MIDDLE EARTH

MIDDLE-EARTH wine is created by a family of sustainable winegrowers in Nelson, New Zealand. They strive to make great wine that is deserving of the terroir. Their desire is to capture in their wines the essence of MIDDLE-EARTH. They are particularly proud of their passion and commitment to produce the highest quality wine from their own and other specially selected vineyards.

Their vineyards, where three generations of the family live and work among the vines, are situated in the beautiful wine region of Nelson - the geographical middle of MIDDLE-EARTH.

Trudy Sheild

Beginning her life on a Hawkes Bay sheep farm (long before the region was covered in vineyards!) a rural background has given Trudy a very down-to-earth attitude towards life and she is a humble and devoted winemaker.

First venturing to the South Island to study a Bachelor of Science at Lincoln University, a chance introduction to a postgraduate wine student sparked an interest in wine which was squirreled away but unattended to for some years.

On completing her undergrad she worked in medical microbiology for six years before returning to Lincoln University in 2001 to complete a post-graduate degree in wine science.

Fast forward to today and Trudy’s skills as a winemaker have been honed via harvests in NSW, Melbourne, France, and Italy. In addition, there were six months in a vineyard on Waiheke Island and a career defining 13-year association with Waimea Estates Nelson, beginning as a harvest cellar hand and concluding with a 7-year stint as the Winemaker.

Beyond winemaking Trudy enjoys sailing, exploring our bountiful region by foot, bike or boat, gardening, and cooking and likes above all concluding these days in good company with a glass or two of wine.