CHURCH ROAD

Taradale’s Church Road goes back a fair old way, originally established in 1897 by ex-Marist Brother, Bartholomew Steinmetz. Returning to his native Luxembourg in the 1920s, he left it in the hands of the then 19-year-old (and these days legendary) Tom McDonald, who initially leased the winery, then purchased the property in 1936. In 1949, he produced this country’s first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon, which gained iconic status throughout the 1960s and set the benchmark for quality-driven red wines in New Zealand. Tom was well ahead of his time, but his passion for producing outstanding wines continues to flourish at this historic winery.

Under new ownership, the winery was completely renovated in 1989 with the express purpose of re-establishing Church Road as a producer of premium boutique-style, quality-driven wines. The winemaking team is led by Chris Scott, who has worked there since 1998. The team draw upon an exceptional array of varietals sourced from some of Hawkes Bay’s top vineyard sites, delivering wonderful quality and value at every price point.

Chris came through the ranks from vineyard worker and cellar hand to become winemaker. He worked at Church Road as cellar hand early in his career and then rejoined the winery in 2003. Chris has a degree in Wine Science from EIT Hawke’s Bay in association with Charles Sturt University, Australia. Chris is now the Regional Winemaker overseeing the entire Church Road range.