Fan-Favorite from New Zealand Te Whare Ra Is Back!
Rachael Ryan, K&L’s New Zealand Wine Buyer
For the past several weeks, I’ve noticed customers scanning the New Zealand racks, asking the same questions: “Are they back in stock yet? Do you know when they’ll be here?” As the newly minted buyer for the Southern Hemisphere, I was intrigued. What are these Te Whare Ra wines everyone has been asking for?
To be honest, I hadn’t tasted the wines before or known much about the winery. I looked over the list of wines on the incoming New Zealand container list and became more intrigued. Sauvignon Blanc, that’s to be expected from Marlborough. Pinot Noir, slightly more unusual for the region, but not wildly so. Riesling and Gewürztraminer, and an Alsatian-style field blend? Now that sounds interesting! Well, the container has landed, the wines are back on the shelves, and I’ve had a chance to taste through the wines. I’m happy to report that I can now understand the devoted following these wines have—they are singular, and they are delicious.
Te Whare Ra is our longest direct import relationship—13 years strong—from the Southern Hemisphere. Located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick, the winery was originally established in 1979 and purchased by Anna and Jason Flowerday in 2003. The couple both come from wine families—Anna from McLaren Vale in Australia and Jason from Marlborough—and met while working in Australia before deciding to build their family and business in New Zealand. K&L was introduced to TWR by Domestic Buyer (and former Australia/New Zealand Buyer), Ryan Woodhouse, who stumbled upon the winery while traveling in New Zealand and was instantly smitten. As he describes it, what was meant to be a short tasting visit turned into an hours-long stay and an immediate friendship was formed.
In the years since, K&L has remained TWR’s exclusive U.S. importer, even as their small boutique winery has grown and the accolades have begun to accumulate. Just this year, the Real Review ranked TWR as the #3 Winery in New Zealand, and the #1 Winery in Marlborough. Also, their rosé also was singled out as the #1 Rosé in New Zealand. This is incredible recognition for a small 11-hectare winery resisting many of the dominant trends in the region.
To understand just how dynamic this boutique winery is, it’s helpful to add a bit of context to their corner of the world. Although Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps one of the most recognized wine styles today, shipped around the world (and accounting for 90% of New Zealand’s total wine exports), the region is only about 50 years old. In fact, TWR boasts some of the oldest vines in the region, with Gewürztraminer vines planted in 1979. In some ways, modern Marlborough has become a victim of their own success. Large, corporate wineries dominate the landscape, making perfectly drinkable value-oriented Sauvignon Blanc, but often with little distinction or character, relying upon conventional viticulture and machine harvesting.
For the past two decades, however, Anna and Jason have been quietly bucking this tidal wave of industrial winemaking, producing elegant, expressive wines from certified organic vineyards. This is also incredibly unusual for Marlborough, where just 4% of the region’s vineyards are organic. The Flowerdays are proud of this distinction–their SV5182 wines refer to “Single Vineyard 5182,” which is their BioGro NZ certification number.
The TWR wines are handmade and honest. More importantly, they are a family endeavor. Jason and Anna raised their two sets of fraternal twin daughters on the property, with their home located just 50 feet from both the winery and the vines. Their work is a heartfelt labor of love, where quality and purity shine through each bottle. If you haven’t yet jumped onto the TWR bandwagon, I highly recommend discovering these wines for yourself.
2023 TWR (Te Whare Ra) Rosé Marlborough $19.99 Rosé Wine of the Year 2025 (The Real Review) A bright and vibrant style of bone-dry rose, made by destemming Pinot Noir and letting it cold soak for a few hours before gently pressing and fermenting at cool temperatures to maintain freshness. Ever-so-slightly savory and textural, and just delicious!
2023 TWR (Te Whare Ra) Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough $19.99 A longstanding customer favorite at K&L, this steely style of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc sets the standard for the region, with classic gooseberry and grapefruit pith notes along with more tropical papaya and mango, all finishing clean as a whistle.
2022 TWR (Te Whare Ra) "SV5182 Single Vineyard" Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough $29.99 Only the fourth release of a SV5182 Sauvignon Blanc, the wine is fermented and aged on fine lees in mostly large, neutral French oak, with only a small amount in stainless steel. Less fruit-forward and more textural on the palate, this wine has fantastic palate weight and a long finish.
2024 TWR (Te Whare Ra) "SV5182" Gewürztraminer Marlborough $19.99 This is an off-dry style of Gewürztraminer (18 g/L RS) from some of the oldest vines in Marlborough. Lychee, rosewater, and jasmine emerge first the nose, backed up on the palate by bracing acidity and juicy stone fruit notes.
2022 TWR (Te Whare Ra) "SV5182 - M" Riesling Marlborough $19.99 The M stands for medium-dry (27 g/L RS), and this wine is just 9.5% alcohol, making it dangerously drinkable! Electric acidity and an ethereal palate weight prevent this wine from being cloying, while stone fruit and citrus notes dominate the palate. A Mosel-inspired wine, with 100% New Zealand purity of fruit.
2022 TWR (Te Whare Ra) "SV5182 - D" Riesling Marlborough (Dry) $19.99 The D stands for dry (3 g/L RS), and this is wine is more reminiscent of an Austrian style of Riesling, with fantastic extract and weight on the palate, balanced by vibrant peach and nectarine notes and faint green tender herbs.
2023 TWR (Te Whare Ra) "Toru" White Blend Marlborough $19.99 Toru, which means “three” in Maori, is a field blend made from Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Pinot Gris. The varietals are co-fermented and the resulting wine is ever so slightly off-dry (5 g/L RS) with a perfumed nose of orange blossom, fresh ginger and Meyer lemon. This is a textbook example of a well-made aromatic wine, with a clean, crisp finish.
2019 TWR (Te Whare Ra) Pinot Noir Marlborough $29.99 Mostly destemmed and fermented in small one-ton fermenters, with gentle hand plunging of the cap, the wine is then matured in French oak for 11 months (about 25% new) before bottling. So elegant and expressive, this Pinot Noir balances black and red fruit notes with more savory baking spice and cocoa notes.