Heaphy, Nelson – a breath of fresh air, born on Sunrise Road

Heaphy Vineyard is Boutinot’s newest home, an established winery and 9.8ha vineyard on the rolling slopes of Upper Moutere, high above the port city of Nelson.

A region of broad bays, indigenous forest, and mountains under an intense purity of light, Nelson Tasman is blessed with the country’s most sunlight hours, something which over the decades has drawn a community of artists and makers to the region, recognised now as the country’s artistic capital. This vibe continues today; wild landscapes for the restless alongside a laid-back beach vibe for those who prefer to rest. We were hugely struck by the quality of the ever-changing light in Nelson, its hills and indigenous jungles heaving with abundant flora and fauna. It is an absolute breath of fresh air and joy to experience. Even Heaphy’s physical address, 4 Sunrise Road, fills the mind with a sense of renewal in this long-established wine country.

Hermann Siefreid planted what were to become Heaphy’s blocks on Moutere’s rich, clay soils in the early 1970s. Indeed our Moutere Old Vine Riesling 2023 celebrates its 50th harvest, putting it amongst the oldest working vines in New Zealand. The vineyard itself is dry-grown, allowing for the roots to fully delve into this ward’s unique Moutere Clays and Mapua Sandy Loams, shaping the resulting body and texture, whilst our proximity to the vast Tasman Bay brings salinity to all the wines. Today, the farm’s 9.8ha focuses on its long-established blocks of Mendoza-clone Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. We continue the existing grower relationships, built over years with neighbouring farms to augment Heaphy’s own vineyard.

Why Heaphy? Why Nelson?

As a wine company, Boutinot chooses to invest in land, vines, and wineries. ​

Seeking out a Boutinot Home isn’t about building an empire or putting pins in a map. It’s about putting down roots; finding ourselves in the terroir, closing the distance between the vine and the customer.​

From the Western Cape to the Rhône Valley, we’ve traditionally looked for places with distinctive charm and true quality waiting to be shared.​ Regions that are occasionally overlooked by more famous neighbours, but that have all the hallmarks of great wine regions and offer outstanding value to our customers.​

Despite being relatively unknown, Nelson is a region with all the magic and charm we’ve​ found in Cairanne and Franschhoek. 2,405 average annual sunshine hours, a sheltered topography and good diurnal variation help in creating the perfect environment to grow characterful grapes.

It’s the same ethos that’s driven us to find truly exciting vineyards.​

Heaphy is also a member of Sustainability Winegrowing NZ, one of the first sustainability programmes established for the international wine industry in 1995.​

Label Design

All Boutinot’s Homes champion their local truths on, as well as in, the bottle, and in refreshing the Heaphy brand we sought the same route. As most of our new local colleagues seemingly come to work in Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops, it seemed only fitting to depict the indigenous flora and fauna on their doorstep with a shirt-pattern design and breezy colours that reflect the maritime clime.

All Heaphy labels will carry the Sustainability Winegrowing NZ logo on the back label.  This accreditation is hugely important to us and means that all of our Homes are working sustainably. 

Beyond the bounds of Heaphy itself, our Home-grown NZ winemakers and viticultural team bring Boutinot’s real on-the-ground presence to this key country, a hugely important wine region in which to put down roots.

The Wines

Our first releases will be Heaphy’s Nelson Sauvignon Blanc and Nelson Riesling , as well as the Upper Moutere Old Vine Riesling and Moutere Chardonnay.