing backgrounds; Anna’s family are multi-generational grape growers in Australia and Jason’s in Marlborough itself. After buying the vineyard and winery they went about converting it to organic. Both the vineyard and winery are BioGro certified organic and practice some biodynamic methods too. The most important thing to understand about TWR is that the wines are truly a family affair; the Flowerdays (Jason, Anna and their two sets of twin girls) literally live in the vineyard—their house is fifty feet from the winery, and fifty feet from the vines. Everything is a true, honest labor of love; quality, authenticity and purity is everything, there are no short cuts. TWR produces a range of wines and there isn’t a weakling in the whole portfolio. Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rieslings, Pinot Gris, Syrah, aromatic blends, Rosé—all world class.