Owhanake Bay
Waiheke Island
Facts.
First Vintage: 2007
Vineyard: 2 Hectares
Range: Syrah
Cellar Door: Yes
“I suppose that was the genesis of my philosophy that what we are creating in a bottle of wine is a little bottle of happiness!”
About
Mike and Christy are the proud owners of Owhanake Bay Estate. Mike shares their journey to the vineyard…
“I haven’t always liked wine. Until age 32 I was tea total, mainly for athletic reasons. On a truck trip in Africa, after a very good day, my good friend and his wife poured three glasses of an aged port to celebrate. I protested and he said he knew I didn’t drink but wanted to share the moment and was happy if I didn’t touch it. He just wanted to include me. It had been a special day, so I took a sip. I liked it. My interest grew from there, particularly on happy and special occasions. I suppose that was the genesis of my philosophy that what we are creating in a bottle of wine is a little bottle of happiness!
We saw the property we later named Owhanake Bay Estate in 2005, and if we sold almost everything and borrowed a bit we could buy it. We both liked wine and knew the challenges, so the already planted but young vineyard was attractive. Not knowing anything about growing grapes was never going to stop us. We hired people who knew what they were doing and joined in as their help, learning from them and slowly taking over the jobs as we felt comfortable.
What is important for us is producing the best quality grapes we can, and then working with our winemaker to produce a top quality and elegant wine. I always have the end situation of the wine in my mind while making decisions through the season, which is why I love getting feedback about people enjoying our wines. In our 13 years of operation we have won a pile of bronze, silver, gold and even a trophy… Whatever we do, we will apply our philosophy that if it is worth doing we will put our heart and soul into it.”
