Good growing at Neudorf

With around 1080 hectares of grapes in an array of varieties, Nelson’s strength is in its size, quality, and “eclectic” nature, says the self-described “global cheerleader” for Neudorf Vineyards. She’s also a pretty rowdy cheerleader for the region and its myriad industries, from arts to apples, hops to dairies, craft beer to boutique wine. “It’s a real mix of people and agriculture and creatives, and I think that is emulated through the wine itself,” Rosie says, rolling off the names of people producing amazing wines in a growing array of varieties and styles. Coming from a region not known for one particular grape is a double-edged sword, making market cut-through challenging on one hand, while escaping pigeonholing on the other, she adds. “We as a region handle that really well.”

Certainly Nelson has regularly hit the headlines for extraordinary wines, including the Neudorf Home Block Moutere Chardonnay, which scored the first ever 100 points awarded by Bob Campbell MW, and the Home Vineyard Moutere Pinot Noir, which made the cover of Decanter magazine. People tend to think Nelson’s wine region is bigger than it is, “and I think that comes from punching above our weight”, Rosie says.

She was born 14 years after her parents, Tim and Judy Finn, planted a small Upper Moutere vineyard, with plans to do the best by the land. There were few vineyards in the country and just one other in the region, planted by Hermann and Agnes Seifried in 1973, and Judy is still astounded at the mix of bravery and naivety that drove them. “We have come a long way since the long drop, the home-made grafting machine, and the armchair tied to the back of the tractor where I held two water guns to ensure young vines survived,” she said late last year, when the company marked the release of its 40th vintage “Today’s Health and Safety would have had a fit.”

It’s still a brave industry, says Rosie, applauding the pioneering nature of its founders as well as the innovations of new labels like Abel, Unkel, and Alex Craighead. “They’re doing exciting new innovative styles as well, so I think it’s a really lovely mix.” She loves the absence of monoculture in her region, which is perhaps best viewed at the Moutere pub on a Friday night, with hop growers, beer brewers, cider crafters and winemakers amongst the mix, along with local potters and painters. Or via the Moutere Artists Collective, where everything from Neudorf Wines to willow baskets are celebrated and promoted, including at local open days held a few times a year. “We all work together because they are all such complementary products,” says Rosie, again raising a cheer for another dozen producers, from black garlic to smoked duck.

Neudorf Vineyards, now led by Rosie, alongside General Manager and Winemaker Todd Stevens, still has the wellbeing of its land and environment at its heart, with organic certification, solar energy, energetic compost piles, and dry farmed vineyards.

When she was a child Rosie referred to the vineyard as a sibling, and as a teenager, she promised she’d never work in the family business. But now she and Todd are building strategies for five and ten years out, grateful to be working with such a remarkable business. “I am lucky enough to work with a brand that I implicitly trust, but that has got such good foundations already. We’re focussing on future proofing the company for future generations.”