The Story

MESSAGE FROM THE PROPRIETOR

"We broke the bread, we drank the wine
Everybody... having a good time".
U2, Until the End of the World

Two Paddocks is a small family wine producing business that is entirely dedicated to making great wine.

THE EARLY YEARS

We started in 1993 with modest ambitions and first planted five acres of pinot noir at our original little vineyard at Gibbston, Central Otago in the deep south of New Zealand.

At the same time, our friend Roger Donaldson planted the land next door, hence the name Two Paddocks.  (Roger's paddock proved to be a slow starter, which meant we had to go it on our own; however we kept the title.  His brand, Sleeping Dogs, takes its name from the first film we made together.)

I wanted to produce a good pinot noir that would, at the very least, be enjoyed by my family and friends. Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn't seem too hard.  To our great surprise, our first vintage in 1997 was much better than we hoped, in spite of a difficult growing season.  1998 was a more distinguished vintage, and in 1999 we were astounded to produce a pinot that was, we thought, world class.  Here was a wine of considerable complexity with an amazing nose, delicious fruit and a good lengthy finish (from clones 10/5 and 5).  So rewarding has this vineyard been over the years (and so unpromising as a sheep paddock) that we planted another 5 acres of Burgundian clones there in 2008 bringing the total acreage at The First Paddock, Gibbston, to 5 hectares. 

Since that original release in 1997, with each successive year we have produced a pinot noir (sometimes 4 or 5 pinot noirs) that have done us proud and are, to be frank, too good to be wasted on our friends.  They still somehow manage to bludge a lot off us, and that, combined with The Proprietor's generous thirst, accounts for the occasional scarcity of Two Paddocks Pinot. 

In short, we have become outrageously ambitious - we want to produce year after year, the world's best pinot noir.

AS WE GROW

Our original vineyard has now been augmented by three other small vineyards, superbly sited in the Alexandra and Bannockburn districts of Central Otago.  

The Last Chance vineyard is 7-acres in size on a very beautiful terrace above the Earnscleugh Valley, and sits under some very striking rocky headlands.  We planted it with Burgundian pinot vines (5,6,115) in 1998.  Two Paddocks "The Last Chance" Pinot Noir is from this single vineyard (first vintage 2002).  "The Last Chance" name comes from an old gold miners watercourse that runs through the yard, dating from the 1860s.

In 2000 we acquired Red Bank, a lovely 130 acre small farm nestled between two dramatic rock escarpments.  It has become our main vineyard, as we call it rather grandly 'Headquarters', since we have our offices, staff quarters and a splendid Club House as well there.  We have planted more Burgundian pinot clones (777,667 and 115 primarily), and the pinot from this, our biggest vineyard, usually forms the backbone of our premium "Two Paddocks Pinot Noir", a wine to die for year after year.  (NOTE: Management prefer you not to die for our wine, as we enjoy your custom year after year).  We also grow our Riesling here.

Red Bank is, incidentally, more than a vineyard however.  It was some years ago, a research station for Crop & Food and we maintain, to this day, many of the medicinal and culinary herbs that were planted then (including lavender, saffron, Echinacea as well as apricots, cherries, apples, pears, truffles etc). 

In January 2014, we acquired our fourth small vineyard block, this one in Bannockburn. This a beautifully positioned vineyard, that has been tended with immense dedication and attention to detail and we could not be more delighted to include this iconic site into the Two Paddocks fold.  Situated at the end of Felton Road, it is a 6-hectare block entirely devoted to pinot noir and was established in 1999 by Denny Downie and Jane Gill. It lies at the foot of Mount Difficulty and its neighbours are Felton Road, Terra Sancta and Akarua vineyards.  

This puts us in the unique position of being the only Central Otago winery with a footprint in all three of Central Otagos great valleys, by owning vineyards in Gibbston, the Alexandra Basin and now the Cromwell Basin. We believe it demonstrates our faith and confidence in the future of New Zealand wine, Central Otago and in particular, Central Otago Pinot Noir.

A TRIBUTE

Mike Wolter was an important leader in the wine industry of Central Otago, and a friend to all of us at Two Paddocks.  Over the years he produced many great wines at vineyards in the area.  He realised a dream when he started the Central Otago Wine Company, which makes wine for several vineyards in Central Otago.

In 1997 Mike died in an industrial accident while working in the winery he created.  This is a tribute to Mike, his family, and his great work.

A tribute to Mike Wolter by Sam Neill

I got to know,and become friends with, Mike and his wife Bridget in the eighties. Bridget looked after my garden, and Mike would come up the hill and give her a hand on occasion. Mike was quiet and laconic, and I soon grew to enjoy his company and the odd leisurely yarn. Mike was becoming increasingly involved with vineyards in the region, and his interest in viticulture intrigued me.

After planting the first vineyard at Gibbston, I quickly realized that Mike was logically the man to look after it. He took over the yard and his experience and quiet enthusiasm soon became apparent in the health and well being of the place.

About the same time Mike started talking to me about setting up a winery in Cromwell. It would be called, straightforwardly, The Central Otago Wine Company. Mike's idea, having had several very successful seasons as winemaker at Black Ridge, was to create a winery which would make wine for potential wine labels like my own Two Paddocks. I was onboard as a partner quickly, partly because Mike was by now a friend, but, more importantly, because I trusted implicitly his vision and judgement. This has turned out to be a good call-- the company is now in its fifth vintage and has produced some wonderful wines including of course Two Paddocks.

Tragically Mike died in 1997. This was an enormous shock and, in a sense, we're still in the process of recovery. I very much miss Mike's dry wit, and considerable wisdom. I do feel, however, that he would be pleased with how things have gone since then. The company has flourished, the vineyards he nurtured prosper, and Bridget has held together his family and business with great tenacity and courage.

His legacy lives on.

Mike's Obituary

Mike was born in Gisborne in 1957 where he lived until 1974 when he went to work in Auckland wineries, Corbans and then Babich. He later included some time in Barossa Valley. Generally wine making in New Zealand at this time was bulk orientated.

In the late 1970s he returned to Gisborne and worked at developing vineyards while continuing to make wine at Gisborne wineries during the vintage. At this time the New Zealand wine industry had started turning around and putting more emphasis on quality.

After traveling and working in Europe, he returned to Queenstown in 1987 and began work at Taramea Vineyard. This was early times for the Central Otago wine industry when grape varieties, sites etc. were still at the experimental stage. In 1992 he began to make wine for Black Ridge in Alexandra.

At this time he was also developing and managing vineyards for Nevis Bluff, Kawarau Estate and later Two Paddocks. This lead to him setting up the Central Otago Wine Company, making wine for six different wine producers.

His specialty and love for developing award winning Pinot Noir showed through in successive years between 1994 and 1996 when Black Ridge was awarded three silver medals for its vintages. Mike made the 1997 Black Ridge Pinot Noir and the 1997 Dry Gully Pinot Noir which were both awarded gold medals. He also made several medal-winning Chardonnays in 1996 and 1997. Mike also enjoyed making Gewurztraminer and Riesling, some of which are now quite delicious with several year cellaring. The Pinot Noirs from that time continue to develop flavours, which is why Mike was so sure and passionate about the region.

He died at his winery on July 4th, 1997 after accidental inhalation of carbon dioxide. With ten years experience of wine making in Central Otago behind him, he was poised to make many more fine wines from the region. Mike is survived by his wife Bridget and children Hannah and Hugh. The founding co-owners of the Central Otago Wine Company continue to make quality wine in the spirit that Mike had always intended.