A fine-tuned vineyard

The Dolbel Estate vineyard lies on the banks of the Tutaekuri River near Taradale in Hawke's Bay, a region known for producing some of New Zealand's most sought-after wines. This vineyard experiences extremely dry summers and moderate autumn and spring periods, ideal for producing quality grapes.

The 34ha vineyard is based on a mixture of alluvial and shingle soils. It is planted in Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Viognier and some Syrah and Malbec. Vineyard management practices are continually fine-tuned to achieve the best results. Over the years, we've done a lot of research and applied innovative techniques on the vineyard. We have trialled root pruning and were one of the first vineyards in New Zealand to control bird damage by settling falcons on the vineyard. All our fruit is grown to target the specific wine we want to produce - crop yields and canopies are adjusted to suit the flavour and structure of the wine. We insist on selective hand picking to ensure that only the best bunches are harvested. Most of the grapes are grown for other winemakers with only hand-selected parcels held back for Dolbel Estate wines.

Dolbel Estate has had a close association with the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) for several years. Its close proximity has allowed students from EIT to train on areas of the vineyard and small parcels of grapes have been provided for them to work on. Dolbel Estate currently offers a scholarship to a leading EIT viticulture student each year.

The vineyard has also hosted the Romeo Bragato conference, with the Silver Secateurs competition being held there, along with trade displays.

Over the last 20 years, much of the vineyard has been replaced to keep up with modern clones, but also to keep abreast of changing wine styles.