SWIFTSURE

Swiftsure now carries this same pioneering spirit South – a bold, regionally expressive South Island wine collection drawing on the innovation and expertise developed at Man O’ War.

The Swiftsure name carries that sense of jouney south. Swiftsure was a small open-topped boat that once ferried gold miners and mail across Cook Straight, connecting Wellington to Picton - a subtle nod to our own path from Waiheke to the South Island.

Still at the beginning of its journey, Swiftsure crafts elegant, complex, world-class wines from alpine vineyards established on low-yielding, high-altitude sites in Marlborough and Central Otago’s Bannockburn.

Duncan McTavish

No stranger to challenging conditions, winemaker Duncan McTavish has spent over a decade at the helm of Man O’ War Vineyards - making iconic wines on Waiheke Island, one of NZ’s most unique environments. Duncan graduated from Canterbury’s Lincoln University in 1999 before completing vintages in France, Germany, Australia and the United States, before finally settling at Man O’ War in 2008. As part of a small and passionate team bringing Swiftsure to life, he has relished the opportunity to return to the South where he learned his craft. Acclaimed for his innovative and adventurous winemaking style, Duncan’s thumbprint ensures Swiftsure is a true expression of both soil and spirit, a blend of unconventional thinking and the rugged sub-alpine landscapes where our vineyards lie.